Pla Kròp – Crispy sea bream with a wicked Thai sauce

Cripsy fish done Thai style. Topped with fried garlic, spring onions, and coriander. Don’t forget the seafood sauce!

Pla Kròp translates into ‘crispy fish’ and combined with this Thai seafood sauce, this dish is just electrifying. Fish will no longer taste the same once you dip it into this sauce. Done in proper Thai fashion, this dish will leave you wanting more. Sea bream is one of my favourite fish and can be commonly found in your local fish market. The flavour and texture is similar to sea bass with its wonderful ocean flavours. Shallow fry in vegetable oil until it is golden and crispy. If you cannot find this fish, any meaty sea fish that isn’t too boney will do just fine. A tip to picking a top quality fish is in the freshness. Make sure it smells like the ocean and its eyes aren’t blurry.  Top it up with fried garlic and herbs,  you are one step closer to heaven already. The seafood sauce is just as important in this dish. It combines a mixture of sourness from fresh limes and delicate sweetness from the palm sugar. Pound in some garlic and chilli to put it into overdrive. Absolutely bangin’, you will not be disappointed.

READY TO COOK?

1. Preheat your oven to 220ºc.
2. Clean the fish thoroughly under cold water. Gut the fish and score 3 slices into the fillet on each side.
3. Season the fish with white pepper and sea salt, then put aside.
4. Using a pestle and mortar, bash up 1 garlic clove, chilli, palm sugar.
5. Add the juice of 2 limes, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1 handfull of chopped coriander and grind it all together.
6. Taste and adjust to your liking. Add more sugar for sweetness or fish sauce for more saltiness.
7. Place the sauce into a small bowl and put aside.

1. In a non-stick pan, heat up 1-2 cups of vegetable oil under a medium heat.
2. Pop in the chopped up garlic and fry until it is golden brown. Remove the garlic from the oil and place it on kitchen towels to drain the oil, then put aside.
3. Gently place the fish into the pan. Be careful as the oil may splatter.
4. Cook the fish for about 5 minutes on each side until the fish is crispy and gold in colour.
5. Place the fish on a baking tray (preferably with a metal grill insert so the oil drips to the bottom).
6. Let the fish cook in the oven for another 15 minutes to achieve a very crispy texture and most of the oil would have dripped to the bottom.
7. Place the fish on a platter of mixed leaves. (Any salad of your choice)
8. Top the fish with the fried garlic, spring onions, and coriander. Serve straight away.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 whole sea bream (gutted, cleaned and scored like in the picture)

• 6 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar (use white sugar as a substitute)
• 2 limes
• 2 birds eye chilli (or more if you love heat)
• 3 handfulls of fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
• 2 spring onions (roughly chopped)
• 3 tablespoons of fish sauce

Magpie’s smoked salmon breakfast

Guilt free and tasty way to start your day.

Smoked salmon and soft boiled eggs for breakfast? This is a wonderful way to start your busy day. A lot of cooked breakfasts are high in cholesterol and can be quite greasy coming straight out of the frying pan. If you love eggs but care for your health, try eating them boiled or poached. Rather than eating bacon or sausages which are high in fat, try some smoked salmon or smoked trout instead. Salmon is rich in omega-3 which helps lowering blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of heart problems and certain cancers. I cannot stop singing praises for the magnificent pink fish which is just simply scrumptious. Accompany it with some spinach and tomatoes, then drizzle it in fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Tasty and keeps you in good shape, what more can you ask for?

READY TO COOK? 

1. Place 2 eggs in a pot of boiling hot water for 5 minutes.
2. While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread until light brown.
3. Drizzle your toast with extra virgin olive oil and place a layer of smoked salmon on top.
4. Add the spinach and tomatoes on the side of the toast and dress with some balsamic vinegar.
5. Place the boiled eggs under some cold running water and peal the shells off, then pop them on the smoked salmon.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika on the eggs.
7. Season the dish with sea salt and black pepper.
8. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of smoked salmon
• 2 free-range eggs (or any eggs you desire)
• 2 slices of thick toast (wheat or sourdough are nice choices, anything you like really)
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• 1/2 plum tomato – sliced into wedges (or any other tomato you desire)
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper
• smoked paprika
• 1 lemon wedge

Potato latke breakfast with smoked mackerel

 

 

Breakfast delight.

I believe that breakfasts are some what under-rated. I simply love cooked breakfasts and the wide variety of things you can rustle up in the morning. This is my potato latke breakfast with smoked mackerel, boiled egg, and baby spinach.

Latkes are potato pancakes traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah. They can be eaten in numerous ways and are typically enjoyed with apple sauce. Essentially a Latke is a fancy and freshly made hash brown. Latkes work so well with sour cream or smoked fish, you must try this at home!

READY TO COOK? 

1. Preheat your oven to 170ºC/340ºF/Gas 4.
2. Rinse the spinach to give them a gentle clean.
3. In a large bowl mix your grated potato and chopped up onion with a pinch of sea salt.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then drain all the  water from the vegetables by squeezing it with your hands.
5. Whisk 2 eggs with a fork, then add it to the mixture.
6. Stir in the flour and black pepper, then put your latke mixture to the side.

1. In a small pot, fill it half full with water and bring to the boil. This will be for your boiled eggs.
2. In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bring to a medium heat.
3. Add 1 heaped tablespoon of the potato mixture to the pan, do this one at a time and flatten them with your spoon.
4. The mixture should make about 8 latkes.
5. Fry the latkes until golden brown on each side, them place them on a baking tray and straight into the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Using the same frying pan, pour in 2cm of water and a knob of butter, bring to boil.
7. Put the frying pan onto a low heat and place your mackerel in the middle. Simmer for 5 minutes to gently warm up the fish.
8. While the fish is warming up, pop 4 eggs into the pot of hot water and boil them for 5 minutes. This will result in a runny yolk. Cook the eggs for longer if you like them well done. After they are cooked remove the shells of the eggs and put them to one side.
9. Take the latkes out of the oven and put 2 on each plate.

1. With a large slotted spoon, take the fish out of the pan and drain them. Pop the fillets on top of the latkes.
2. Gently place your boiled egg on top of the mackerel.
3. Place the spinach around the delicious tower and finish it off with black pepper.

INGREDIENTS serves 4

• 4 smoked mackerel fillets

• 500g (1 pound) potatoes pealed and grated
• 1 onion finely sliced

• olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 4 hand fulls of baby or young spinach

• 15g (0.53 oz) unsalted butter
• 6 free-range eggs (or any eggs you desire)
• 1 tablespoon self-raising flour (or plain flour)

Love food, love life.