Fresh Tuna

Today is no recipe, but a little story that just happened a little while ago.

We are trying to buy as much local as possible, but sometimes it is not easy. The fishermen don't always have the fish we want and this time we were really running around. We had an arrival who wanted to buy an entire tuna, he then wanted to see it and after that we would have to cut out bit by bit and cook it for him in different ways and methods. Generally no problem except.....our fishermen are not lucky with yellow fin tuna at the moment.

So we took it in our hands, went off and took the speed boat to see a close-by island that has a tuna canning factory on it. We thought they must have fresh tuna and would part with one or two of them. We were all in a great mood and off we went.

On the way we saw a fishing boat with tuna, so we made a little detour and checked it out. There are about 8 men living on board the vessel, there was a tiny little kitchen, nothing I want to photograph and put on my blog, trust me, it was really terrible. But we did not come to see their kitchen, but the tuna.

 

They had quite a bit, all stored in big containers filled with ice water. The tuna was nice, just the price they wanted was more than double than our normal fisherman is charging us. Maybe they could feel that we were sort of desperate for fresh fish. Anyway, we thanked them and off we went to get to the island we originally wanted to see, being convinced that the price will be less.

our bill for the tuna

Till.......one of the engines gave up, caramba, we really did not need that. In the middle of the sea, the gears just fell out and the boat would not go any further. So we had to turn around, without our priced tuna, to get back to our island, which now of course would take about 2 hours instead of 20 minutes.

We had no choice, but go back to the other fishing vessel, schmooze them a bit and buy a tuna or two. They were still happy to sell tuna, of course there was absolutely no bartering at all, we had to pay the given price. I was naturally a bit picky about the tuna, but after checking out a couple of fishes we found some really fresh and lovely tuna.

We put it on the boat, covered it with a towel and prayed it with water, we still had quite a bit to go till we were home. So as it took such a long time we knew that we miss lunch, so what would be close than just stopping on one of the slands and have some lunch. Our boat crew knew about a restaurant and called them up....yes, these islands are so small, they don't just have food for 5 people, hehehe, so we pre-ordered our food, the choice was fried chicken noodles or chicken noodle soup!

Enjoying lunch

The food was actually really nice, we had some starters and then some tea as well, sweet and sticky but very welcome. Then the bill was presented, or whatever you call this tiny little piece of paper whit the number 237 on it. that was the amount in Maldivian Rufiyaa and translates to a little more than 15 USD. Yes for that we could feed 5 grown men and we nearly had some food left over too.

We then went back on our "speed" boat and arrived back at Soneva Fushi literally 2 minutes before the guest arrived. On arrival we chowed him the fish and he could see that we just came back with his fish, so he was absolutely happy about it and chose the bigger fish which we then served in all sorts of ways.

The food bill

It is not every day that we get out like this, but with all the miss hap we had on this trip, timing was at the end absolutely perfect and we had another happy guest.....and we had a great time after all too.

Tokyo Fish Market

Another blast from the past, a little bit from my travels while working on some of the most amazing cruise ships. This time it is about the visit of the Tokyo Fish Market, something that will always stay in my memory. I think it is one of the most amazing markets in the world and it was an eye opener for me at the same time....but let me tell you the whole story

While being the Executive Chef on "The World" we spent a couple of days in the port of Tokyo as part of our one month circumnavigation of Japan. During this time I had a little time to explore this amazing city, amazing in every aspect as basically nobody speaks English and all the roads are marked in Japanese only. The city is absolutely huge, so one better does not get lost in it.

One of the adventures I had was going to the Tokyo Fish Market, the biggest in the world and famous for its tuna auction which happens every morning. We got up nice and early, outside was still dark, so around 4.00 in the morning we were in the taxi to get to the market. It was still cold outside as it was early spring, but all the excitement we had was enough to keep us warm.

One of the most amazing parts of the Fish market is the Tuna Auction. All the tuna is lying on wooden pallets and are ready for inspection. All of them are frozen and will sell for a lot of money. For Japanese freshness of the fish is paramount, so why would they buy frozen fish? It is actually quite simple, Tuna is caught all over the world, the boats are sometimes out for many month. To keep the fish fresh it will be shock frozen, that means it will be put through a freezer line that freezes a big tuna in minutes. Like this the ice crystals are very small and won't deter the quality. 

When the tuna gets defrosted carefully, the meat will still be in perfect condition. So to buy a top quality frozen fish is actually not a bad thing, I rather have that then a "fresh" fish that might be already in the shop for days. But everything else on the market is super fresh and sometimes still alive.

Another amazing part is to see how everybody works, the ethics the camaraderie, the team work. The best example is when they fillet a tuna, the fish is so big that one needs more than one person to do the job. Sometimes up to three people help with the filleting. They use a special knife that is about two Meters long, flexible and extremely sharp. With the skilled men they are able to fillet a tuna leaving none of the precious meat on the bone. I was just watching them how the quickly filleted a fish, working in complete harmony and making it look so easy

Another great par is to see all the different types of fish and seafood. Here I stood behind some New Zealand Green Shell Mussels, I had never in my life seen Green Shell Mussels of that size, I just had to have a photo with me, just to see the huge size of them. But of course there was a lot more to see. All the sea Urchin, the Hamachi, I found Guey Duck which is a clam that is mainly from the west coast of Canada, a Clam with a mussel hanging out that is up to 50 cm long. It gets mainly used for Sashimi, and of course there was so much more.

We must have spent something between 3 to 4 hours in the market and I could spend easily a lot more time there, I think I have only seen a fraction of the entire market, but the memories I have are always with me and have changed my way of thinking, especially about freshness and quality of fish, about the way the Japanese take care of the products in the market, it was a real eye opener.

I have seen many fish markets in the world, but I think this one is by far the most impressive one, the sheer size, the cleanliness of it, yes it smells of fish, but it it is all fresh, it smells of the sea. By the time we left they were already busy cleaning up the market, everybody is making sure their little stand is absolutely clean for the next day

On the way out we could see all the fish packed and ready to be delivered to thousands of restaurants, not just in Tokyo, but all over the region and some is even exported. It was a fantastic experience and I hope that some day I will be able to go back to Tokyo and it is 100% sure that I will go back to one of the most fascinating fish markets on the world

Cured Salmon

I have been away for a while, but now I am back in full swing with new recipes and tips, some more about travel and other interesting stuff.

One of the first things I did when coming back to work is some cured salmon, or Gravad Lax. This is a wonderful way of marinating fresh salmon, the flavor comes out beautifully and it is extremely versatile. I like to serve it with a honey-mustard dressing, rocket salad and beetroot.

Just a bit about the history of the cured salmon. It was originally done in the middle ages as a way of preserving the salmon as it is a seasonal fish. The fish was simply salted and buried in the sand to ferment. Of course the flavor of the fish was not even close to what we have today, it was a very strong smelling fish, but it gave food to the people in hard times.

Presently the salmon gets cured with a lot more ingredients, the other main ingredient is sugar, but then one uses as well juniper berries, black pepper, mustard seed and dill.

 

I tasted some absolutely amazing cured wild Norwegian salmon when I was in Bergen, Norway. There is one of the most amazing fish markets in the world, it has become very much a tourist attraction, but it is still authentic and a must for every traveller going to Norway. It is amazing the array of fresh fishes one can get there. One is welcome to sample and it is possible to buy some and eat right there. I was fortunate enough to be there early in the morning while working on one of the cruise ships and we had at around 7.30 in the morning tasters of cured and smoked wild salmon on freshly baked bread......with a glass of Aquavit....... yes the day started well. The combination is absolutely wonderful and I was hooked on the wild salmon. Of course I went wild in buying and all the residents on the ship were able to sample the salmon for the next couple of days while back at sea.

Recipe
1 Ea Salmon Fillet
50 G Salt
50 G Sugar
15 G Pepper black coarse
10 G Juniper berries
10 G Caraway seeds
10 G Mustard seeds
2 Ea Lemon rind
2 Ea Orange rind
250 G Dill fresh

100 G Onion

100 G Beetroot

50 G Pommery mustard
20 G Honey
30 Ml Cider Vinegar
75 Ml Oil

100 G Rocket

Method
Remove all the small bones from the fillet
Leave the skin on.
Sprinkle with all the ingredients, starting with salt and sugar
Crush the juniper berries slightly
At the end cover generously with freshly chopped dill.
Leave for three days in the fridge, then slice and serve.

The more salt and sugar used, the faster the salmon will cure.

Roast beetroot in the oven with the skin till soft
Cool, peel and cut in cubes

Slice onions in fine slices

Mix all other ingredients to a nice Dressing

Garnish with rocket salad and toasted brioche bread

Poached Sole and Salmon Roulade

This is another dish from our new weekly menu, something I haven't done since my training....yes that is a while back. A Sole and Salmon Roulade.

I am not sure why, but sole, Salmon, Spinach. Potatoes and White Wine Sauce just go well together, the flavors bond and the dish is exceptional. It always worked and I never had a bad comment about it. The flavors are subtle but still strong, the go together not against each other. The dish is light, but not really light in Calories as there is a bit of cream and butter in the sauce. The cooking method is healthy so overall it is a timeless dish, one that has worked well in the past...... many years!

Of course there needs to be a bit work to make this dish nice. The salmon has to be blended, strained, mixed up with cream, then the sole is laid out, the salmon goes on top of it, it gets rolled and then wrapped in plastic. I like to make one roll per person and then cut it just before serving

What is really important is that the Salmon and Cream are ice cold when blended together. The speed of the blender tends to heat up the fish mix and the danger comes that the cream splits....not what you want. Make sure you blend the salmon a bit, then add the salt as it will help emulating the fish and the cream. You need to work quite fast as well as it will help keeping the mix cold

So now, lets go to work and make this lovely dish, here is the recipe

Recipe

900 g Sole fillet
400 g Salmon fillet
250 ml Cream
10 g Salt
5 g Pepper
30 ml Noilly Prat

300 ml Fish Stock
100 ml White wine
250 ml Cream
10 g Corn starch

1 Kg Fresh Spinach
50 g Garlic
70 g Shallots
50 ml Olive oil
10 g Salt, Pepper

1.20 Kg Potatoes
50 g Butter

20 g Parsley

250 g Tomatoes

10 ml Olive oil

10 g Basil

Method

Blend salmon finely in a blender, make sure it stays cold all the time

Mix in seasoning and cream, season to taste

Clean sole fillet and lay them next to each other on a plastic wrap
Spread the salmon mix carefully on the sole fillets

Roll everything like a roulade

Close the ends tight and prick the plastic carefully with a knife. This will help to infuse the roulades with the flavor of the stock

Combine ingredients except cream and starch for the fish stock

Poach the roulades in the stock for about 10 minutes, take out and let rest

Then boil up fish stock, add cream

Mix corn starch with a little white wine and thicken the sauce

Turn the potatoes and boil till soft

Just before serving heat them up, saute in a bit butter and chopped parsley

Saute the cleaned spinach, season to taste

Semi dry the tomato with olive oil and seasoning

Exploring Ghana, Fishing in Krokobite

Morning at Crocobite Beach

Finally after nearly 5 month here in Ghana we went out a bit to explore a little more than the restaurant scene here in town. We went with our friend Bruno to Krokobite, about an hours drive from Accra to go fishing. But it is not just normal fishing, no, we actually went with the locals on a big Canoe into the open sea.

Bruno with his Espresso

Bruno is one of my suppliers and as you can guess his main business is fish. I buy most of my fish from him, not just because the price is right, but as well the quality is excellent. Of course being Italian, we could expect an Italian inspired day, especially as the lodge we went was run by an Italian friend of his, Fabrizio.

Meeting another Canoe

We started early, 5 AM we were fetched and off we went to Krokobite. We arrived around 6 AM but being a Sunday, we had no rush and first had some proper Espresso, the one where the machine is put on the stove and then the water gets pushed through the ground coffee. Then we relaxed a bit and enjoyed the sun rise at the beach, it was just absolutely wonderful

Fixing the net on the way out

We went then to the local town and Bruno organized us a Canoe....together with nearly 10 guys. They of course enjoyed the Sunday outing and knew that all the fish would be theirs, so off for a free fishing trip

Bruno trying his luck

We went out quite a bit, I have to say, sometimes the canoe went a bit much on the sides, but of course it did not tun over, sometimes I think I was the only one concerned.

The first fish caught

Then the fishing started and we were lucky....or at least some of us were lucky, and the fish bit nicely.we sailed out around 9 AM and were back just before lunch time. The sun was not shining a lot but believe me....I burned.

The most we caught was a fish called lemon fish, there was plenty of it and all the other canoes around us were catching the same.. There were some little red fish as well, but not much at all. Anyway, there was plenty of fish and we didn't need much in any case.

A part of our catch

On the way home we got some fresh lobster as well and Fabrizio got cooking from the moment we arrived back at the lodge. Now we met as well some new friends who brought some amazing Italian wine....we were at the end 10 people and had 4 bottles of wine....not that everybody was drinking, some preferred cool drinks and some wanted beer, so yes, there was plenty of wine. Every wine was hand chosen from small producers in Italy and then shipped to Ghana, what a treat

The food was simple and delicious, the starter was an amazing Penne al arragosta, Penne Pasta with a spicy tomato sauce and the fresh lobster in it, just a great way to start. Then we had fish, just plain cooked with salt, pepper and olive oil, first the red fishes and lemon fish, then the cassava we caught, Cassava being from the same family like the Branzino in the Mediterranean.....was just amazing.

Fabrizio, our chef and host

So the lunch must have gone on for hours, at the end just everybody sitting around, chatting and ending the meal with another great Espresso

Salmon Confit on Parsnip Puree

Another nice starter we did here on Orion. Cooking with the guys is really fun here. It is a dedicated team of 11 chefs and Utilities and I can honestly say that it is a pleasure to be with these guys. Everybody works hard and the food that comes out of the galley every day is really good. I would love to be a guest and enjoy the daily treats

Salmon Confit


500 g (17 oz) Salmon Fillet
Coarse salt
Pepper
Bay Leaves
Lemon Zest
Olive oil

Make sure the salmon fillet is trimmed off all the fat (dark pieces), then rub it with coarse salt and pepper.

Put the salmon in an oven proof container, just big enough to hold it. Add the other spices and then submerge completely with olive oil. Heat the dish on the stove till the is about 55 C hot. Transfer the dish to the oven and poach at around 90 C till the salmon is still translucent, but flaky (about 30 minutes). Cool down and leave in the oil till you use it.

Pull the flakes carefully apart.

Parsnip Cream

500 g (17 oz) Parsnip, peeled and grated

250 ml (8fl.oz) cream

250 ml (8fl.oz) milk

3 leaves of gelatin, soaked

100 ml (3½fl.oz) cream, semi whipped

2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil, a light variety

100 g (3 oz) Shallots

½ cup baby leaves– basil, celery, parsley, cress  

Tomato Jelly

1 kg tomatoes, eyes removed

1 tablespoon Tabasco

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

35 ml (¼fl.oz) Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar

20 ml (¾fl.oz) verjuice

35 ml (¼fl.oz) Vodka

4 leaves of gelatin, soaked

For the Parsnip Cream, 
heat a large bottomed pot to high heat, sweat the eschalot until translucent, add the grated parsnip, cream and milk and continue to simmer on a high heat until tender, stirring occasionally.

Using a food processor, purée the parsnip until smooth and pass through a fine strainer and cool.

In a small saucepan, heat a quarter of the parsnip purée, adding the squeezed gelatin leaves to it and stir until melted and completely incorporated. Fold this warm mixture very quickly back into the cool parsnip puree and 

Salmon Carpaccio

Another beautiful cold starter which is so easy to prepare, but looks absolutely stunning. It is important that one plays with color a bit, the eye eats as well and needs to be satisfied, so try it out and see what success you will have with it

Salmon carpaccio

250 grams salmon steak, skin removed

a little olive oil

12 Prawns, peeled and cooked

Squid ink noodles

½ fennel bulb, diced small

1 stick of celery, diced small

juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

160 grams fresh squid ink noodles, blanched

1 quantity of pickled cucumbers (see recipe)

fennel tips and celery leaves, to garnish

To make salmon carpaccio, trim the salmon of any darker, oily parts and cut widthways into 4 pieces. Slice each piece of salmon from the top, nearly in two, like a butterfly. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on a heavy cutting board, brush with a touch of olive oil. Place salmon on board, brush with a little oil, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and, using a wooden mallet or heavy pan, gently pound each piece of salmon until you have a large circular piece.  Put the salmon aside on a plate.  Repeat with the remainder of the salmon pieces.

To make squid ink noodles, marinate the noodles, diced fennel and celery in the lemon juice and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Allow to marinate for 10 – 15 minutes.  Reserve.

To serve lay the salmon on a serving plate.  Dress the noodles nicely in the centre.  Place some yabbies around the noodle stack.

Garnish with the fennel tips, baby celery leaves, cracked pepper and salt. Drizzle with the leftover marinade from the noodles.

In St. Georges, Grenada

The ship is going on and on, never a rest. We have done a different island nearly every day in the past week. Just two sea days out of Miami and then it just went bang, bang, bang! Like I said, there was not much time to go out at all, but now I just had to hop off for a little while. We are in the centre of Cricket loving people and of course we are following on the net what South Africa is doing in India at the moment....not that everybody loves Cricket, but I must say that I really enjoy it.

I just spent a little time outside in St. George and must say that I have never seen before how poor the West Indies really are. I think without the cruise industry it would be even worse, if that is possible. It is a public holiday today, so everything is closed, restaurants, bars, shops, everything just the market is open, but it is not a huge market anyway.

I walked from the cruise terminal up to the castle, quite steep but one has a lovely view from up there. Then I went through the old city to the harbor, that is when I thought it would be nice to just sit under the shade, have something cool to drink and simply enjoy a moment of peace……next time when we are here I will do that (hopefully in 2 weeks)
There is as well the fish market at the Carenage Harbor, today I just saw all the vessels lying there and the crew having a sleepy time, so I hope next time I am more lucky.

The city itself is actually quite beautiful with many old houses, some of them unfortunately in disrepair, like some of the beautiful churches. Just a little about the history here. After Columbus “discovered” The Island, like many others he found, the French settled in 1650 from Martinique and one can still see a strong French influence. The British came and after lots of feuding the British took control in 1783. Only in 1974the island got its independence.

The Island is as well known as the Spice Island, Grenada has plenty of them. Walking though the market one gets all the beautiful smells especially from Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves.

Then of course I have here the promised recipe, this time a fish, nice and simple, less labour intensive than the meat in the past blog. Enjoy it!

CAULIFLOWER

120 g (4 oz) Cauliflower
30 g (1 oz) Onions
30 g (1oz) Butter
55 ml (2 oz) Cream
30 ml (1 oz) Hazelnut oil
30 g (1 oz) Hazelnuts
Salt, pepper

TO PREPARE CAULIFLOWER
1) Heat butter in heavy based pan
2) Add onions and fry without color till translucent
3) Add Cauliflower, saute for 5 minutes
4) Add cream and season, simmer till tender
5) Blend the puree, add hazelnut oil
6) Just before serving add the chopped, roasted hazelnuts
7) Season again to make sure it is nice

SPINACH

30 g (1oz) Butter
30 g (1oz) Onions
5 g (0.3 oz) Garlic
200 g (7 oz) Spinach
Salt, pepper

TO PREPARE SPINACH
1) Heat butter to medium heat
2) Fry onions till translucent, then add garlic.
3) Add spinach, season to taste, saute quickly
4) Press out any additional juice


SEA BASS

300 g (10 oz) Sea bass
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

TO PREPARE SEA BASS
1) Heat skillet to medium to high heat
2) Add olive oil and heat to nearly smoking point
3) Fry the fish, skin down first till golden brown and crisp turn the fish around and fry on the other side
4) Season to taste
5) Finish the cooking of the fish in a moderately hot oven at 290 F



RELISH
100 g (3 oz) Apples Granny Smith
30 g (1 oz) Red Onions
Chili red
Wasabi Paste
Palm sugar
Lime juice
Cilantro

TO PREPARE RELISH
1) Cut apples and Onions with mandolin in fine julienne
2) Marinate with the other ingredients for two hours
3) Season to taste

TO PLATE
Plate the cauliflower puree on a hot plate, add spinach
Set the fish on top of the spinach
Garnish with the apple relish and thyme