Über Eats, Deliveroo, Grub Hub, Feast, to name but a few!
Given where I live, in a London Mansion block, a stones throw from a myriad of fast food outlets, one could be forgiven in thinking that there is not a call for any of the above to deliver just 1 minute down the road. How wrong can I be. The other day, a leather clad, helmet wearing individual, sauntered down the street carrying a very small paper bag from Pret a Manger. In it was a sandwich and a drink! Seriously? This was followed the following day by a similar man with a KFC bag! I have to say that I am speechless. And according to our porter, there are some people here, who have deliveries 3 or four times a day, Breakfast, Elevenses, Lunch and Dinner. ( Joe the juice, Starbucks, KFC, Chicken, Nandos, Eat, Pret, Costa, the list goes on)
So, moving swiftly along, we have been cooking fishy things this week, and I do mean we , as himself has also been creative with fish in the kitchen.
Firstly, he was inspired to cook Crispy Chinese Fish, along with a spicy sauce, and then he has learnt to adapt, as my instructions on leaving the house are ” Do not go and buy anything “. So he hunted in the freezer and found some fish, smallish fillets, and white.
- one or two fillets per person, ( cod, haddock, pollock) depending on size
- 100 grms cornflour
- salt and pepper
- chunk fresh ginger.
- oil for frying
Mix together the salt and pepper and the fresh ginger which has been squeezed in a garlic press ( easy to do it if peeled), rub this all over the fish.
For the sauce
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 4 Tbs Rice Vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 2 Tbs Soy Sauce
This all very easy and very tasty, mix all of the above, put into a pan and bring to the boil, leave to simmer gently. Heat some oil in a pan or wok, and when hot ( test with a piece of dry bread, and when it sizzles, the oil is hot enough) carefully add the fish ( do not overload the pan) and fry the fish until golden brown. Serve with some of the sauce ( it should not be too runny) poured over the top!
I too have been playing, and I too hunted in the freezer and came across Shrimp ( actually my freezers are not at all random .. nor are my Pantry shelves, they are very carefully ordered, even though I do not have a list of what is there, I know what is there and where it is located). Shrimp in American speak are large but they are not as the Brits call them Prawns. I buy my Shrimp, frozen, either from Billingsgate or from the Chinese Supermarket or from Costco!
In New Orleans ( pronounced New Or- Lons) much of their food is based on French cuisine with Cajun thrown in. One of the favourites is Shrimp Remoulade, or in the UK, Prawns with a Marie Rose sauce ( a pink sauce invented in the1960’s by a popular TV chef, Fanny Craddock).
The New Orleans version of Shrimp Remoulade is Shrimp in a spicy sauce, either on its own or with avocados.
So lots of ingredients, but don’t let that put you off!
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 cup creole or spicy mustard ( it is usually brownish in colour)
- 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 Cloves of garlic squeezed
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 sprigs parsley chopped
- stick celery finely chopped
- 1 Shallot finely chopped
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 Dashes of Tabasco
- 1 Cup olive oil
Then for 4 people, 4 small avocados, 1 Lb Cooked shrimp, some Romaine lettuce or baby Gem, some lemon quarters to serve ( optional)
Zest the lemon and juice it, whisk together the items 1-12 and slowly pour in the olive oil, whilst whisking. until you have a nice thick mayo type sauce. Cover with cling film ( touching the surface so that a skin does not form and refrigerate until needed.)
Arrange the avocado halfs on a bed of leaves , mix the sauce with the shrimp ( you can really cheat and buy ready cooked ones) and fill the avocados ad serve with a wedge of lemon.
As an aside, Fanny Craddock was probably one of the first TV Celebrity cooks. Her show started in 1955 on the BBC !
oystersandchampagne 