Spiced Crumbed Flathead with Cauliflower Puree, Salsa Verde and Sauteed Spinach

When Mark and I went to a seafood cooking class about a year ago, one of the dishes involved pureed cauliflower - and it was amazing. Because I wanted to create a really special fish dish for Renee and Todd, I decided to try out the pureed cauliflower, and even if I do say so myself, it was fantastic.

With the fish, because the pureed cauliflower is so creamy, I thought that crispy, crumbed fish would be an interesting contrast. And I am really happy with how that turned out also. I mixed a few spices with the crumbs to contrast with the sweetness of the cauliflower. The flathead crumbed and cooked really well.

I made the cauliflower puree a few hours in advance. To keep it warm, I placed the puree in a glass bowl and placed the bowl in a large saucepan with a few inches of water in the bottom. I placed the whole lot over a low heat and the steam kept the puree hot as well as moist.

Just before serving, I preheated the oven to about 140 degrees. After frying the fish, I placed it in the oven to keep it warm while I sauteed the spinach and blanched the beans I served the dish with.

So, the salsa verde is not really salsa verde, but it is delicious all the same. Dill is not ordinarilly used in salsa verde, but I really like the combination. The recipe makes a large quantity of salsa verde. I used the rest on Easter Saturday (lamb recipe to be posted shortly).

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon lemon myrtle
1 teaspoon wattleseed
1 teaspoon ground akudjura (bush tomato)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup plain flour
3 eggs lightly whisked
700-800g flathead fillets
1 1/2 heads of cauliflower cut into florets
600ml thickened cream
1 litre milk
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch dill
1 bunch mint
2 tablespoons capers

45g tin anchovies
2 cloves garlic
2-3 teaspoons dijon mustard (to taste)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons butter (extra)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil (extra)

1-2 tablespoons butter (extra for spinach)

150g baby spinach

Green beans to serve

Method

First, crumb the fish. Place the coriander seeds, lemon myrtle, wattleseed and akudjura in a mortar and pestle and grind well. Place the egg, plain flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Mix the spices with the breadcrumbs.

Coat the fish in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip the fish in the egg and coat well with breadcrumbs, pressing down firmly to ensure the breadcrumbs stick. Place the crumbed fish in the fridge until ready to cook.

To make the cauliflower puree, combine the milk, 450ml of the cream and cauliflower in a large saucepan. The cauliflower needs to be completely covered, so add a little extra milk if necessary. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Drain and place the cauliflower in a food processor. Heat the remaining cream in a small saucepan until hot. Puree the cauliflower in the food processor. Add the heated cream, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

So, now we'll prepare the salse verde. Place all ingredients, except the olive oil in a food processor. Process until well combined. Slowly add the olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Store in the fridge, but remove from the fridge at least an hour before serving to bring it back to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. When you are ready to eat, place the extra butter and oil in a fry pan and melt over medium heat. Once hot, fry the fish on each side until crisp. If the pan becomes dry, add a little extra butter or oil. Place fish in the oven to keep warm.

Wipe clean the fry pan and melt extra butter. Add the spinach and saute until wilted (this only takes a few minutes).

Serve fish with the pureed cauliflower and sauteed spinach. Seave some blanches greens (such as green beans) on the side.

Tomato and Spinach Breakfast

If I feel like something really healthy for breakfast, I make this dish. I always feel like I have started the day well when I eat this with a big glass or orange juice and a cup of tea.

Okay, garlic for breakfast is not for everyone - the garlic is optional of course, but it does really enhance the flavour. You could also add white beans or cannellini beans for an extra dimension. I also like to serve it with grilled ham or bacon.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic crushed

100 - 125g cherry tomatoes halves

A few handfuls baby spinach

Buttered toast to serve

Method

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant, but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until soft (you can cover the pan to speed up the process). After a few minutes, add the baby spinach and cook for a minute or so until the spinach is wilted.

Serve immediately with buttered toast.

Grilled White Fish with Salsa Verde, Potato Rosti and Corn and Avocado and Corn Salsa

I have been wanting to incorporate more fish into our diet. Fish is so good for you, but it can be a bit of a pain in that it is best to buy it on the day you serve it. As I like to do shopping only once a week, I often don't want to visit the shops again during the week for fish. But this week I did.

The fish I used was ocean perch. It was delicious, but you could use any fish you like.

The ingredients I have used for the salsa verde are not necessarily the traditional ingredients used for salsa verde, but they taste good together regardless. I find that every salsa verde recipe is different - some have gherkins, some have anchovies, some use basil, others just mint and parsley. I just used what I had.

Stay tuned for more recipes featuring salsa verde over the long weekend. Two of the dishes I am planning will have it included.

Serves 2

Potato Rosti

Ingredients

2 potatoes peeled

1 tablespoon chives chopped

Salt and pepper

1 - 2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Grate the potato and place into a sieve. Squeeze all excess moisture from the potatoes. Mix in the chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter and oil in a large fry pan. Divide the potato into 2-3 portions and add to the hot butter and oil. Press down so that the potato forms patties. Fry for 5-10 minutes until browned. Turned over and cook on the other side. Add more oil or butter if the pan becomes dry.

Once cooked through place on a baking tray and place in the oven to keep warm.

Salsa Verde

Ingredients

2 teaspoons salted capers, rinsed and dried

Handful fresh parsley

Handful fresh dill

Handful fresh mint

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 clove garlic crushed

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Chop the capers and herbs together until finely chopped and well combined. Place in a small bowl and mix through the mustard, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Corn and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

1 avocado diced

400g tin sweet corn kernels rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons chives

1 tablespoon dill

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Make just before serving (or at least only cut and add the avocado at the last minute). Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately.

Grilled Fish

Ingredients

2 white firm fish fillets

2 teaspoons lemon myrtle

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Sprinkle the fish with lemon myrtle. Heat olive oil in a fry pan. Fry the fish for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

Serve immediately with the potato rosti and avocado and corn salsa and drizzled with salsa verde.

Zucchini Flower, Crab and Lime Fettuccini

This recipe is inspired by one that I learnt when Mark and I went to a cooking class at the Sydney Fish Markets about a year ago. I unfortunately couldn't remember the details of that recipe, only that it contained crab meat and zucchini flowers, so I just made up my own, and was very happy with the results.

This dish took next to no time to prepare. I bought the crab meat fresh from a fish shop, but of course you could buy crab and extract the meat yourself. I personally hate retrieving meat from crab, so skipped this step.

You can buy crab meat from the supermarket, though I am not sure whether the quality is any good. If possible, try and buy the meat from a fresh seafood market.

I purchased the zucchini flowers from a local greengrocer. I think you may be able to purchase these from the supermarket at certain times of year, but I could not find them there today.

The pasta needs to be cooked just before serving. It is best to take it straight from the boiling water to the pan with the other ingredients. This way it is still very hot and slightly wet which makes it easier to incorporate with the other ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 2)

7 zucchini flowers, flower removed and stem sliced

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 red chilli chopped (optional - seeds either left in or removed depending on how much heat you want)

3/4 - 1 cup crab meat

Zest and juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh dill roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

375g fresh fettucini

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat water in a large saucepan. Add salt and bring to the boil (this is for the fettucini).

Heat oil in a large fry pan. Add zucchini stems, garlic and chilli (if using). Cook for a few minutes until just soft (but still crunchy in the middle). Add crab meat and heat through.

Add fettucini to the boiling water and cook for a few minutes as per packet instructions. Once cooked use a pasta server to transfer the fettucini to the crab. Add lime zest, lime juice and herbs and toss together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Add extra olive oil if it is a bit dry.