Wild Connemara Salmon Tartare From Rosleague Manor

 

Simple is as simple does in a magnificently understated starter that owes its success to the exceptional quality of locally sourced ingredients

Serves 4:

Ingredients

9 oz / 250g wild salmon fillet

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp/ 1 ¼ US tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp/ 1 ¼ US tablespoon Olive oil

1 tbsp/ 1 ¼ US tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

A dash of Tabasco

A Little Salt

A little cayenne pepper

 

Method:

1. Skin the salmon and check that there are no bones in it, then chop finely.

2. Mix all of the other ingredients with the salmon, seasoning to taste with a little salt and some cayenne pepper.

 

3. Serve immediately, with toasted brown bread

 

Cod with a Parmesan & Chive Butter Crust From Aherne’s Townhouse in Co. Cork

Aherne’s is renowned for the quality of the seafood served, which is landed at the harbour in Youghal and other nearby fishing ports. This is a simple dish for the home cook to make, and David likes to serve it with a provencal style fresh tomato sauce.

Ingredients - Serves 4

2oz/ 50g / ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, cubed

2oz/ 50g /1 cup chives, chopped

3oz/ 75g /¾ stick butter, cubed

2oz/50g/1 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper

4 x 7oz / 200g fillets of cod

 

Method

Place the parmesan cheese in a food processor, and process until the cheese is finely chopped, then add the chives and process again briefly to mix. Add the butter and breadcrumbs, then season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until quite firm-like a green-speckled butter.

When ready to cook, preheat a hot oven 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Pat the cod fillets dry with kitchen paper, then spread the mixture evenly over each one and place in a greased baking tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or unitl the fish is just cooked through-this will depend on the thickness of the fillets, which will be opaque when cooked, and flake when tested with a fork.

 

Serve with fresh seasonal vegetables.

 

Roast hake wrapped in Parma ham scented with lemon & herbs and parmesan butter from l'Ecrivain

Roast hake wrapped in Parma ham scented with lemon & herbs ingredients

640 g fillet of hake, skinned,

pin bones removed

1 tablespoon salt

1 lemon, washed

1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley,

chopped

1 tablespoon coriander, chopped

½ clove of garlic, peeled &

crushed

4 slices of Parma ham

salt & freshly ground white pepper

25 g butter

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Parmesan butter ingredients

100 g broad beans, 

podded salt

50 g butter, softened

20 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

juice of ½ lemon

½ clove of garlic,

 peeled & crushed

1 tomato, skinned, deseeded

& chopped 1 small bunch of

 mixed herbs (flat

leaf parsley, chervil, chives),

chopped

pinch of freshly ground

 

black pepper

 

 

 

Method

Roast hake wrapped in Parma ham scented with lemon & herbs

Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the lemon. Cover the saucepan and simmer the lemon for 1 hour to make a lemon confit. Cool the lemon, remove the skin and

pith, and chop the flesh. Mix the chopped lemon with the parsley, coriander and garlic. 

Lay a strip of clingfilm 65 cm x 25 cm on a work surface. Cover with a layer of slightly overlapping Parma ham. Lay the hake across the Parma ham and make a 1 cm incision left to right across its middle. Rub the lemon and herb mix into this and season with salt and pepper. Roll up the hake and Parma ham, securing with the clingfilm and tying both ends as tightly as possible. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

 

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Remove the clingfilm and cut into four equal cylindrical portions. Heat an ovenproof frying pan. Heat the butter and olive oil in the pan and sear the ham-wrapped hake for 1 minute each side, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. 

Parmesan butter method

Blanch the beans in a medium-sized saucepan of boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes. Drain the beans and skin them, using a small, sharp knife. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Method - Garnish

Make the crisp sweet potato from the Seared fillet of beef recipe on page 172.

To serve

 

Place a portion of cooked hake in the centre of each warm plate and top with a teaspoon of softened Parmesan butter. Insert a slice of crisp sweet potato into each piece of hake.