Recipes.

 I am doing a cooking demonstration tomorrow night and here are the very simple but very tasty recipes I am doing. There is a combination of canapes, starters and main courses. Enjoy.

Tuna Tartare

Ingredients

100gm finely diced fresh Sashimi grade Tuna

Diced red onion/shallot

Capers

Red wine vinegar

Dijon mustard

Diced green olives

Chopped garlic

Olive oil

Diced green chillies

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Method

Mix the olive oil, capers, shallot, chillies, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Allow the mixture to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. At the last minute add the diced tuna and serve on crostini or Melba toast.

King Scallop on Pea and Mint Puree.

Ingredients

Serves 2

6 dry cut King Scallop

200gm frozen garden peas

Chopped fresh mint

Mint sauce

Fish stock

Butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

To make the pea puree cook the garden peas in the fish stock and then either crush them or preferable puree them in a food blender. Add some olive oil and a spoonful of mint sauce and then some chopped fresh mint. Season to taste.

Remove the scallop roe and season the scallops. Add the oil and butter to a hot pan and then add the scallops and cook for no more than 90 seconds per side, dependent upon the size of the scallops, or until the outside of the scallops are nicely coloured.

Serve on the pea puree.

Pan fried Gigha Island Halibut with Salsa Verde

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 x 170 gm Gigha Island halibut fillets skinned

1 clove garlic and chopped

Handful of caper diced

Handful of pickled gherkins diced

6 anchovy fillets

1 large handful of flat leaf parsley

1 bunch of basil leaves

1 bunch of fresh mint

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

8 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil

Plain flour

Salt and pepper

Method

To make the Salsa Verdi finely chop all the ingredients adding the oil at the end to ensure the correct consistency and season with the salt and pepper.

Dust the fish in seasoned flour. Add the oil and butter to a hot pan and cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes on both sides depending on the thickness.

Serve with Salsa Verdi.

Squid and Chorizo served with Lemon, Garlic and Olive Oil

Ingredients

Serves 2

450gm of small cleaned and prepared squid

200gm of diced Chorizo sausage

Zest and juice of a large lemon

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

75 ml olive oil

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Salt and black pepper

Wild rocket

Method

To prepare the squid remove the tentacles and was and dry them with kitchen towel. Cut the quid body into rings and wash them in cold running water, pat them dry and them to the tentacles. Squeeze over the lemon juice and leave for 5 minute after which drain off any excess liquid.

Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic and lemon zest, cooking slowly as the pan comes up to the heat. When it is hot add the chorizo and fry for 2 minutes. Bring the heat back up and add the fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the parsley and season and serve straight away from the pan onto a bed of wild rocket with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Pan fried Sea Trout with Pancetta

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 x 170gm fillets of Sea Trout or large Rainbow Trout.

Chopped spring onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

30gm butter

Salt and pepper

300ml dry white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

50gm of pancetta cubed

Chopped parsley for garnish

Method

Season the Sea Trout with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and add the pancetta, fry for 2 to 3 minutes.  Lower to medium heat and add the fish fillets and fry for 1 to 3 minutes per side.

Add the spring onions and the wine and bring to the boiled and cook for 1 minute.

Serve the fish with new season potatoes.

Lobster Thermidor Tartlets

Ingredients

Makes 16 tartlets

16 tartlet cases

Meat of ½ lobster

25gm butter

2 large shallots finely chopped

150ml of fish stock

25ml brandy or white wine

50ml of double cream

½ tablespoon of English mustard

Squeeze lemon juice

Salt and pepper

20gm grated parmesan

Method

Add butter to a hot pan; add the shallots and sauté until soft. Add the stock, wine and double cream and bring to the boil. Reduce by half.

While the mixture is reducing chop the lobster meat into small pieces and ¾ fill the tartlet cases.

Now the mixture has reduced add the mustard, parsley and lemon juice and half the parmesan. Season to taste. Pour the mixture over the lobster meat in the cases and cook in the oven for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over and grill for 1 minute.

Queen Scallop with Gruyère cheese

Ingredients

Queen scallop shells cleaned

Queen scallops roe off

Grated Gruyère cheese

Garlic butter

Breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Method

Season the scallop and then simply place it on the shell with a piece of garlic butter. Cover with the grated Gruyère cheese and top with breadcrumbs.

Cook under the grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Tandoori Monkfish with mint Yoghurt

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 x 170gm Monkfish portions.

Tandoori glaze

2 lemons

Pot of natural yoghurt

Mint sauce

Iceberg lettuce

Salt and pepper

Method

Season the monkish and then marinade in the Tandoori glaze.

Add mint sauce and lemon juice to the natural yoghurt to your personal taste.

Pan fry the monkfish for 2 to 3 minutes and serve on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce with lemon wedges and  some of the mint yoghurt.

Serve with a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

 

 

 

 

Ilkley Shopping Trail 11th to 13th May 2012

The Ilkley Shopping Trail, celebrating the best of the towns local independent reatliers, starts on Friday the 11th of May.

There will de discounts and events all over the weekend. I will be doing cooking and fish filleting demonstrations outside the shop (weather permitting) and hopefully will be offering customers the chance to learn to fillet fish.

So look out for the participating shops with the shopping trail stickers in their windows and balloons around the doors. Visit any participating shop before the 11th to collect your shopping trail brochure which gives you access to all the great offers.

For full details of the event visit the Ilkley Business Forum Website www.ilkleybusinessforum.co.uk and follow the shopping trail link and remember to #shoplocal.

This #Easter buy 4 Scottish salmon porti

This #Easter buy 4 Scottish salmon portions for £8.95 and save £2. #shoplocal

This #Easter buy 4 Scottish salmon porti

This #Easter buy 4 Scottish salmon portions for £8.95 and save £2. #shoplocal

The Fishermans Apprentice BBC2 Wednesdays

I sincerely hope that you are watching this fantastic show broadcast on BBC 2 presented by the very likeable Monty Halls.

His mission to live life as a Cornish inshore fisherman certainly has me “hooked” if you pardon the pun. It is easy for me to love this program as I love fish and I love Cornwall having spent many a summer holiday down there, but I see a program with greater depth than a jazzed up tourist promo.

There has been some very insightful moments that clearly demonstrate the struggle that these fisherman face on a daily basis just to survive Britain’s most dangerous job,  and  it clearly shows to me why we should value not only the fantastic fish that these men catch but the life that they lead. Isn’t it just the antithesis of the way that most of us live our lives? There is without doubt a part of me that hankers after that simple but rewarding life.

It has also offered a great look into some of the issues surrounding the fishing industry and fish in general. Last nights show, for example, was highlighting the fact that in Britain we do not eat Spider Crab despite the fact that it is native to our waters and caught in large numbers. It showed large viviers of live Spiders being despatched to Brittany where the people view them as a great delicacy.

I have to confess to never having tried it but the message that came from the show was that it was even tastier than edible brown crab. So why don’t we eat it? I do not buy into Monty’s argument that it looks scary, because when packed in the same way as edible brown crab it makes no difference. I do think that it is because other regions such as the Bretagne’s value it much more highly we simply do not get the chance to try it at a sensible price.

The program stated that over 95% of the Spiders caught in the UK go abroad. Well its no wonder we don’t get a look in! But this is nothing new. Large percentages of our national catch gets sent abroad for other nations to enjoy.

Why?

Well for an Island nation we do not seem to value seafood in the same way we value meat. The weekly spend on meat is massively higher than that of fish.

I am not sure that if I got some whole spider crabs in that any one would buy them and I cannot afford to stock expensive items like that on a whim these days so it’s a bit of a “catch 22″ situation.

Whatever the answers to the questions raised it is still a fantastic program that is teaching me  a lot about my industry. It is also making look longingly at the calendar to those two weeks in August when I can get down to Cornwall and perhaps do a bit of crabing off Padstow harbour. Will I catch a  3 kilo brown crab? Unlikley.

See ya.

 

 

Ilkley Shopping Trail Dates announced

PRESPRESS RELEASE.……PRESS RELEASE.….. PRESS RELEASE.…..PRESS RELEASE ….. PRESS RELEASE ….. PRESS RELEASE ….. PRESS RELEASE

Dates set for Ilkley Shopping Trail 11-13th May

Ilkley Shopping Trail is the latest plan of a number of local retailers, aiming to promote the benefits to everyone in and around Ilkley of using the quality, local shopping opportunities of the town centre. Ilkley Shopping Trail will celebrate our local, independent retailers, by offering special one-off demonstrations, tastings of food, trial sessions and special events all around the town centre from 11th to 13th May.

‘We are fortunate to still have such a wonderful range of shops in the centre of Ilkley. We want to keep them open and flourishing. As retailers in Ilkley, we have decided to create this 3-day event to focus on what we have to offer to shoppers that is exciting, particular and good value,’ explains Jonathan Batchelor, Managing Director of Ramus Seafoods.

‘Retailers in Ilkley are hugely enthusiastic about our wonderful ranges of products and want everyone to be able to discover these, visiting some shops that might be new to them. So, we are planning three days of fun with good, quality shopping in the centre of Ilkley. Make a note of the dates now, 11 – 13 May, and look out for full details over the coming weeks, ‘ Jonathan continued.

Jonathan and other retailers have formed a special sub-group of the Ilkley Business Forum to organise the Ilkley Shopping Trail. If you have a retail business in Ilkley and would like to be a part of this event, please contact Jonathan Batchelor : jonathan@ramus.co.uk

Ilkley Shopping Trail “A celebration of local independent retailers”

The Ilkley shopping trail – a celebration of local independent shops will take place on the 11 – 13th May this year.

The weekend will feature the best of Ilkley’s independent retailers who will be providing customers with one off demonstrations, food tastings and special events as well as exclusive special offers.

The event has been organised by the Ilkley Business Forum to help promote the wonderful mix of great Ilkley retailers.

Look out in the local press over the coming weeks for more details. If you are an Ilkley retailer and want to take part a member of the organising team should be visiting you soon or you can email me at jonathan@ramus.co.uk for details.

Mary Portas Report / Ilkley parking charges

It is interesting today to see some of the key elements in the report by Mary Portas about helping the High Street recover.

As you know this is a subject close to my heart and has been something I have been campaigning about locally in Ilkley over the past few months. So her recommendations are of great interest.

The report suggests that one of the ways in which local councils can help the local shops is by reducing red tape and town centre parking charges. How ironic it was then that last night that I received a phone call from a colleague on the Ilkley Business Forum mentioning a report that Bradford Council was considering introducing parking charges for on street parking in Ilkley.

Now the parking situation in Ilkley is terrible at best,with finding a space very hard at times. While I was in the shop the other week over a dozen customers complained at the lack of parking in the town and I am sure that some potential customers will be discouraged from even making the effort.  Thinking about it there has been no increase the number of parking spaces in Ilkley over the last 30 years.

So the idea of the council imposing a charge for on street parking is nothing more than an extra tax on the people of Ilkley. It is a great opportunity to generate revenue for the council and a discouragement for those from outside the town to venture in. I would also ask where this extra revenue would be spent? I am pretty sure it won’t be spent in Ilkley but would disappear into the coffers of Bradford Council as does so much of the tax revenue generated by the people of Ilkley.

What would be more sensible is to create some extra parking spaces that could then be charged rather than make charges on existing free parking. Instead of turning the old Tesco site into more unwanted retail units or nursing home’s this could be turned into a paying car park which would greatly benefit the town. Or perhaps the site outside of town in Ben Rhydding that was earmarked for the new (now scrapped) Grammar School could be turned into a park and ride car park. What I do know is that with an extra 1300 homes planned in the Wharfe Valley over the coming years the pressure on parking will only increase.

What is also interesting in Mrs Portas’s plan is the idea that town centres should be managed by a team in the same way that a shopping centre is managed. This would give focus to the town as a whole for the benefit of all and I for one would sign up to that kind of scheme. At the moment I am not sure if Bradford Council have any kind of coherent plan for the centre of Ilkley at all.

This idea of parking charges comes closely on the back of a call from the Parish Council to charge business’s for the use of A boards in Ilkley. At a time when every shop is fighting for every customer the A board is an essential form of advertising especially if you are slightly off the beaten track. The idea of charging for these at this time once again shows a total lack of understanding of the difficulties faced by local retailers. hopefully retailers in Ilkley will survive despite the best efforts of local councillors.

What I do know is that while times are tough in Ilkley we do have it better than some high streets up and down the country and there is time to save ours for the future. We do have a good mix of independent shops in Ilkley and we all do have great custom from the people of Ilkley who are doing their bit to help save the high street. It’s just a shame those who in power who could help promote Ilkley are more concerned with more regulation and more charges which will actually be detrimental not only to the town but also to the people of Ilkley.

Thanks

Jonathan

Demonstration

King Scallops on a Pea & Mint Puree.

King Scallop on a Pea & Mint puree.

 

 

 

 

This is perhaps the easiest dish you could ever make and yet it has impact and tastes fab.

For 2 people you will need.

6 Dry cut King Scallops (roe off)

200g frozen garden peas

Chopped fresh Mint

Butter

Oil

Salt and Pepper.

To make the the pea puree simply cook the garden peas and then either crush or blitz them to the consistency you require. Add the chopped mint and stir in a spoonful of olive oil. Season to taste.

Season the scallops and add to a hot pan with oil and butter. Cook for no more that 90 seconds per side or until the outside of the scallops are nicely coloured.

Serve on the pea puree.