Mussels grilled with toppings

Tom and I collected heaps of mussels the other day on Little Wanganui headland.

We kept them in salt water for 24 hours so they would spit their sand out, then boiled them till they just opened.

Laid out on a tray, we made various toppings and grilled them:

- lemongrass and soy (my favourite) ! ! !
- garlic, onion, bacon, cream
- garlic, onion, butter
- garlic, onion, chicken salt, butter
- garlic, onion, curry powder, mayo
- garlic, onion, sweet soy

eaten with fresh focaccia

Salmon Jerky and Salmon Candy

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I needed to dehydrate some protien for a long bushwalking trip I am doing in tassie and I have always wanted to do Salmon Jerky. So, I called Warren - from Warren's Fresh Seafood - and asked him to cut me some nice big fresh side fillets of Atlantic Salmon and to keep them from the hordes at EPIC markets in Canberra until I could pick them up. Warren - thankyou! The Salmon was excellent and firm for drying. 

recipe adapted from Alaska From Scratch - an awesome website.

Ingredients

Soy-Lemon Pepper Salmon Jerky

2 large side side fillets of salmon, skin and pin bones removed

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp mollasses (or thick brown sugar paste

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Maple candy Salmon Jerky

2 large side side fillets of salmon, skin and pin bones removed

4 Tbsp flaky sea salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp thick brown sugar paste

Method

Place salmon fillets in freezer for 30 minutes (this makes them easier to slice).

Meanwhile, mix marinades in two bowls that will fit the salmon. 

Remove salmon from the freezer and slice the salmon in 1cm thick slices. 

Place the salmon in the marinade bowls and refrigerate 3-4 hours.

Strain salmon well in colander and dry on paper towels. Lay salmon slices on dehydrator trays in rows, making sure pieces are not touching.

Place trays in dehydrator at 63 degrees C (HIGH on an Ezidri dehydrator) for 3-4 hours. Salmon jerky is done when salmon is dry and chewy, but not crunchy.

Notes

Pastor Alaska and Andy the Intern from Alaska From Scratch enjoy their Salmon Jerky with a side of honey mustard dipping sauce. 

Seafood for Kat's Birthday

 

 

Scallops with Garlic and Parmesan Italian Style

Garlic Prawns

Garlic Yabbies

Grilled Asparagus

Pearl Couscous Persian Salad

Chilli and Parsley Pasta

Crunchy Salad

 

We enjoyed this lovely spread of goodies with a special Grosset Riesling!

 

 

 

 

 

love you my best friend Kat xxx

 

Chinese Dumplings

On Sunday Lex, Peter and I went to Fuqin's house to make Chinese dumplings. 

We had an excited time making them and thanks to Fuqin for chopping up all the amazing ingredients, and to Peter and his Mum who made the beautifully smooth dough! 

Ingredients:

Black mushroom finely chopped

Ginger finely chopped

Chinese cabbage finely chopped

green prawns, deveined and peeled, finely chopped

pork mince

Chive finely chopped

Tofu finely chopped

Scrambled egg (firm) finely chopped

Sesame Oil

Olive Oil

Soy Sauce

Sambal Olek

Sugar

Salt

Store bought wonton wrappers from Dickson Asian Grocery

Peter's Mum's famous home-made dumpling dough

A taste test was in order to check the seasoning.

Making them was really fun; sitting around the table wrapping each little precious parcel up.

Each one I wrapped I put a little laughter into, a little strength, and a little love.

Three things that life must have!

They require a firm squeeze to seal them.

Peter cooked our first batch with a little olive oil and a little water - shallow frying for about 10 minutes to make them crispy and hot. We dipped these in chilli and soy sauce.

Then Fuqin made a nice broth with our wontons in it.

I can't wait to make them again!

Thankyou lovely friends for the nice time and food we shared.

Next we plan to make Steamed Pork Buns and maybe some kind of duck.

Dill Cured Salmon on DoJo's Rye Bread

This dill cured salmon is very nice on a sweet chewy Rye and Caraway Bread that I got from Dojo's Bread on Wednesday. This is a classy way to appreciate a great bread.

Ingredients

Skinless side of salmon

equal parts sugar and salt

fresh dill chopped finely

Method

Rub the salt and sugar over the salmon so that it has a light dusting (not thicker than 1mm)

Sprinkle the dill over and place in a plastic container in the fridge overnight

Turn in the morning.

Slice and serve in the evening.

Avocado and black pepper with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of mint top it off as a great entree.

Although....the bread is what got the tasters talking!

Szechuan Pepper Salt with butterflied BBQ Prawns

Gary and Dad and I made these prawns on the weekend and they got demolished in about 5 minutes!

Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper, a common spice used in Asian cuisine, is derived from at least two species of the global genus Zanthoxylum, which belong in the citrus family. This did not surprise me because when I tried to take an objective smell of Gary's bowl of Sichuan Pepper Salt I detected a subtle citrus tang to the edge of its warm earthyness.

Ingredients

Szechuan Peppercorns

Murray River Salt flakes

Fresh green King Prawns

Method

Dry roast the pods on a dry pan till they are smoking and aromatic but not burning.

Remove and powderize with the salt in a spice blender (mini coffee grinders work well).

Butterfly the prawns, leaving the shells on, and remove waste tube down the centre.

Drizzle with olive oil and BBQ till just cooked.

Sprinkle the Szechuan Pepper Salt over them to serve.





Fresh Prawns with Green Palm dipping sauce

Gary made these at our party on the weekend in Darook.

Delicious!

Ingredients

Fresh Prawns

1/2 cup Coriander finely chopped

1/2 cup Mint finely chopped

2 tbsp plum sauce

5 tbsp palm sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 cup chopped spring onion

2 tbsp finely grated ginger

1 birds eye chilli finely chopped

2 limes: zest and juice

Method:

Boil 1 cup water with the palm sugar to reduce.

Throw in each ingredient as it is chopped except the mint, coriander and plum sauce.

Boil till reduced by half.

Remove from heat and add the greens and plum sauce and stir to combine.

Taste and adjust balance with more fish sauce or plum. It is meant to be sweet, not salty.

Enjoy!