Conjure up a healthy feast for friend
using fresh ocean bounty and bold summer flavors
Barbecued prawn skewers and salsa Verde
Makes 6 skewers
·
24 large tiger prawns, peeled, deveined and with
tails on
·
6 pre-soaked or steel bamboo skewers
·
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
·
Salt and pepper to taste
·
Lemon wedges, to serve
Salsa Verde
·
Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
·
½ handful basil leaves
·
¼ handful mint leaves
·
2 tbsp. baby capers
·
5 anchovy fillets
·
120ml extra virgin olive oil 60ml red wine
vinegar
·
Juice of lemons
·
Salt and pepper to taste
Barbecued
prawn skewers and salsa Verde
1. Thread the prawns onto the skewers, through one side of the tail,
out the other and then through the body of the prawn.
2. Repeat the first step until 4 prawns have been threaded onto each
skewer/ drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Using a barbecue or chargrill pan, grill the prawns for 90 seconds
on each side or until they gain a pink color and are just cooked through.
4. To make the salsa Verde, finely chop all the herbs, the capers and
the anchovy fillets and place them in a bowl. Add the olive oil, red wine
vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Spoon the salsa Verde over the prawns and serve them with a few
lemon wedges.
Roast sweet potato salad with chorizo, red onion and
goat’s cheese
Serves 4 as a side salad
·
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
·
2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges
·
60ml olive oil
·
Salt and pepper to taste
·
1 large sweet potato
·
1 chorizo sausage
·
Juice of 3 lemons
·
45g pumpkin seeds
·
60g creamy goat’s cheese
Roast
sweet potato salad with chorizo, red onion and goat’s cheese
1. Preheat oven to 1800C/3500F/ Gas Mark 4. Place
the garlic clove and onion wedges in a small baking dish with 1 tablespoon of
olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or
until softened.
2. Peel the sweet potato and slice lengthwise into 1½ cm pieces. Cut
into strips diagonally, approximately 5 cm in length. Line a small baking dish
with the strips of the sweet potato drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and
add salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Cut the chorizo sausage into 5mm slices and place in a cold frying
pan, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat slowly until the heat reaches medium,
and fry for 5 minutes until the chorizo is golden brown. Turn off the heat and
allow the sausage to sit in eth oil and infuse for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the chopped chorizo from the frying pan, strain and keep the
oil to one side. Mix the reserved oil with the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper
to taste.
5. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat and pan roast the pumpkin seeds
for about 3 minutes until they’re light brown, shaking the pan gently as you
fry them to avoid burning them.
6. Break the goat’s cheese into chunks. Remove the sweet potato and
onions from the oven.
7. To serve, pile the sweet potato in the bottom of a large dish, add
the onions and the sausage, and then sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and the
goat’s cheese.
8. Drizzle the salad with the strained oil to serve.
Top tip
This side dish is delicious with the smoky
flavors of barbecued fish, and it makes a healthy, low-GI alternative to potato
salad
Seared scallops with corn purée and currant vinaigrette
Serves 4
·
4 fresh corn cobs
·
¼ head cauliflower
·
500ml chicken stock
·
2 tabs olive oil
·
1 tbsp. butter
·
1 tbsp. cream
·
16 scallops
·
Salt and pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
·
1 tsp. shallots, finely sliced
·
Juice of lemon
·
1¼ tbsp. currants
Seared
scallops with corn purée and currant vinaigrette
1. Slice the kernels from the corn cobs. Cut the cauliflower into mini
florets. You will need around 6-8 per serving.
2. In a pan, bring the chicken stock to the boil. Cook the corn kernels
in the stock for 10 minutes. Strain the corn and reserve the stock for later.
3. Bring a separate pan of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and
blanch the cauliflower for 1 minute. Drain and set aside at room temperature.
4. Make the vinaigrette by mixing the shallots, lemon juice and
currants together. Set aside. To serve, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
5. Place the corn in a blender with 1½ tablespoons of the reserved
stock, the butter and the cream. Purée. Pass the corn purée through a fine
sieve.
6. Drizzle the remaining oil over the scallops. Heat a frying pan to a
high heat. Ad the scallops and cool each side for 30 seconds until they are
browned and caramelized, being careful not to overcook them.
7. To serve, smear each plate with the corn purée. Top with the
scallops and cauliflower florets. Spoon over the vinaigrette and season to
taste.
Top tip
Fresh scallops aren’t necessarily better
then frozen. But thaw frozen ones overnight in a fridge, not in a microwave or
out in the open
