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    Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    Filo Fish Parcels-Blue Cod - King of the Sea

    I was watching an old Taste of NZ programme on Food TV and Peta Mathias went Bluff Oysters and Blue Cod tasting. Both, some of the world's best seafood.
    At a restaurant in Bluff, (sorry cant remember it's name) the Chef, (can't remember his name either) demonstrated his 2 most favourite ways to cook Blue Cod. This beautiful fish is so sweet and flaky and just superb.
    We had our friend Stu from Oz, here for the night. Blue Cod is not always available but my friendly Fishmonger was able to oblige.
    Don't want to alienate our Australian friends, but our cold water fish is far superior.
    Good chance to give him a treat, with this delight.
    Like the Chef, I cooked it two ways
    Simply pan fried in butter and olive oil, with a squeeze of lemon juice
    AND this fabulous little Filo Parcel
    Actually even though this fish is marinated in flavoured cream, it is not too bad for the Calorie Count.
    The Chef had olives in his marinade. I replaced that with lemon zest.
    Thought the olives might just overpower the delicate fish

    For 3 people
    2 sheets Filo pastry per parcel
    Melted Butter
    60 gms of fish per person

    Marinade
    150 mls cream
    Leaves of about 3 sprigs thyme
    1 tablespoon chopped coriander
    Zest of a lemon
    Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

    Marinate the fish for about an hour

    Drain on a rack
    Meanwhile take a sheet of Filo
    (Don't forget to keep a damp tea towel covering your Filo to stop it from drying out)
    Brush with melted butter
    Lay another sheet on top
    Place a piece of fish at one end
    Roll up into a parcel and brush all over with melted butter
    Place finished parcels on a baking sheet
    Bake in an pre-heated oven 195C for about 15 minutes
    1 parcel each with a small filet of Pan Fried Blue Cod
    Divine
    Just serve with some Sea Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper and  wedge of Lemon

    The beautiful pan fried Cod on the bottom.
    Delicious
    Now I decided, as I am cooking seasonal food at the moment, to make a
    Cabbage and Potato bake
    Not only is seasonal food more tasty but currently any out of season foods are enormously and crazily expensive.
    A lot of this produce comes from Queensland and because of their damaging floods this year, their crop production is way down.
    So all the more reason to go with the flow.
    Cabbage, blanched, is such a beautiful colour , unfortunately by the time the bake is cooked, it doesn't look so good, but the taste is terrific.
    I also cook the potatoes for a few minutes to get them started
    You can prepare this dish, par cook it and finish off 30 minutes before you need to eat.

    For 3 people I used
    Melted butter to grease the dish and to brush the potatoes for that extra flavour
    4 med potatoes sliced thinly
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 med onions sliced
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1/2 cabbage broken into leaves
    1 tsp Massel Stock powder, dissolved in 1 cup hot water
    50 gms fresh breadcrumbs
    40 gms grated cheddar cheese

    Blanch the cabbage in boiling salted water
    About 1 minute
    Remove and drain
    Remove the stalks, they are just a little tough
    Add potatoes and cook for about 4 minutes
    Drain
    Saute the onions in a pan with Olive oil till soft
    Set aside


    Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together

    Now to assemble
    Grease the casserole dish
    Put a layer of potatoes
    Brush with melted butter
    Half of the onions
    Season with S & P
    Layer of Cabbage
    Another layer of potatoes and onions
    Brush with melted butter
    Season
    Cabbage
    Potatoes
    Brush with Butter
    Pour over the hot water with chicken stock
    Cover and bake in 180C for about 30 minutes
    You can put this aside now and leave till you need it
    Cover with Breadcrumb and Cheese mix
    Back into oven for another 25 minutes
    Test with a knife point
    Make sure it goes right through easily and it is piping hot
    Leave for about 5-10 minutes then
    Serve

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