Fish and seafood

Getting started: fish and seafood

The chances are that – if you are interested in preparing and eating raw fish – you are already a fish lover and use a trusted fish shop or counter. If not, find one! Stay with it and don’t be shy about using the fishmonger: ask their advice. Here are a few basics you should know, for the best results.

Choosing fish and seafood

Coastal dwellers from all points of the compass have long eaten, even lived on, raw fish. Fishermen all over the world have kept themselves going at sea by eating it. Today, this once elementary form of nutrition has been elevated to great culinary heights.

Whether making sashimi, cebiche, carpaccio or tartare, be flexible with your choice of fish once you are confronted with the display. You need it to be as fresh as possible, so choose from what is recommended rather than from a shopping list; use a reliable fishmonger and ask which fish they would suggest for eating raw. Without exception, the type of fish used in each recipe in this book can be swapped for another of the same type. You can mix and match fish and dressings in all the dishes. And remember: a good fishmonger smells of the sea, not of fish.

Buy fish and seafood in season; again, you’ll need your fishmonger’s advice on this, though there are useful online guides. There is pleasure in having to wait for something to come into season, then feasting on it while you can. Avoid imported fish where possible, unless it is of sashimi grade.

Once you have gained some experience in what to look for, the freshest fish will start to beckon to you. Whole fish such as mackerel, sea bream or sea bass should look as if they have just been pulled from the sea: open-mouthed, shiny-eyed and with firm plump flesh and bright-looking skin and gills. Fish fillets should be firm and plump with a silky radiance, showing no sign of leaching water.

RAW FISH WARNING

It is advisable to freeze all fatty and farmed fish for 48 hours before serving raw, to destroy any parasites. Although it is a shame to have to freeze oily fish such as salmon, it suffers very little or no deterioration when frozen for a short while. However, most white fish will lose its firm moist texture in the freezer, so make sure it is only frozen for the minimum amount of time.

Choose seafood carefully, looking for the same signs as you would search for in fresh fish: the flesh should be silky shiny, so if it looks dead, don’t buy it. With a little effort, you should be able to imagine it still alive. Prawns (shrimp) should be plump and firm to the touch, dry, with no sign of leaching from the eggs. If you are going to eat them raw or lightly poached, always buy seafood with the shells on. Raw prawns (shrimp) are greyish or pale pinky beige and only turn red once cooked. Buy native prawns (shrimp) and langoustines if you can.

Scallops should not be white, but slightly beige in tone, wound in membrane with their corals still attached. If they are white, they have been left soaking and have become bleached. Hand-dived scallops are best, if you can get them. I remember, when I lived in Cornwall, that hand-dived scallops were all that was available. The fishmonger used to tip me the wink when a diver had been in. The scallops were still in their shells, straight from the sea. Yes, we had to wait for them… but boy, did we enjoy them when we could! I keep the shells, as they are perfect vessels for serving the scallops in.

Squid should look really shiny; not as white as snow, but rather streaked with grey, the remnants of its sepia. The tentacles should be still attached, and – if you are very lucky – the bag of sepia might be inside the body, too. Molluscs such as clams and mussels should be firmly closed until cooked, at which point they will open (discard any that fail to do so). Their shells will feel rough and wild on the outside and silkily super-smooth within.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

• Use a reputable fishmonger

• Buy fish and eat it on the same day, or at least start the preparation process, if it is lengthy

• Freeze fatty and farmed fish for 48 hours before preparation

• Wash your hands scrupulously before handling fish

• Wash utensils thoroughly before use

• Scrub chopping boards very well with salt, rinse and dry between uses

• Once fish has been prepared, store on the bottom shelf of the fridge and use within a few hours

Sustainability

If you can buy wild fish, all the better, though make sure it is sustainable and remember that farmed fish is not always the answer to marine conservation, because it can create terrible pollution in the water.

It is difficult to give good guidance on sustainability, because the goal posts are changing all the time. What is off limits one year is back on the menu the next. Official guidance (and common sense) suggests the cook should choose as wide a variety of fish as possible and not stick with the same tried and tested type all the time. A good fishmonger will advise you on how to treat an unfamiliar fish, and be able to answer all your questions.

Eating raw fish

You may not have tried eating raw fish before but, let me tell you, once tried, you will be surprised at both the flavour and texture. Raw fish neither tastes nor smells fishy (if it does, don’t eat it), but of the sea. It is firm to the bite, refreshing and sweet to the taste. The texture is something like smoked salmon.

When buying farmed salmon, freeze fillets for 48 hours to kill any parasites that may be present. Do not defrost the fish completely before slicing, but for just an hour or so, after which it will be truly firm and simpler to cut with precision. You may also like to freeze other fresh fish for 90 minutes before slicing, to make the slicing easier.

If you really don’t fancy eating raw fish, try making my raw fish recipes but lightly poaching, grilling (broiling) or searing the fish first. It works well in most cases.

What to eat with it

The right accompaniments are also essential and are dealt with under each recipe. For my own taste I love eating bread and butter with raw fish, a habit I learned in Liguria, Italy, when I tried my first sea urchin. In Japan raw fish is enjoyed on its own, almost as pure protein, with a little garnish and a dab of dipping sauce. In South America, plantain chips, sweet potato, sweetcorn and popcorn often play a part in the mix on the plate, over and above the basic cebiche ingredients.

RAW FISH RULES

• Only buy fish from a reliable source

• Tell the seller it is to be eaten raw

• Allow 60–75g (2–23/4oz) for a starter (appetizer) portion, or 100–120g (31/2–4oz) for a main course

• Be aware of hygiene at all times (see box, here)

• Don’t wash fish; wipe with a damp cloth if necessary unless it is very bloody, in which case wash it in salt water

• Partially freeze fish for 90 minutes, to facilitate slicing

• Use a knife with a long thin blade; always keep it sharpened

• For D cuts, slice at right angles to the skin (see here)

• For long slices, cut at a wide angle, slicing towards the tail

• To slim down over-thick slices; lay them on a board and run a knife blade firmly and closely over the surface, stretching the slices as you do so (see here for a photo)

• Make sure you use plenty of salt crystals and citrus juice either before or with the other ingredients. Raw fish needs more salt than you would expect; citrus juice kills bacteria

• Marinate for anything from seconds to 1 hour, depending on the recipe, or how rare you like your raw fish

• Serve with crusty white bread and butter, crackers, crisps (potato chips), plantain chips, savoury popcorn, even a cone of freshly cooked chips (french fries)… or by itself

Tuna loin and salmon ‘tails’

It is wise to order these in advance. Your fishmonger will nearly always have them, but they are rarely on show. When you want to thinly slice tuna and salmon in a recipe, the tail pieces not only represent value for money, but you will need to buy less and there will be less waste, because if the girth of the fish is large you need to buy more to cut enough slices. The same goes for searing: if the girth is large, you would need to buy much more and cook it for longer, which would throw the recipes out completely.

Raw fish dishes

The beauty of experimenting with raw fish is that it opens up a wealth of healthy new ways to enjoy fresh fish. A good knife or two are essentials (see here), and so is a steel or stone to sharpen them on… but if you enjoy cooking, you will already have those.

Sashimi

A Japanese tradition in which raw fish are cut into slices that mirror the natural shape of each fish, arranged formally, then decorated with delicate leaves, vegetable shreds and flowers to reflect the season. Small amounts of soy-based sauces are offered, to dip into. There are also tiny heaps of grated ginger or wasabi to enhance the dish. At home a Japanese diner may enjoy a salad of sashimi, where raw fish is cut into cubes and mixed with vegetables. The whole experience is about the textures and flavours of different kinds of raw fish.

Cebiche

South American cebiche is traditionally cut into cubes, then marinated for anything from a few seconds to 10 minutes in lime or other citrus juices that denature the flesh. Chilli, herbs, vegetables and seeds are added to create a riot of flavours and textures. Sauces, dressings and accompaniments are poured over the fish, or served on the side and mixed in on the plate.

Preparing Avocado, radish, rocket (arugula), diced tuna and salmon roe salad (see here)

Crudo, carpaccio, tartare

Elegant Italian crudi (raw fish dishes) have long been popular up and down the peninsula. Crudo, meaning ‘raw’, is the generic word for all raw Italian foods (often referred to incorrectly as carpaccio). They owe their origins, just like sashimi and cebiche, to humble beginnings a very long time ago. Fishermen – having no means to cook or preserve freshly caught fish on deck – filleted fish to eat raw with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Carpaccio was invented as a raw meat dish (see here) in the mid-20th century, but the word is often used to describe raw fish dishes, especially those made from large meaty fish that give big slices. The fish – such as tuna, salmon or swordfish – is sliced thinly and served with a light covering of rocket (arugula) leaves, shavings of Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and black pepper or even, as in the original meat version, with a light mayonnaise.

In France or Germany, ‘tartare’ generally refers to raw meat (see here) rather than fish dishes. However, formally arranged chopped raw fish dishes are often called tartares, simply because the fish is finely chopped, then moulded into a neat round, or shaped into quenelles with a couple of spoons, in the same way as a meat tartare.

Knives

Sashimi requires at least two knives, an all-round Japanese kitchen knife and a sashimi knife (see here). Cebiche, tartare and crudo need nothing more than good all-round kitchen knives. Remember, it doesn’t matter how good your knife is, if you don’t sharpen it at least once a day, it won’t work.

If you are a fisherman and you are going to fillet your own fish, a filleting knife would be useful but – again – not essential. Ideally, buy your knife in person. Lift it, hold it, make sure it is comfortable for you to use. Don’t buy a cheap set just because it is on offer. And, if you buy a knife over the internet, when it turns up, test it: balance it in your hand, see if it feels right.

Thinly cut slices of sea bass fillet

Filleting and skinning fish

Wipe the fish if necessary, then pat dry on a clean cloth. Gut the fish (if this hasn’t already been done by the fishmonger), cutting down along the length of the underbelly, and scrape out the innards. Wipe the cavity with kitchen paper (paper towels) or cloth. Lay the fish on a chopping board and cut off the fillets according to the captions and photos in this chapter.

However good and experienced you are at filleting, you will need to trim the fillets of any bits of fins, bone and so on, and create a well-sculpted piece of fish ready for slicing. All this can be done a few hours in advance, but do not skin or slice the fish until required.

To trim the fish fillets, lay them skin side down. First, cut away the ribs that lined the visceral cavity, keeping the knife close to the bones to avoid excess wastage. Now you have to remove the pinbones that run lengthways down the centre of each fillet. This can be done in two ways. The first way is to use tweezers. Locate the pinbones by running your finger down the central line of each fillet, then pluck each out in turn. The second is to cut them away: cut a ‘V’ along and around the tiny bones that run down the centre of the fillets. Then, starting at the wide end of the fillet, pull away the V-shape of flesh containing the bones.

To skin a fish fillet, leave the fillets skin side down on the work surface. Run the tip of your knife between the fish flesh and its skin at one end of the fillet, creating a flap of skin that is large enough to grab with your other hand (a piece of kitchen paper / paper towel may help you to hold on to the slippery skin). Continue to cut away the skin, angling the knife towards the board away from you and pulling firmly with your free hand. You should find that the skin pulls away. For mackerel, the process is slightly different. Because their skins are so thin, simply nick a corner of it with your tweezers and pinch until you can firmly grab the semi-transparent membrane. Gently pull this off, leaving most of the beautiful, iridescent striped pattern of the skin on the flesh.

Skinning Dover sole fillet

Skinning mackerel fillet

Skinning salmon fillet

Filleting and skinning a fish

1 Cut the head off at an angle, close to the fins but passing the knife under the fins.

2 Slice down from the open cavity to the tail, keeping the blade flat to the cavity.

3 Turn the fish around and slice down from the tail end along the length of the fish’s top side.

4 Turn the knife and cut away the fillet close to the backbone, towards the tail.

5 Turn the fish over and, working towards the wide end and keeping the blade close – but at a slight angle to – the backbone, release the fillet.

6 The fillets and fish skeleton.

7 Removing the pinbones with tweezers.

8 Skinning the fillet.

Sashimi slicing and cutting techniques

The Japanese have eaten raw fish and meat since ancient times, a fact that has undoubtedly played an important part in maintaining the people’s health. It was served as side dishes called seisai. To keep fish fresh away from the coast, it was salted or pickled in vinegar. The widespread popularity of sashimi only became possible with the advent of refrigeration.

Fish for sashimi can be salted. Lightly salt a board, put a piece of folded kitchen paper (paper towel) on top and a fillet on top of that. Repeat the layers – salt, paper, fish – piling them up, and finishing with a layer of paper, then of salt. Wrap in a clean cotton cloth and store in the fridge for at least an hour.

Generally speaking, thinner parts of fish fillets are cut into thinner slices at a wider angle; thicker parts at 45•. Cuts vary according to the texture, the flavour and colour, and the part of the fish.

The main sashimi pieces should be as big as the fish allows, say 3–4cm (11/4–11/2in) wide (the width of the fish fillet) and 1cm (1/2in) thick. A firmer-fleshed fish is better sliced thinner and a softer-fleshed fish thicker. The important thing is that slices of a specific fish should all be the same thickness.

The sashimi knife, the yanagi ba bocho, has a unique blade and is forged in the same way as a Japanese sword from two different steels. It has a very long thin blade that cuts using little force. The blade is only angled from one side, being flat on the other, therefore is only sharpened on one side.

The cutting stroke of the yanagi ba bocho is like none other. The blade makes contact with the fish at the hilt and sweeps with a gentle curve, using the entire length of the blade, cutting through the fish and finally completing the cut in a single motion at the pointed end.

The blade is pulled through the flesh, rather than pushed. Practice makes perfect.

Note that, once cut, each slice is then inverted and overlaid to the left and slightly above the fillet.

Hira-zukuri (rectangular cut)

Fish with tough skins need to be skinned first (see here). In other cases, skin can be softened: have some iced salted water to hand. Put the fillet on a board, skin side up, cover with a double thickness of muslin (cheesecloth), put the board over the sink and pour boiling water over the cloth. Plunge the fish immediately into the iced water. Drain and pat dry.

Put a trimmed fillet on a board lengthways, skin side up, thick edge away from you, thin edge towards you. Take the knife in your right hand and slant it slightly to the left. Secure the fish with your left hand. You will end up with your first rectangular slice, 1cm (1/2in) thick.

Each cut slice should end up on the tip of the blade; move it across out of the way towards the edge of the board, laying it inclined to the right hand side. Continue cutting and shifting the pieces to the right, one leaning on the other. When you have six slices, slide them on to the blade as they are and transfer, without disturbing them, neatly on to a chilled, garnished plate, leaning against the garnish.

Hira-zukuri cut tuna

Hiki-zukuri

A variation of hira-zukuri for softer, more delicately fleshed fish which might break up easily. Cut as for hira-zukuri, but put each slice directly on the serving plate as it is cut.

Uzu-zukuri (paper-thin cut)

Use this for good, firm fish such as sea bass and sea bream, sole and salmon, that will lend themselves well to the task.

Lay the prepared fish on the chopping board lengthways, skinned side down, thick side away from you, thin side facing you. Starting from the left hand side, and holding the knife blade in your right hand at an acute angle, almost horizontal to the board, cut slices across the grain of the fish. The slices should be no thicker than 2.5mm (1/8in). The firmer the fish, the thinner the slices. Each type of fish should be cut into identical slices. Lay the paper-thin slices on to a serving plate. Ideally, any pattern on the plate should be easily made out through the slices (see here).

Uzu-zukuri cut sea bass

Uzu-zukuri cut salmon

Gossamer uzu-zukuri scallop

Gossamer uzu-zukuri sole

Overlaying gossamer-thin slices on a patterned plate

Kaku-zukuri (cube cut)

Thicker, fattier round fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel lend themselves well to this cut. Slice the fillets lengthways into 2cm- (3/4in-) wide strips. Without separating the strips, turn the fish and cut at 2cm (3/4in) intervals into cubes.

Kaku-zukuri cuts of salmon

Ito-zukuri (thread cut)

Used for fish with very thin fillets. Cut across the fish in strips 2.5mm (1/8in) wide and 6cm (21/2in) long. Serve in a little stack. Useful for creating a centre for a flower pattern.

◁ Classic sashimi plate with shredded daikon, shiso leaves and ponzu

A classic sashimi plate features fish chosen according to season, and cut to show off texture, colour and skin marking. I have added salmon roe in an abalone shell to give a final touch of luxury. Do ring the changes according to what is available, and ask your fishmonger for the ‘tails’ of tuna loin or salmon (see here). Allow two or three slices of each fish per person.

Ponzu is a complex soy-based dipping sauce made in every home to serve with sashimi; each family has its special recipe.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

For the sashimi

1 × 300–400g (101/2–14oz) sea bass or sea bream

1 × 300g (101/2oz) red mullet

1 × 300–400g (101/2–14oz) mackerel

600g (1lb 5oz) tuna loin

600g (1lb 5oz) salmon fillet, frozen for 48 hours (see here), defrosted, patted dry

4 scallops

50g (13/4oz) salmon roe (ikura)

For the ponzu

2 tablespoons mirin

3 tablespoons sake

100ml (31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) tamari

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons water

small square of kombu

5g (1/8oz) dried bonito flakes / shavings (katsuobushi)

4 tablespoons yuzu, or other citrus juice

To serve

250g (9oz) daikon (mooli)

crushed ice

thinly sliced radish (optional)

bonito or bottarga shavings (optional)

handful of shiso or perilla, or coloured kale, leaves, flowers and petals

finely grated root ginger

4 teaspoons ready-made wasabi, or a quail’s egg-sized piece of fresh wasabi root, finely grated

Start by filleting the whole fish, wrap it as instructed and store in the fridge until required (see here). Freeze it and the tuna for 90 minutes before serving, to make it easier to slice.

To make the ponzu, heat the mirin and sake over a low heat for 3 minutes – to burn off some of the alcohol – with the tamari, vinegar and water, then add the kombu and bonito flakes. Leave to cool, add the yuzu juice, then strain into a screw-top jar and store in the fridge. It will keep for 1 month or more.

Shred the daikon either by hand or on the fine cutter of a food processor. Rinse in 2 changes of cold water, then leave immersed in ice-cold water for anything from 10 minutes–2 hours. Drain, dry on a clean cloth and store in a plastic box until required. This will keep for 24 hours in the fridge.

Just before serving, slice the sea bass (if using), red mullet, mackerel and tuna hira-zukuri, or rectangular style (see here) with the skin on (sometimes the skin is scored to allow greater absorption of ponzu). As you finish cutting each type of fish, arrange it on crushed ice. Cut the salmon, sea bream (if using) and scallops uzu-zukuri style (see here). Put the salmon roe in a small dish or shell.

Once everything is ready, arrange 2–3 slices of each fish on dishes filled with crushed ice. Let your imagination run riot, or keep it simple. Decorate the plates with the shredded daikon, radish slices, bonito or bottarga shavings (if using) and shiso leaves or flowers. Or line the fish up on a serving platter for everyone to share. Give each person a bowl, chopsticks, a dipping bowl of ponzu, grated ginger and wasabi. Any uneaten fish can be stir-fried the next day.

◁ Hira-zukuri sashimi of sea bass with summer fruits

A great sashimi dish to serve when starting out, as it involves cutting just one type of fish in hira-zukuri style (see here). The combination of the fruit and raw fish also provides a good stepping-off point for the novice sashimi palate. The silky texture and acidic sweetness of ripe summer fruits make a perfect partner for any raw seafood and fish; use just one fruit, or a mixture. Slice the fruit thinly if you enjoy creating beautiful plates, and drizzle with dressing. Or chop the fruit, dress, mix and serve in tiny bowls alongside the fish or, as in the photo, on rose petals: all are authentic.

Serves 4 as a starter (appetizer)

For the sashimi

1 large sea bass or sea bream

petals, micro-herbs or leaves, to serve

For the yuzu dressing

11/2 tablespoons yuzu, or other citrus juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

a few drops of tamari soy sauce

For the akincha ponzu

40ml (11/4fl oz/1/6 cup) tamari soy sauce

4 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce

4 teaspoons mirin

4 tablespoons sake

For the fruit (choose 1 or 2)

1 ripe-but-firm peach

1 ripe-but-firm nectarine

1 ripe kiwi fruit

4 large ripe strawberries

Start by filleting the fish, wrap it as instructed and store in the fridge until required (see here). Freeze for 90 minutes before serving (see here), to make it easier to slice.

Make the yuzu dressing and the akincha ponzu by putting their respective ingredients in 2 screw-top jars, then shake and store in the fridge until required. (Label the jars clearly.)

Score the peach and / or nectarine skin (if using) with the point of a sharp knife around the circumference one way, then repeat the other way, perpendicular to the first score mark. Put in a bowl and cover with freshly boiled water. Leave for 2 minutes, or until the skin lifts easily. Working quickly, take out of the water and peel, then plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water, or the fruit will cook. When cool, drain and pat dry. Peel the kiwi (if using) with a sharp knife. Cover all the fruit and chill until required. Chill the serving plates.

When ready to serve, cut the prepared peach and nectarine (if using) in half, take out the stone and cut the fruit into thin slices, or finely chop. Slice or finely chop the kiwi. Slice the strawberries thinly, or finely chop. If using sliced fruit, drizzle it with the yuzu dressing. If using chopped fruit, mix it with the dressing. Arrange the sliced fruit on chilled plates, or put the chopped fruit into individual bowls, or on petals.

Cut the fish fillets hira-zukuri, or rectangular style (see here), then place it on the plates in swathes.

Sprinkle with petals, micro-herbs or leaves and offer dipping bowls of the ponzu on the side.

◁ Avocado, radish, rocket (arugula), diced tuna and salmon roe salad

A homely Japanese classic that can be served with shredded vegetables or sushi rice. The fish salad and rice would normally be served in separate serving bowls, allowing everyone to help themselves, mixing the two in their own bowls and dipping each mouthful in the dressing with chopsticks. I have served the sushi rice under the fish mix.

Serves 6

300g (101/2oz/11/2 cups) sushi rice (raw weight)

1 quantity Tosa vinegar ponzu (see here)

1/2 cucumber

1 large ripe persimmon

1 large avocado

juice of 1/2 lemon

6 spring onions (scallions)

100g (31/2oz) cooked, shelled and deveined large prawns (shrimp)

200g (7oz) salmon fillet, frozen for 48 hours (see here), then defrosted and patted dry

200g (7oz) tuna loin

50g (13/4oz) salmon roe (ikura)

Prepare the sushi rice and ponzu in advance. (See here and here.)

Shortly before serving, peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthways and, using a spoon, remove and discard the seeds. Put the cucumber halves cut sides down on a clean tea towel to dry.

Cut the persimmon and avocado into 1.5cm (3/4in) cubes. Put into a bowl, add the lemon juice and mix lightly.

Cut the whites of the spring onions (scallions) into julienne slices and add these to the avocado bowl. Cut the green part of the spring onions (scallions) into very thin rings and set aside.

Cut the prawns (shrimp) into small pieces and cut the salmon and the tuna into 1.5cm (3/4in) cubes kaku-zukuri, or cube style (see here) and add all these to the avocado. (You need 100g / 31/2oz of cubes of each fish; use the trimmings for fish cakes or tartare, or freeze fresh tuna for later use; do not re-freeze pre-frozen raw fish.) Cut the cucumber into cubes and add to the mix.

Add 2 tablespoons of the ponzu to the sushi rice and mix lightly with 2 forks. Put in a serving bowl and top with the salad, letting everyone help themselves, or divide between individual bowls. Sprinkle with the green spring onion (scallion) rings.

Tumble the salmon roe over the salad and serve with the extra ponzu in dipping saucers on the side.

◁ Oysters with shredded daikon and ponzu

Gone are the days when the oyster was an expensive luxury, oyster farms have put paid to that… yet finding oysters on a menu, or at the fishmonger, still gives me a thrill. A native is more flavoursome and is seasonal, available in autumn (fall) and winter; while the cultivated oyster is grown and therefore available year round. We are led by what the fishmonger has on offer… that said, I am a great believer in eating with the seasons.

Serves 2–4

12 oysters, rock or native, as available

For the tosa vinegar ponzu

40ml (11/4fl oz/1/6 cup) rice vinegar

40ml (11/4fl oz/1/6 cup) dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

6g (1/8oz) dried bonito flakes / shavings (katsuobushi)

10g (1/4oz) square of kombu

80ml (23/4fl oz/1/3 cup) yuzu, or other citrus juice

To serve

250g (9oz) daikon (mooli)

crushed ice (optional)

4 heaped teaspoons finely grated root ginger

To make the ponzu, heat the vinegar, dark soy, tamari and mirin over a low heat for 3 minutes, then add the other ingredients. Leave to cool, then strain into a screw-top jar and store in the fridge (it will keep for 1 month or more).

Shred the daikon either by hand or on the fine cutter of a food processor. Rinse in 2 changes of cold water, then leave immersed in ice-cold water for anything from 10 minutes–2 hours. Drain, dry thoroughly on a clean cloth and store in a plastic box until required. This will keep for 24 hours or more in the fridge.

When ready to serve, open the oysters, but first rinse them in cold water and lightly scrub to remove any loose sand or fine debris. Wrap each oyster in a folded cloth with the hinge end poking out and the deep half of the shell facing down. Insert an oyster knife or other stout blade into the hinge and twist the knife, thus opening the shell. Cut the oyster free and return it to the deep half shell with its juices (strain the juices before returning them to the shell, if you prefer), discarding the flatter halves. (Should any debris have fallen into the oyster, rinse it before returning it to the shell.)

Serve the open oysters on ice, if you like, and give each person an individual dipping bowl of ponzu with daikon and ginger mixed in.

◁ Langoustines with tomato jelly

This recipe was inspired by the tantalizing sashimi tomato jelly and langoustine dish created by Yoshinori Ishii that I enjoyed at Umu in London. If you have never eaten tomato jelly, it is a most extraordinary experience. The jelly is golden and crystal clear, bearing no physical resemblance to the tomato, but it is also very fragrant, reminiscent of the scent left on your hands after picking tomatoes. The taste gives you an umami rush that runs riot not only on the taste buds but also in the mind. Use fresh-from-the-sea langoustine, or other large local shrimp. If you only have previously frozen crustaceans, it is advisable to poach and cool them before using.

Serves 6

750g (1lb 10oz) ripe, juicy tomatoes (but not beef tomatoes)

3–4 sheets of gelatine

1 teaspoon salt crystals

6 ultra-fresh raw langoustines

1 tablespoon lemon juice

freshly ground white pepper

a few edible flowers, in season

Blitz the tomatoes in a food processor, then transfer to a jelly bag hung over a bowl. Leave until the tomatoes stop dripping. This will take a few hours; do not be tempted to squeeze the bag as that will make the juices cloudy. You should end up with a bowl of fragrant, pale golden liquid.

When the dripping ceases, measure the quantity of juice; you will need 1 sheet of gelatine for every 100ml (31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) of juice. Half-fill a bowl with cold water, add the gelatine sheets and leave to soak for 5 minutes until quite soft. Scoop out the softened gelatine with your hands and squeeze out the excess water.

Transfer the gelatine to a small saucepan and gently melt on a very low heat until liquid. Do not on any account boil it, as it will lose its setting powers. Add 100ml (31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) of the juice and stir, then take off the heat and add the remaining juice and the salt. Transfer to a shallow container, cover and put in the fridge to set. This will take a few hours.

When ready to serve, carefully remove the shells from the langoustines and remove the black tract. Put the langoustines in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and white pepper and gently turn.

Chop the jelly lightly and divide between shallow glass dishes. Top each with 1 langoustine and dress with edible flowers. Serve at once.

VARIATION: This is a sashimi-inspired recipe, but I know raw shellfish is not for everybody. The jelly also works wonderfully well with lightly poached langoustines (see here) and even with ready-cooked crayfish tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and dill.

Cebiche, crudo and tartare

Fish for South American cebiche is cut into cubes and marinated in citrus juices. It is then served with an array of colourful accompaniments that set the taste buds alight. Crudo and tartare, in the European tradition, are more subtle in flavour but no less seductive.

Cebiche

Cebiche is raw fish marinated briefly in citrus fruit juice. It is from South America, but there is no hard evidence to say which country invented it. Both Ecuador and Peru are in the running… although Polynesia has staked its claim, too. Peru’s version of cebiche has a more formal reputation… which may or may not add to its claim to have originated this raw fish preparation.

Today, cebiche features on menus in every Central and South American country. Quay-side kiosks, beach-side shacks, stop-me-and-buy-one trikes, simple eateries and top restaurants all vie for accolades and customers. What must have started out as humble fishermen’s food – and has long been little more than street food – has reached dizzying culinary heights, in top restaurants worldwide. Originally, freshly caught fish was eaten with the acidic tumbo fruit, a large banana-like passion fruit. Today the fish is more likely to be anointed with the citrus fruit juices and onions introduced to South America by the Spanish conquistadores. However, long before the Spanish arrived, the Incas preserved their fish with corn spirit and called it siwichi, which means ‘fresh fish’.

Peruvian and Ecuadorian cebiche marinades are typified by lots of lime juice, chilli, onion and coriander (cilantro), with garnishes playing an important part. In Ecuador, popped corn and cancha (corn nuts) accompany the seafood, while in Peru sweet potato and lettuce are popular. In Nicaragua, plantain and banana chips often appear on a cebiche plate. In Mexico they serve seviche with tortillas.

The seafood in some versions is left for mere seconds to marinate; in others for an hour or more. The longer the marinade is left, the more opaque or ‘cooked’ the flesh becomes. Seafood such as clams, octopus, squid, prawns (shrimp), crab and lobster are often lightly poached or steamed first and added to the cebiche mix once any raw fish in the dish has marinated sufficiently.

CEBICHE GOLDEN RULES

• Onion slices and vegetable julienne should be plunged into ice-cold water to keep them crisp and – for the onion – to remove some of its pungency. Thoroughly drain and dry.

• Choose your favourite chilli, green or red. It is the white sinew that imparts most of the heat, not the seeds nor the flesh. I generally discard the seeds anyway, for aesthetic reasons.

• Coriander (cilantro) has a short shelf life, so make sure it is freshly bought or picked. Micro-coriander (micro-cilantro) looks good on the plate, tastes good and makes economic sense if you grow your own.

• Prep everything other than the citrus juice as near to serving time as you can, say 30 minutes or so.

• Cut the fish into bite-sized cubes; their precise dimensions will be governed by the size of the fish.

• It is essential that the citrus juice is freshly squeezed in your hands (not using a machine) at the moment of concocting the leche de tigre, dressing and serving the fish.

• Salt the fish. Salt crystals look beautiful and impart a special flavour. It is surprising how much salting raw fish can take, but don’t forget to taste as you go.

• Add the leche de tigre and leave to marinate (see below). Pour off any excess into a glass and serve alongside the cebiche. Or serve the cebiche and the leche de tigre together in a tumbler or bowl decorated with cooked shellfish.

• Marinating times will vary according to the texture and the sizes of the different kinds of fish. A rule of thumb is simply to leave the marinade until the fish turns opaque, then taste it. The point is that the longer you leave the citrus juice on the fish, the more the fish denatures (or ‘cooks’). The cebiche experience should be an explosion of freshly prepared ingredients in your mouth.

• Martin Alan Morales, London’s unofficial Peruvian ambassador of food and culture, says to squeeze lime juice directly on the fish, marinate for seven seconds and serve. Oh, and never use anything mechanical to squeeze the limes. Fingers were made long before juice extractors.

• Solid fish, such as monkfish and hake, take longer to denature than sea bream or sea bass, salmon or tuna, halibut or sole. Mullet and sole take less time. Scallops don’t take long at all; prawns (shrimp) longer. Squid varies, depending on size. This said, marinating time is also a personal choice. All may be lightly cooked before marinating, if you prefer (I feel octopus should always be cooked first).

Variations on cebiche

Nikkei is Japanese-South American cuisine. It has developed over a period of more than 100 years and helped shape what we today think of as cebiche. Peru has one of the largest Japanese communities outside of Japan. No surprise, then, that Nikkei should have given birth to its own cebiche style: tiradito, characterized by Japanese culinary purity in presentation and South American passion in colour and flavour.

In cebiche, the fish is chopped, but in tiradito it is sliced (as is sashimi), and tiradito does not generally contain onion or taste as fiery as its South American cousin. The leche de tigre remains common ground, but in tiradito it may contain mirin, soy sauce, sake, or many other typically Japanese storecupboard ingredients.

Ota ika, literally ‘raw fish’ in Samoan (or poisson cru in French Polynesia), is credited as being one of the possible regions of origin for cebiche. Indeed, a Pacific island seems its perfect birthplace, with its crystal-clear water and wealth of fish. The fish is marinated briefly in lime juice, then coconut milk and salad vegetables are added. Seafood such as mussels, sea urchin and eel are also used, and the name changes according to the type included.

Then there is poke (pronounced poh-key) from Hawaii, a simple concoction of chopped tuna, seaweed and sweet onion in a sesame and soy dressing that is sometimes served on warm vinegared sushi rice. This perhaps owes more to Japanese than to South American cuisine.

There are also Far Eastern raw dishes. Hinava from Malaysia is made with mango; koi pla from north eastern Thailand with freshwater fish, papaya and raw red ants; Korean hwareo hoe is thinly sliced, much like sashimi.

Crudo and tartare

Crudo is the Italian word for ‘raw’, used to describe any seafood or fish that is served raw. (The name ‘carpaccio’ derives from the famous Venetian raw meat dish invented in the 20th century, and is often used today to describe large slices of raw fish, such as swordfish, tuna or salmon.)

Tartare derives from the famous finely chopped meat dish, and is used to describe any chopped raw fish dish, usually in the French or German tradition.

I like Italian crudo served with a little olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning or – for special moments – crowned with the ‘truffle of the sea’: grated or sliced bottarga (cured, pressed mullet roe).

The sea urchin or riccio is king of crudi. The arrival of sea urchin season in late spring is much anticipated in high-flying restaurants and harbour-side eateries and booths in both Sicily and Sardinia. The seas around both islands are still clean enough for them to flourish and, there, the harvest is still limited to springtime. In the coastal waters around Puglia, they are harvested almost year round, and are already endangered. Like oysters, sea urchins come with their own traditions. I have enjoyed their lush, silky saltiness as an antipasto, served in the shell, cut open like a soft-boiled egg to be scooped out with a spoon or dipped into with freshly baked bread. Sea urchin stirred raw into al dente spaghetti is another glorious way to enjoy it. Be warned: you will need at least a dozen to make a single serving of pasta. Raw prawns (shrimp) are good too, served this way.

Shucked oysters are probably the most revered and popular form of crudo in the West. No high-end establishment in London, Paris or New York is ever without them. Oyster bars have sprung up the world over, even in airport terminals. No preparation is required once they have been opened. Serve in their shell, on ice, with lemon juice or Tabasco sauce and, possibly, a little finely chopped raw shallot in wine vinegar.

There’s no limit to which fish or seafood you choose to eat raw, as long as it is in season, freshly landed and – for preference – wild. (Most farmed fish are fed man-made feed.) How you serve or cut crudo is up to you: smaller fish are sometimes left in fillets and immersed in marinade until opaque, which might take up to 30 minutes.

◁ Classic cebiche with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk)

It is said that the secret of making good leche de tigre is that it must be made by a Peruvian! That said, the more research I do, the more I find no two Peruvians can agree on how it should be made. Basic ingredients include lime juice, chilli, red onion, ginger, salt and coriander (cilantro). These ingredients, mixed with chopped or thinly sliced fish, create a milky substance, hence the word leche (‘milk’). Add a splash of the local spirit, pisco, and leche de tigre morphs into panther’s milk. With or without the spirit, it has a powerful reputation as an aphrodisiac and a hangover cure.

There are fancier cebiche marinade potions and concoctions, with added fish stock, orange juice, celery, garlic, squid ink… and even evaporated milk. These are often served as cocktails in elaborate glasses or tumblers with whole langoustines, squid and black scallops spilling over the top; a seafood cocktail as you have never seen it before. Hard-core enthusiasts dispense with the fish and just drink the leche de tigre.

Serves 4

For the cebiche

1/2 red onion

400g (14oz) super-fresh fish or seafood, or mix of choice, such as 300g (101/2oz) sea bass or sea bream fillets, plus 100g (31/2oz) large scallops

1–2 chillies

1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, plus more to serve (optional)

thumb nail-sized piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

5 limes (traditionally these are Key limes)

To serve (optional)

4 whole cooked large prawns (shrimp) or langoustines

celery heart sticks with leaves

a few clams, lightly steamed to open (see here)

Peel the onion, finely slice, plunge into iced water and leave for 10 minutes.

Cut the fish fillets and scallops, or other seafood, into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and put them in a non-corrosive bowl.

Cut the chilli(es) in half, discard the seeds and the pith, chop finely and add to the bowl with the coriander (cilantro) and ginger. Drain the onion, pat it dry on kitchen paper (paper towels) and add this, too, to the bowl.

When ready to serve, add the salt and mix once. Then cut open the limes and squeeze the lime juice directly over the fish mix. Mix twice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Divide between 4 squat tumblers, or glass dishes, and garnish each with a large cooked prawn (shrimp), a celery heart stick and a small clam, or more coriander (cilantro) leaves, and serve.

◁ Venus de cebiche

In Nicaragua, cebiche is as popular as it is in any South American country, whether eaten in the capital’s restaurants, or bought from a trike on the quayside of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast. I was there for the Fiera de productos pesqueres, where I met Venus, dicing fish, cutting prawns (shrimp), chopping onions and squeezing limes. She was a vivacious and voluptuous young woman in a close-fitting dress, with glorious thick curls restrained by a hand-tied tiara of turquoise flowers. We tasted as she added chilli to the mix, a little at a time, until it was good. Job done, she filled stacks of paper cups for the waiting crowd.

Serves 4

200g (7oz) thick white fish, such as monkfish, cut into 1cm (1/2in) cubes

200g (7oz) large shell-on prawns (shrimp)

1 heaped teaspoon salt

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped

juice of 6 limes

1/2 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Cut the white fish into bite-sized pieces.

Shell and devein the prawns (shrimp). (If you prefer to cook them first, drop into simmering salted water with a bay leaf for 60 seconds, or until just pink, then drop into iced water to cool. Dry on a clean towel.) Cut into small pieces.

Put the fish and prawns (shrimp) into a bowl, add the salt and stir once. Add the onion, celery and coriander (cilantro), mix, then add the lime juice and a little of the chilli. Taste, see how hot it is and – if you like – add some more. Serve at once.

◁ Mixtos – dancing taste buds

An offshoot of cebiche, from Ecuador. Mixtos simply means ‘mixed’, and dishes of this kind would contain two or three types of seafood and a more complex garnish and dressing than that of a classic cebiche. This is my own take on mixtos; the ‘dancing taste buds’ name is because that is exactly the after-effect of this delicious and refreshing mix.

Serves 4 as a starter (appetizer) or light lunch

For the fish

2 small sea bream or sea bass, filleted and skinned, frozen for 90 minutes to make it easier to slice (see here)

4 large scallops or baby squid, cleaned and patted dry

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

4 limes, plus lime wedges to serve

crushed ice, to serve

a few clams, lightly steamed to open (see here)

For the salsa

1 red onion

1/2 regular, or 1 small, cucumber

2 red (bell) peppers

small bunch of chives

2 red chillies

2 teaspoons pimentón dulce

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, or to taste

Start with the salsa. Peel the onion, cut it in half and finely slice, then plunge into iced water and leave for 10 minutes.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and, using a spoon, remove and discard the seeds. Put the cucumber halves cut sides down on a clean tea towel to dry.

Cut the (bell) peppers in half, discard the seeds, cut away the pith and cut the flesh into 5mm (1/4in) cubes. Put in a small mixing bowl. Using scissors, snip the chives (you need about 4 tablespoons). Cut the chillies in half, discard the seeds and the pith and chop finely. Add the chives and chillies to the (bell) peppers.

Drain the onion and pat it dry on kitchen paper (paper towels). Dice the cucumber and onion into 5mm (1/4in) cubes and add to the (bell) peppers with the pimentón, oil and the 1 teaspoon of salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Mix well.

Chop the part-frozen fish into 5mm (1/4in) cubes and the scallops or baby squid into thin slices or rings. Put them in a non-corrosive bowl and, when ready to serve, add the 2 teaspoons of salt and mix once. Then cut open the limes and squeeze the lime juice over the fish. Mix twice.

Combine the fish and the salsa well and serve in glasses or glass dishes on ice, with lime wedges to squeeze over and clams, if you like.

◁ Scallop and sea bream tartare with pimentón dulce and summer salsa

Pimentón dulce is a sweet and mild Spanish paprika that lends its colour and flavour perfectly to delicate fish tartares. I have added it to the salsa in this recipe but, when serving the tartare on its own, simply add a dusting of the ground spice before serving.

Serves 4

For the salsa

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped (see here)

2 tablespoons finely chopped red (bell) pepper

1 tablespoon finely sliced red onion

1/2 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon snipped chives

1/2 teaspoon pimentón dulce, plus more to serve

For the fish

200g (7oz) sea bream fillets, skinned

4 scallops (100g/31/2oz)

sea salt flakes

3 unwaxed limes

Put all the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl and mix together lightly.

Cut the sea bream and scallops into equal-sized cubes, put in a bowl, add salt, the finely grated zest of 1 lime and the juice of all 3 limes.

Divide between plates or dishes, top with the salsa and dust each serving with pimentón dulce.

◁ Tiradito with samurai’s milk

Tiradito was created in Peru, when Japanese and Peruvian cultures came together (see here). Samurai’s milk is my Japanese-inspired take on the South American tiger’s and panther’s milks. Make this with any fish or seafood that takes your fancy, but make sure it is super-fresh.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

For the tiradito

300g (101/2oz) monkfish (tail end, see here), or other firm white fish, frozen for 90 minutes to make it easier to slice

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

8 kumquats, or 2 small mandarins

100g (31/2oz) cooked crab meat

juice of 1 mandarin

2 persimmons or 4 kiwi fruits

micro-herbs or leaves, or finely shredded seaweed, and micro-flowers or petals

For the samurai’s milk

thumb nail-sized piece of root ginger, grated

50ml (13/4fl oz/scant 1/4 cup) yuzu juice, or lime juice

50ml (13/4fl oz/scant 1/4 cup) mandarin juice

50ml (13/4fl oz/scant 1/4 cup) sake

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon sansho pepper (optional)

Cut the fish into thin slices and arrange in a single layer in a shallow dish. Sprinkle evenly with the salt. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the samurai’s milk together. Halve the kumquats or mandarins, scrape out the contents and squeeze the juice into the samurai’s milk. (Reserve the shells.) Pour the samurai’s milk over the fish and leave for a minute, then drain, reserving the samurai’s milk.

Season the crab meat and add the mandarin juice, then use this to fill the kumquat or mandarin halves.

Halve and slice the persimmons or kiwis and arrange in a line on plates. Lay a slice of fish on each slice of fruit, pour the samurai’s milk over and add micro-herbs or scraps of seaweed. Top each serving with 4 filled kumquat halves, or 1 mandarin half, scattered with micro-flowers. Sprinkle with sansho, if using.

◁ Sea bass with vodka, pink grapefruit and lumpfish caviar

Raw fish, whether sliced or chopped, and fresh fruit, whether sliced, chopped or puréed, make perfect bed-fellows. Try slicing strawberries and over-laying them on sliced monkfish with lemon juice and black pepper. Anoint sliced scallops with white nectarine purée and lime juice to create a silky smooth, sensuous starter (appetizer). Or do this!

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

1 large whole sea bass, about 500g (1lb 2oz), filleted, frozen for 90 minutes to make it easier to slice, then sliced paper-thin (see here and here)

fine sea salt

1 tablespoon marmalade vodka, or other vodka

1 pink grapefruit

mint leaves

small pot of lumpfish caviar

Arrange this either over a sharing platter, or use individual plates.

Lay the thinly sliced sea bass on a plate in a single layer, season lightly with salt and splash with vodka.

Using a sharp knife, cut away the rind and pith from the grapefruit. Then cut into and take out each segment, working over a bowl to catch the juice. Trim off any remaining membrane from the segments.

Pour the grapefruit juice over the sea bass slices, then arrange the grapefruit segments on the fish with the mint leaves and lumpfish caviar. Serve at once.

◁ Classic carpaccio of tuna

Carpaccio can be made with any large fish; all you need to do is slice it thinly and fill a plate. If you’re feeling expansive, you can add thinly sliced cucumber, peach, nectarine, kiwi, berries or rocket (arugula). The best way to enjoy it, however, is the simplest: with just a little salt, oil and lemon, shavings of Parmesan cheese and – on very special days – with bottarga grated or shaved over: the salted, pressed and dried roe of either tuna or grey mullet.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

300g (101/2oz) tuna loin tail (see here), frozen for 90 minutes to make it easier to slice

juice of 2 lemons

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1–2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

bottarga or Parmesan shavings, to serve

Cut thin slices of tuna and arrange them on individual plates.

Put the lemon juice and olive oil into a screw-top jar. Seal and shake.

Sprinkle the salt flakes evenly over the tuna, add the dressing and top with bottarga or Parmesan shavings.

Slicing tuna loin tail

◁ Carpaccio of salmon with whisky and raspberry vinegar

Make this Scottish-inspired dish in summer and garnish with fresh raspberries; the note of sweetness in the raspberry vinegar lends itself wonderfully to a starter (appetizer). If you want to serve it as a main course, you can: simply omit the raspberries and the raspberry vinegar and add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and a little Tabasco sauce. The dressing can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

For the home-made mayonnaise

1 fresh free-range egg yolk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

sea salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper

75ml (21/2fl oz/1/3 cup) sunflower oil

25ml (1fl oz/5 teaspoons) extra virgin olive oil

For the carpaccio

2 teaspoons whisky

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

4 teaspoons raspberry vinegar, plus more to serve

2–4 tablespoons water

400g (14oz) salmon fillet, frozen for 48 hours (see here), then defrosted and patted dry

juice of 1 lemon

180–200g (61/2–7oz/11/2 cups) raspberries, torn in half

Put the egg yolk in a soup plate, add the mustard and salt and pepper to taste and, holding a fork parallel to the plate, whisk the mixture. Start adding the sunflower oil in a very thin trickle and, continuing to whisk in the same way, add all the sunflower oil. Then add the olive oil. This only takes a few minutes and is a simple and efficient way to make small quantities of mayonnaise. (Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar to taste when serving as a plain mayonnaise, rather than as part of a dressing, as here.)

Transfer the mayonnaise to a mixing bowl or jug and add the whisky, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and water to dilute it to a pouring consistency. Chill until required.

When ready to serve, slice the salmon thinly and divide between individual plates. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, then the lemon juice; pour over the dressing and scatter with torn raspberries.

Slicing salmon; stretching the slices with a knife blade

◁ Swordfish hinava with spring onion (scallion), ginger, chilli, mango and lime

The starting point for this recipe was a traditional Malaysian raw fish dish from Northern Borneo. In the original dish, the fish – either mackerel or tuna – is cut into strips and marinated in lime juice, then mixed with red onion, chilli, ginger, bitter gourd and the grated seed of a special mango, then served on a palm leaf.

Yellowish limes yield the most juice, while dark green limes make perfect julienned zest. If possible, buy two yellowish limes for juice and one with a dark green colour for this recipe.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

quail’s egg-sized piece of root ginger

1 green chilli

1 large, ripe mango (if you can’t find ripe mango, use ripe peaches or nectarines instead)

4 spring onions (scallions)

2–3 large unwaxed limes (see recipe introduction), plus 1 more, cut into wedges, to serve

300g (101/2oz) swordfish steak, cut 1cm (1/2in) thick

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Peel the ginger. Cut the chilli in half lengthways and discard the seeds and pith. Chop the ginger and chilli together very finely. Cut into the mango, sideways on either side of the stone, creating 3 pieces. Take the 2 outer pieces and, using a sharp knife, cut down to the skin in a 1cm- (1/2in–) square grid pattern (see photo, here). Turn the skin inside out and scrape out the cubes of mango. Eat the remaining mango around the stone! Discard the stone and the skin.

Cut the white part of the spring onions (scallions) into julienne strips and the green part into thin rings. Using a potato peeler, zest the dark green lime and cut the zest into julienne strips with a sharp knife. Juice all the 2–3 limes; you will need 100ml (31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) lime juice.

Cut the swordfish into thin strips, say 2cm × 5mm × 5mm (3/4in × 1/4in × 1/4in). Put the fish in a bowl, add one-third of the finely chopped ginger and chilli mix, pour the lime juice over, stir and leave for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice more during this time. Drain off the excess lime juice and discard, then add the salt and stir once. The swordfish pieces should have become opaque. Add the mango, spring onions (scallions) and half the remaining chopped ginger and chilli mix.

Divide the swordfish salad between bowls and top with the remaining ginger and chilli mix. Top with the julienned strips of lime zest and a lime wedge. Serve at once.

VARIATION: Use seared swordfish steak instead of raw fish, if you prefer. Heat a ridged griddle pan over a high heat for 20 minutes, until white-hot, and griddle the swordfish lightly on both sides (say 1–2 minutes on each side). Leave to cool, cut into strips and proceed as for the main recipe.

Cured

This is really another way of saying ‘preserved’, and encompasses the practices of drying, salting and smoking fish and meat. All these methods have been used since time immemorial to preserve fish and meat in times of plenty for moments when food was scarce.

Large amounts of salt were employed, such as would be unpalatable to us today. We use fridges, vacuum packs and freezers to help us conserve our food and so there is no longer any need to employ such techniques, but we have been left with a craving for the intensity of flavours and textures created by these old ways.

Most countries have a salted, smoked or dried speciality that came into being long ago. Spain, Italy, France and Portugal all have their salt cod specialities, as do West Africa and the Caribbean, based on the rich Atlantic stocks of cod fished off the coasts of Norway and Newfoundland. Britain has its kippers and smoked salmon, and Sweden its gravadlax and herring.

Salt cod and stock fish (dried cod) requires much soaking and rinsing to make it palatable before cooking, but today, with the help of refrigeration, we can create our own lightly salted specialities to make a genre somewhere between raw and smoked fish. This can be done either by salting and then drying the fish on a rack in the air, as for Malaga salted cod or Classic gravadlax (see here and here), or by immersion in a 3.5% brine and then hanging up to dry, as is done in Japan. All these techniques create interesting and appetizing flavours and textures all of their own. Because the fish are only lightly salted to suit modern tastes, they should be used within a week or so. Incidentally, should you buy fresh fish that, for some reason, you are unable to eat straight away, bear in mind that salting is a better way to keep it than freezing.

Himalayan salt block with sea bass slices

In recent years, we have seen the arrival of the Himalayan salt block, a popular and quick means of enhancing raw fish, seafood or meat. It is 2–3cm (3/4–11/4in) thick and used to salt-cure, but is pretty enough to serve the cured food on as well. Salt blocks come in all shapes and sizes – round, square, rectangular; small and large – and can be used at room temperature, chilled in the fridge, or frozen, as well as heated to high temperatures over a flame, on a grill (broiler), or even a barbecue. Or simply lay sliced seafood or meat on the salt block for a short time, turn it and leave it again, then eat the cured result. Salt blocks are a fun and rewarding item to have in the kitchen if you like to experiment, and they impart a unique salty and mineral flavour almost at the drop of a hat (see here for a simple recipe). In short, they are great for the cook who likes to play in the kitchen, but by no means an essential.

For those that love the unique taste that salt-curing creates, but prefer cooked fish, the dramatic whole Sicilian fish in a salt crust (see here), where all the moisture is trapped inside, is well worth trying.

Slicing with a D-cut on a salmon fillet

◁ Salt block-cured sea bream and basil pesto

First buy your salt block! If you haven’t experienced salt block curing and cooking, it is a fun and fascinating genre to experiment with. Salt-cure fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and meat, in a fraction of the time it takes to salt using traditional methods. For this recipe, the salt block is cooled in the fridge or freezer, but it can also be used for cooking on a hob (stovetop) or barbecue as it withstands extremes of temperature. This pesto recipe makes more than you need, so use it up in dressings, for pasta, and with other fish dishes.

Serves 4–6 as a starter (appetizer)

For the fish

1 salt block

1 large whole sea bream (500g/1lb 2oz), filleted, frozen for 90 minutes to make it easier to slice, then sliced in D-cuts (see here and here)

freshly ground black pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

12 small basil leaves

For the pesto

1/2 bunch of basil

handful of pine nuts (about 20g/3/4oz), toasted (see here, toasting as for peanuts), plus more to serve

1 walnut

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

pinch of sea salt flakes

120ml (4fl oz/1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus more to seal the pesto

2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan

Refrigerate the salt block overnight, or for at least 2 hours before it is required.

For the pesto, put the basil, pine nuts, walnut, garlic, salt and olive oil in a blender and blitz. Tip in the grated cheese and mix briefly. Pour into a screw-top jar. Don’t waste what is left in the blender: add 1 tablespoon or so of boiling water and whizz again, then add this to the pesto jar, seal and shake well. For any that you don’t use straight away, cover with a film of extra virgin olive oil, re-seal the jar and store in the fridge; it will keep for 1 month.

Lay the sliced sea bream on the salt block in a single layer, add a grinding of black pepper and a light squeeze of lemon juice and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Take the block out of the fridge, turn the slices of sea bream over and spread them lightly but evenly with 6 teaspoons of the pesto. Return to the fridge for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with basil leaves and a few more pine nuts. Serve on the salt block with extra pesto for everyone to help themselves, or on individual plates.

◁ Malaga salted cod with heat-blushed tomato and black olives

I first ate a combination of lightly salted cod and semi sun-dried tomatoes at a wonderful fish restaurant in the centre of Malaga, Spain. I complimented the chef, asked him how he made it and was politely told it was a house secret. Subsequently I discovered that this lightly cured cod is sold in delis there, just as smoked salmon is sold in Great Britain and gravadlax in Sweden… some house secret! I had cured cod in the past and it did not take me long to work the rest out.

Serves 8 small or 4 regular portions

1 tablespoon sea salt flakes

3/4 tablespoon granulated sugar

500g (1lb 2oz) cod loin, skin on

1kg (21/4lb) ripe tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

12 or 24 small black olives (stone in)

freshly ground black pepper

Mix the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub this all over the fish. Either lay the fish flat in a large plastic bag, or in a dish, and cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Leave in the fridge or a cool larder for 12 hours, turning from time to time.

After this time, wipe the fish down and lay on a baking rack in the kitchen for the air to circulate, to dry the cod. Leave it for 1 hour.

For the tomatoes, preheat the oven to fan 100°C/120°C/250°F/gas mark 1/2. Score the tomatoes, put in a bowl, cover with freshly boiled water and leave for a few minutes. Skin the tomatoes (the skins should just slip off) and quarter each. Deseed, mash lightly and arrange on a plate in the oven. Leave for 2–3 hours. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and leave to cool.

Slice the cured cod thinly, divide between serving plates and add the lemon juice. Arrange the tomatoes and black olives over the top and season with a little extra virgin olive oil and black pepper.

Serve with crusty bread.

◁ Classic gravadlax with dill sauce

It is essential to freeze salmon for 48 hours when you plan to serve it raw (see here), but for convenience you can cure the gravadlax ahead of time first and only then freeze it (again, for a minimum of 48 hours). This helps enormously when planning a party, or at festive times of year. You can then simply defrost it, make the dill sauce and serve.

Makes 1kg (21/4lb)

For the salmon

1kg (21/4lbs) salmon tail, scaled, off the bone, skin on (ask your fishmonger to do this), frozen for 48 hours (see here), or see recipe introduction

2 tablespoons sea salt flakes

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons golden caster (unrefined superfine) sugar, or honey

50g (13/4oz/2 cups) dill, chopped, plus more to serve

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the dill sauce

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

11/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

175ml (6fl oz/3/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil

50g (13/4oz/2 cups) dill, finely chopped

Check the salmon carefully for bones by running your fingers up and down the flesh. Pull away and discard any pinbones with tweezers. Mix the salt, pepper, sugar, dill and cinnamon and rub into the flesh.

Lay the salmon, skin side down, inside a large, thick plastic bag. Seal the bag and leave to stand in the fridge for 24–48 hours as time allows; turning the bag from time to time. Alternatively, lay the salmon in a long shallow dish and cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Pour away the liquid that comes out from time to time.

Wipe away any excess cure with kitchen paper (paper towels) and sprinkle the fish lightly with fresh chopped dill. Lay on a rack in the fridge so the air can circulate around, and leave to dry for 2 hours. Mix together all the ingredients for the dill sauce.

Slice the gravadlax thinly and serve with the sauce.

◁ Scandi salmon trio with dill: gravadlax, tartare and roe

This dish combines two popular Swedish ingredients: salmon roe and gravadlax. It becomes a trio of salmon by serving the gravadlax not only thinly sliced but also cut into cubes, tartare-style, and mixed into a salad of new potatoes: the classic accompaniment to gravadlax.

Serves 4

500g (1lb 2oz) piece of Classic gravadlax (see here)

200g (7oz) new or salad potatoes, cooked

1 avocado

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 small bunch of radishes

3–4 tablespoons Dill sauce (see here)

1 small Cos (Romaine) lettuce

4 teaspoons salmon roe

dill, to serve

Slice half the gravadlax thinly, lay it on a plate, cover and refrigerate until required. Cut the remaining gravadlax into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and put it in a salad bowl.

Cut the potatoes and avocado into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and add to the salad bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir.

Cut the radishes into wedges and add to the bowl, then add the Dill sauce and toss lightly.

When ready to serve, divide the sliced gravadlax between plates. Make a nest on each of finely shredded Cos (Romaine) lettuce – or use a single leaf as a ‘dish’ – and fill with the salmon tartare salad. Top with 1 teaspoon of salmon roe – or put it on the side – and garnish with a plume of dill.

Serve with buttered rye bread.

Smoked, blanched, seared and grilled (broiled)

Hot-smoking is intense. Searing and grilling (broiling) are at high temperature, sealing succulence and moisture inside. All these are techniques that are perfect for oily fish. Blanching in water, stock or wine is a preferred method for serving all but ‘straight from the sea’ shellfish.

Smoke

The smoking of shellfish and fish fillets can be achieved at home, though hot-smoking is by far the easier option on a domestic scale.

Cold-smoking is done without direct heat. It produces fish (and meat) with a silky texture reminiscent of its raw state; smoked salmon is a popular example.

There are no recipes here that have to be cold-smoked, though I do give you an option to cold-smoke if you prefer. However, to cold-smoke, you need to own (or buy) a cold smoker – a major bit of kit – though if you are inventive you can make one out of an old filing cabinet, dustbin (garbage can) or fridge. As well as equipment, cold-smoking requires expertise and experience. It is a labour of love that can easily become quite addictive, though it is complicated and time-consuming and so – for the purposes of this book – I have assumed cold-smoking enthusiasts need little instruction here.

Hot-smoking, on the other hand, where heat and smoke are applied together, can be accomplished very simply at home, either in an old, well-lined steamer or wok, or even in a smoker bag. For a small investment, a table-top box smoker that produces professional results can be bought for the purpose. It is perfect for smaller items such as fish fillets, seafood and poultry breasts.

Blanch

Blanching is the perfect way to lightly cook prawns (shrimp) and squid. Drop prawns (shrimp) into simmering stock in their shells; the minute the shells turn pink, remove and drop into iced water to stop the cooking, then drain, dry and shell, keeping the heads and shells to make a shellfish stock.

Cut squid into diamond shapes and score their bodies finely on the surface that would have been inside, cutting the tentacles into short lengths. Drop into simmering water or stock, simmer for a minute, then drain and drop into iced water to cool quickly. Drain, pat dry and continue with the recipe you want to use.

Sear and grill (broil)

Searing fish – that is cooking it at high heat on the outside to seal the moisture on the inside – can be achieved in several ways: on a ridged griddle; under a grill (broiler); or in a heavy-based frying pan (skillet). I use all three methods, depending on which fish I am cooking.

A ridged griddle is perfect for searing meaty fish such as tuna and swordfish, but make sure the griddle is properly white-hot before putting on the fish. Set the griddle over a medium-high heat on a back ring of the hob (stovetop) for at least 20 minutes (that is not a misprint), then, when white-hot, add the fish. There is no need to oil the griddle. The fish will cook in minutes and release itself from the griddle surface when it is ready. If you have to tug at it to get it off, it’s not ready yet!

Oily fish such as mackerel and sardines are really good grilled (broiled), as are fillets of sea bream, sea bass, mullet and similar types. Heat the grill (broiler) until it is red-hot before introducing the fish, lining the grill (broiler) pan with lightly oiled foil. Grill (broil) skin side up and, as soon as the skin crinkles and browns, take it away from the heat. Leave to rest for a minute or two before serving. Oysters also grill (broil) well if you don’t want to eat them raw (see here).

To cook in a heavy-based frying pan (skillet) – the perfect way to sear scallops – heat the pan. Wipe the fish or seafood with kitchen paper (paper towels), then add olive oil or butter to the pan and sear the fish quickly on both sides.

… and finally

Though I don’t have a recipe containing the technique in this section, steaming is a perfect way to cook shellfish such as mussels, clams, cockles and so on. Simply put them in a hot, heavy-based pan with the lid on. The shells will open and they will be ready in minutes.

◁ Chilli and lime hot-smoked rainbow trout

If you want to cold-smoke this, double the quantities of fish and cure, to make the effort worthwhile. Smoking times are hard to predict and it is essential to check progress regularly. Hot-smoking times vary according to the amount of heat and smoke; cold-smoking according to the elements. Experiment with spices, herbs and citrus flavours, or with the type of wood.

Serves 4 as a light lunch or starter (appetizer)

20g (3/4oz/5 teaspoons) coarse sea salt

20g (3/4oz/5 teaspoons) granulated sugar

a few sprigs of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped, plus more to smoke

500g (1lb 2oz) (about 4) rainbow trout fillets

finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed lime

1/2 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, plus more to smoke

a little flavourless vegetable oil

handful (2 tablespoons) of cherry or elder chippings

Celeriac (celery root) salad (see here)

Combine the salt, sugar and coriander (cilantro). Sprinkle a wide, non-corrosive container with half the salt mixture. Lay the fish on top, skin side down, and sprinkle with the remaining salt mixture, taking care to moderate the amount of salt in proportion to the thickness of the fish. Top with the lime zest and the chilli, cover with cling film (plastic wrap), put a weight on top and leave in a cool place for 24 hours.

After this time, wipe the salt off, pat dry, put on an oiled rack and leave to air-dry for 1 hour. Add a few sprigs of coriander (cilantro) and some chopped chilli when ready to smoke.

To hot smoke: put the wood chippings in the base of a smoking box. I like to arrange them around the edge of the smoker as it creates a thicker smoke. Close the box and set it on a hot barbecue or hob (stovetop), according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and wait for the smoke to start.

In the meantime, arrange the fish fillets on the wire rack. Once the smoke is billowing, slot in the fish tray and rack, close the box, reduce the heat, and leave to smoke for 5 minutes. Take a quick look, then close again and leave for another 5 minutes. Check again. The fish flesh will become opaque and smoky-looking when it is ready. Turn off the heat and remove the fish. Rest the fish for 10 minutes and eat hot or cold.

To cold-smoke: do so lightly and slowly. I cold-smoked 1kg (21/4lb) fillets, weighing 180g (61/2oz) each, in my purpose-designed smoke box at 25°C (77°F) for 21/2 hours (it was a cold, still evening), by which time they had lost the desired 10% amount of their starting weight and – more importantly – looked just right. However you chose to smoke the fillets, serve them as they are, or thinly sliced, with a squeeze of lime juice, Celeriac (celery root) salad and bread and butter.

◁ Japanese smoked skewered seafood with wafu dipping sauce

Hot-smoking is a great area for experimentation, following the basic principles here – marinating, drying and smoking – but playing with both fuel and ingredients. Use Mediterranean, Chinese and other flavours to marinate the seafood. Try other fuels such as rice or tea leaves, perhaps adding aromatic dried citrus and spices. Wafu is a fusion of Japanese dipping sauce and French dressing. You’ll need 8 wooden skewers.

Serves 4

For the skewers

12 large prawns (shrimp), shelled and deveined

12 queen scallops, corals removed

4 baby squid with tentacles, cleaned

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated yuzu or unwaxed lemon zest, or 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Pickled samphire (salicornia) and Shredded daikon and carrot salad, to serve (see here and here)

For the marinade

1 tablespoon white miso

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon sake

For the wafu

4 tablespoons ponzu (see here or here, however, if you have some already prepared, use that)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

Put all the ingredients for the marinade in a screw-top jar, seal and shake to combine.

Spread the prawns (shrimp), scallops and baby squid out in a shallow non-corrosive dish. Pour the marinade over evenly and leave for 30 minutes, then turn and leave for another 20 minutes. Pour off excess marinade. Thread 3 prawns (shrimp) and 3 scallops on to each of 4 skewers, starting with a prawn (shrimp) and pushing a scallop inside the curve of the prawn (shrimp) (see image). Then thread 1 squid body with its tentacles on each of the remaining 4 skewers. Lay on a rack and leave to air-dry for 1 hour.

Put the ponzu in a screw-top jar, add the olive oil and garlic, seal and shake to combine.

Line the base and lower sides of a wok with at least 3 layers of foil. Sprinkle the base with the dark brown sugar. Line the smoker lid with 1 layer of foil, taking the excess foil over the top of the lid. Put the lid on the pan, place over a high heat and wait for the sugar to ignite.

Lay the seafood skewers over the wok rack; this may have to be done in batches. Once the sugar starts to smoke, put the rack in place. Replace the lid, folding the overlapping foil in the pan up over the lid to contain the smoke. Smoke for 2–3 minutes, or until the seafood becomes a smoky amber colour. Make sure the prawns (shrimp) have turned opaque, as sometimes this can take longer, then transfer to a rack. Repeat with the other skewers until they are all ready. Check regularly, but be careful not to overcook.

Dust with yuzu zest or sesame seeds and serve as soon as possible, warm or at room temperature, with the wafu dipping sauce, Pickled samphire (salicornia) and Shredded daikon and carrot salad.

◁ Scallops blanched in hot orange tiger’s milk with sweetcorn and (bell) peppers

This is a warm cebiche, where the scallops are blanched at the table with hot citrus juice and vodka. Make sure you have all the ingredients prepared before squeezing the citrus juice and heating it. Serve in scallop shells, or shallow dishes.

Serves 4 as a starter (appetizer), or 2 as a main course

1 large sweetcorn cob

1 baby red (bell) pepper

1 baby orange (bell) pepper

1 baby yellow (bell) pepper

small bunch of coriander (cilantro)

2 small garlic cloves

1–2 red chillies, deseeded

8 large scallops (say 400g/14oz), plus 4 scallop shells, if possible

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

4 large oranges

2 limes

4 tablespoons vodka

a few chives, to serve

Strip the corn from the cob with a sharp knife, put in a blender and blitz to a fine grain. Tip into a bowl.

Chop the (bell) peppers very finely and add to the blitzed sweetcorn.

Keeping 4 small leaves back, chop the coriander (cilantro) with the garlic and chillies by hand, then add to the sweetcorn mix.

Clean the scallops, pulling off the corals, the foot and the outer membranes and blot on kitchen paper (paper towels). Cut 3 of the scallops into small cubes and add to the sweetcorn mix. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a grinding of black pepper, then stir and taste.

Half-fill the scallop shells, or shallow serving dishes, with the corn and pepper mix.

Juice the oranges and limes into a small saucepan with a pouring lip. Add the vodka, bring to a gentle simmer, then switch off the heat.

Slice the remaining scallops thinly, say 4–5 slices each, and arrange around the edge of the scallop shells, or use small, shallow dishes instead. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Put the shells or dishes on serving plates, propping shells on the edges to keep them level. Add a chive to each and the reserved coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Pour the hot orange marinade on to the scallops and keep topping up until the shells are almost full, or allow each person to pour the marinade over the scallops themselves at the table.

◁ Blanched seafood melon

All kinds of ripe summer fruits – such as melon, peach, kiwi or nectarine – lend themselves well to raw or lightly cooked seafood mixes. Therefore, if you want to make this in summer, serve the mix in a melon shell. In autumn (fall) and winter, serve it in citrus or persimmon shells.

The secret of Japanese dressings is restraint; use just enough so that you know it is there and it enhances the flavour and texture of the fish and fruit without drowning it.

Serves 4

For the fish and fruit

200g (7oz) large squid, cleaned weight, bodies kept whole, with tentacles

8 wild langoustines, or 4 North Atlantic prawns (shrimp), or crayfish

sea salt flakes

1 melon or 4 large, firm, ripe persimmons

For the dressing

3 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons yuzu juice, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lime juice

To prepare the squid, cut the bodies into 4cm- (11/2in-) long diamond shapes and score diagonally on the inner sides into a very neat, fine criss-cross pattern. Cut the tentacles into equal, single-tentacle pieces.

Shell and devein the langoustines or North Atlantic prawns (shrimp). Don’t waste the shells: use them to make a seafood stock.

Have ready 2 bowls of iced water, loosely covered with cling film (plastic wrap).

Bring a small pan of salted water to simmering point. Drop the shelled langoustines into the water and cook for 1–2 minutes until they just turn pink. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and turn on to a cling film- (plastic wrap-) covered bowl of iced water (this will cool them quickly without waterlogging). Drop the prepared squid pieces into the simmering water and cook for 1–2 minutes. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and turn on to the second cling film- (plastic wrap-) covered bowl of iced water. When the langoustines and squid pieces are cool, cut each langoustine into 3–4 equal pieces, put in a bowl with the squid, add the dressing ingredients and mix well.

When ready to serve, cut the melon in half (if using), reserving half for another occasion. Scrape out the seeds and cut the half-melon flesh into bite-sized bits. Or cut off the tops of the persimmons, if using (reserve these), scrape out the flesh and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Add these fruit pieces to the dressed seafood, stir and spoon back into the melon or persimmon shells. Put the lids back on top of the persimmon shells (if using) and serve.

◁ Blanched octopus in su-miso dressing

This classic Japanese dressing can be swapped with an olive oil-based dressing (see here) for a Mediterranean take, or why not try it with tiger’s milk (see here) for a cebiche makeover. If you don’t want – or are unable to source – a raw octopus, Japanese stores and some fishmongers generally sell whole, ready-cooked octopus tentacles, which, although rather expensive, simply need slicing.

Serves 4–6

For the octopus (if cooking from raw)

1 × 500–700g (1lb 2oz–1lb 9oz) octopus

300g (101/2oz/1 cup) salt

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

For the su-miso dressing

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

11/2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon Japanese soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon wasabi

If you are cooking a raw octopus, turn the octopus inside out, remove and discard the entrails, eyes and beak and put the rest in a large bowl. Add the salt and massage the octopus for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in 2–3 changes of water and turn back the right way.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the light soy sauce. Holding the octopus with tongs by its head, with its tentacles hanging down, carefully submerge the octopus 3 times in the simmering water, holding on to it all the time. Then drop the octopus in the water and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Lift the octopus out of the water and hang it up carefully to dry with its tentacles hanging down, using an S-hook if you have one, from a tap over the sink, or from a cupboard handle over a bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar, seal, shake and store until required.

When the octopus is cool, cut the tentacles off, then cut them on the diagonal into bite-sized pieces. Put in a bowl, add the su-miso dressing, cover and chill until ready to serve.

◁ Pistachio-crusted tuna roll with watercress and grapefruit salad

Bronte is an agricultural town in Sicily, famous for its pistachio nuts and for giving the Bronte sisters their family name… but that is another story. Here you can enjoy pistachios in just about anything: pesto, liqueur, pasta… The nuts are sold in convenient packets already shelled and crushed in all their green glory; it is these you need for this recipe. If you can’t buy them ready-crushed, put them in a plastic bag and crush evenly with a rolling pin: do not blast them to a powder, as texture is all-important here.

Serves 2

For the fish

300g (101/2oz) long, thin piece of tuna loin tail (see here)

40g (11/2oz/1/3cup) pistachios, finely chopped or crushed

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped marjoram, oregano or parsley leaves

a little flavourless vegetable oil

For the salad

1/2 pink grapefruit

1/2 white grapefruit

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

40g (11/2oz/1 cup) watercress, or watercress and baby leaf salad

Roll and prepare the tuna in advance, at least 1 hour before cooking. Pat the tuna dry and roll into a sausage shape. Cut a piece of cling film (plastic wrap), large enough to roll the tuna in. Mix the pistachios and salt with the herbs and spread it out evenly in the middle of the cling film (plastic wrap), in a rectangle the width and circumference of the tuna.

Lay the tuna on the long edge of the pistachio and marjoram mix and roll it firmly to coat the fish all over; you may need to repeat this action once or twice until the tuna is fully covered. This done, roll the nut-and-herb-clad tuna in the cling film (plastic wrap), forming a ‘sausage’ and twisting the ends of the cling film (plastic wrap) to seal the roll. Store in the fridge, then – 1 hour before cooking – transfer to the freezer.

Preheat the grill (broiler) to its highest setting. Unwrap the roll, put it on a lightly oiled baking tray 5–7cm (2–23/4in) from the grill (broiler) bars and cook for 10 minutes until golden, turning now and then. Watch it closely (turn your back and it will burn). Now move the fish as far as possible from the grill (broiler) bars, switching from grill (broiler) to the highest oven setting for a further 10 minutes, for pink tuna. (For well-cooked tuna, cook for 20 minutes.) Rest for 10 minutes.

To make the salad, peel both grapefruit with a sharp knife, taking away pith and peel. Cut into segments between the membranes, working over a bowl to catch the juices, then drop the segments into the bowl.

Combine the oil and 1/2 tablespoon of the grapefruit juice in a screw-top jar. Season to taste and shake vigorously. When ready to serve, add the watercress or leaves and dressing to the bowl and toss. Cut the tuna into slices and serve with the salad, scattering over any of the pistachio crust that falls off.

VARIATION: Try cooking lamb, kid or rabbit fillets this way.

SALAD VARIATION: Try it with regular and blood oranges, when they are in season; serve with duck.

◁ Fired bonito with shredded daikon and shiso
Katsuo no tataki

Kochi’s seared skipjack tuna speciality is the centrepiece of the island’s sashimi spread. Dark-red triangular fillets are lightly seared over wild flames. If you have a charcoal-fired barbecue and access to rice straw, you can try to emulate that traditional Shikoku method. Otherwise, I suggest using a ridged griddle. Bonito or skipjack tuna is hard to source in many countries; if this is true for you, use the tail end of a loin (see here).

You could also marinate a similar-sized piece of tuna in a mix of olive oil, tamari soy, garlic, rice wine and wasabi for an hour, searing it as below, then serving with rice and blanched samphire (salicornia) (see here).

Serves 4 as a starter (appetizer)

For the fish

1/2 fillet of bonito (skipjack tuna), cut lengthways along the lateral line, or the slim end of a tuna loin (see here), weighing 400–500g (14oz–1lb 2oz)

sea salt flakes

For the ponzu dressing

2cm (3/4in) square of kombu

100ml (31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) yuzu juice, or half lemon juice and half lime juice

40ml (11/2fl oz/1/6 cup) Japanese soy sauce

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

25ml (1fl oz/5 teaspoons) mirin

25ml (1fl oz/5 teaspoons) sake

5g (1/8oz) dried bonito flakes / shavings (katsuobushi), large flakes if possible

To serve

250g (9oz) daikon (mooli)

egg-sized lump of root ginger

12 shiso or perilla leaves

3–4 radishes, sliced

wasabi

If using tuna loin rather than bonito, trim off any bits that do not follow the contours of the main muscle. This will create a ‘triangular’ shape.

Make the dipping sauce a few hours ahead of time, or even the day before. Soak the kombu in the citrus juice for a few hours. Put the soy sauce, tamari, mirin and sake in a small pan with 1 tablespoon of water and simmer for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Switch off the heat, add the bonito flakes and leave to cool. Strain both the citrus juice and the cooled ponzu into a screw-top jar.

Shred the daikon either by hand or on the fine cutter of a food processor. Rinse in 2 changes of cold water, then leave immersed in ice-cold water for anything from 10 minutes–2 hours.

When ready to serve, pat the tuna dry on a clean cloth. Lightly salt each side and beat it gently but firmly with a rolling pin. Peel and grate the ginger finely. Heat a ridged griddle for 15 minutes over a high heat, or until white-hot. (Don’t skimp on this time; if the griddle is not white-hot the tuna will not sear correctly.) Once the griddle is hot, sear the skipjack on each side; don’t force it free from the griddle as this will tear the meat, it will free itself once it is ready. (Just give it a gentle push so it rolls over; if it doesn’t budge, keep searing for a bit longer.) Transfer to a board and cut into 1cm- (1/2in-) thick slices.

Make a bed of daikon on a serving platter or individual plates, top with the tuna, decorate with shiso leaves and radish slices and serve with wasabi, ginger and dipping bowls of ponzu.

◁ Seared mackerel with pickled gooseberries

This recipe follows the classic gooseberry-mackerel combination. Mackerel is a wonderful rich, moist, oily fish if cooked briefly at high temperature, either skin side down on a preheated griddle pan, or skin side up under a hot grill (broiler). The flesh should be just set. The robust flavour of mackerel and strident bitter-sweet of pickled gooseberries is a marriage made in heaven.

Serves 4 as a starter (appetizer), or 2 as a main course

2 sparkling fresh mackerel

fine sea salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill (broiler) pan

150g (51/2oz) samphire (salicornia)

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 jar of Pickled gooseberries with cardamom and star anise (see here)

Either fillet the mackerel yourself (see here) or ask your fishmonger to do so. Trim off any ragged bits. Cut out the row of bones along the lateral line by cutting a V-shape on either side of the bones. Cut or pull out the large bones that lined the visceral cavity. If serving the dish as a starter (appetizer), cut the fillets in half again lengthways. Wipe the fillets if necessary.

Sprinkle a little salt over a chopping board from 20cm (8in) above, to give a sparse covering. Lie the fish on the salted board, skin side down, then repeat the salt-sprinkling process and leave for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill (broiler) until red-hot, say 15 minutes. Line the grill (broiler) pan with foil and brush lightly with olive oil.

Pick over the samphire (salicornia), discarding any tough bits, then rinse and drain. Plunge into simmering water (do not salt) and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain. Transfer the samphire (salicornia) to a bowl, then mix in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a little black pepper and the vinegar.

Lay the mackerel skin side up on the grill (broiler) pan and cook under the hot grill (broiler) for 2–3 minutes or until the skin starts to bubble and turn golden.

Divide the samphire (salicornia) between plates and lay the mackerel fillets on top.

Spoon a few gooseberries on the side of the plates and drizzle 1 teaspoon of their pickling liquid over each mackerel fillet. Serve at once.

◁ Franco’s gratin of oysters with laverbread

This is one of Franco Taruschio’s signature dishes, that he used to make for members of the foreign press when they visited our cookery school in Wales. Laverbread is a Welsh speciality seaweed, traditionally fried with bacon for breakfast. It is difficult to source outside of Wales, so I have adapted the recipe to use anchovy essence in its place.

Serves 4

20 native or rock oysters

100g (31/2oz/scant 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves

juice of 1/2 lemon

200g (7oz) laverbread, or 4 tablespoons anchovy essence

sea salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper

120g (4oz/2 cups) fresh fine white breadcrumbs

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the grill (broiler) to its hottest setting.

First rinse the oysters in cold water and lightly scrub to remove any loose sand or fine debris. Wrap each oyster in a folded cloth with the hinge end poking out and the deep half of the shell facing down. Insert an oyster knife or other stout blade into the hinge and twist the knife, thus opening the shell. Cut the oyster free and return it to the deep half shell, discard the flatter half. Pour off, strain and reserve half the oyster juice. (Should any debris have fallen into the oyster, rinse it before returning it to the shell.)

Mix together the butter, shallot, parsley, lemon juice, most of the laverbread or the anchovy essence and the reserved oyster juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the oysters and top each with a small spoonful of the remaining laverbread (if using). Sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumbs and paint lightly with oil.

Grill (broil) until golden and the juices bubble, checking regularly to ensure that the crumbs are not burning. Serve at once.

◁ Sicilian sea bass or bream cooked in a salt crust
Spigola o orata al sale

This is a spectacular way of cooking fish: anyone who has been to Sicily will have enjoyed the show that comes when it is brought to the table and the salt crust is cracked open by expert waiters. Often the salt itself is moulded to mirror the shape of the fish, but we will be making a simple smooth crust here. The fish is not cured in salt, but buried between two layers of the stuff and baked. It may sound like a lot of hassle – and a lot of salt! – but once you are geared up, it delivers delicious moist fish every time; also, the salt can be used next time around. You can serve the fish with my simple home-made mayonnaise (see here) instead of, or as well as, the dressing.

Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a starter (appetizer)

For the fish

2 sea bass, 400g (14oz) each, or 1 large gilt head bream, 750g (1lb 10oz), cleaned

freshly ground black pepper

1–2 garlic cloves

handful of fennel fronds

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme and rosemary (optional)

1.5kg (3lb 5oz/5 cups) fine sea salt

For the dressing

15g (1/2oz) fennel fronds

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat the oven to fan 200°C/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

Dry the fish inside and out. Put a grinding of pepper, a clove of garlic and a handful of fennel fronds, the bay leaf and any other herb you are using inside the fish.

Put the salt in a large bowl and mix with 175ml (6fl oz/3/4 cup) cold water to make a smooth paste. Line a non-corrosive baking dish with half the mixture, making a thick, even layer. Lay the fish on top, then cover with the remaining salt. Press the salt down firmly. Roast the fish in the oven for 15 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, then break open the salt crust: you may need a hammer and chisel or similar arrangement, but take care not to stab the fish.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put the fennel fronds in a blender with the other ingredients and blast until smooth. Transfer to a small jug or bowl.

Serve the fish with the dressing and some home-made mayonnaise, if you like.