Fish & Shellfish

Dinner-party paella

Feeds 4, Takes 90 min

This is my favourite way of entertaining, because it is low impact in the kitchen and high impact at the table.  Putting a large pan of golden paella topped with mussels and clams on the table helps everyone relax and enjoy themselves as they dig in and get the bits they want. It is effortlessly modular: drop the chicken, add more shellfish, use canned piquillo peppers instead of sweet red peppers, leave out the cherry tomatoes (but they do look cute), and so on.

• 1 big pinch saffron threads, or ½ tsp powde

• 1 tsp paprika

• 4 chicken thighs

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 2 mild chorizo sausages, sliced

• 100g fine green beans

• 8 small raw prawns in their shell

• 1kg small black mussels or clams

• 125ml dry white wine

• A few parsley stems, chopped

• 2tbsp olive oil

• 1 shallot or onion, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 350g Spanish or Arborio rice

• 1 sweet red pepper, cut into strips or 100g piquillo peppers, drained

• 10 cherry tomatoes

• 1 litre chicken stock

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grind the saffron threads to a powder, add paprika, and stir in a spoonful or two of boiling water. Set aside.

Dust the chicken with flour and pan-fry in a little oil on both sides until golden. Cut the chorizo into thick slices and pan-fry for two or three minutes. Blanch the green beans in simmering salted water for two minutes, drain and refresh in cold water, drain again and set aside.

Lightly poach or pan-fry the prawns. Scrub the mussels and yank out the little beards, Combine white wine and parsley in a lidded pan, cover and bring to the boil. Remove the mussels as they open. Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow frying pan, and cook the onion and garlic cloves for ten minutes. Add the rice and stir well to coat. Add the saffron liquid and stir well. Add the red pepper, cherry tomatoes, chicken pieces, chorizo sausages, sea salt and pepper, pushing them all into the rice, and stir well. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Simmer for ten minutes, occasionally loosening with a wooden spoon the rice on the bottom, then cover and leave on a gentle heat for 30 minutes, moving the pan around on the heat so it cooks evenly.  Add extra stock or water if you feel the rice isn't sufficiently cooked. It should end up tender but still firm, with a golden crust on the bottom.

To serve, arrange the prawns, mussels and green beans over the top, cover and heat through for five minutes. Serve at the table, with plenty of aïoli on the side. 

Luxury Smoked Fish Pie  

A brilliant dish to prepare ahead, ready to pop in the oven when needed.  Preparation time: 30min; cooking time: 1hr 20min.  970cals, 58g fat, 57g carbohydrate per serving; makes 2 meals for 4.

• 2.3kg (5lb) Désirée potatoes, peeled and cut into rough chunks

• 4 medium free-range eggs

• 900ml (1% pints) milk

• 225g (8o2) butter

• 225g (8oz) Cheddar cheese, grated

• 150ml (¼ pint) dry white wine

• 300ml (½ pint) fish stock

• 900g (2Ib) skinned smoked haddock fillet, preferably undyed, cut into wide strips

• 700g (1½ lb) skinned salmon fillet, cut into wide strips

• 75g (3oz) plain flour

• 142ml carton double cream

• 2 level tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and chopped

• 3 level tbsp roughly chopped flat-leafed parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160C fan oven) gas mark 4. Put the potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 min. Add the eggs to the pan and cook for 8 min until hard-boiled and potatoes are almost tender. Remove the eggs and put in a bowl of icy cold water. Warm 200ml (7fl oz) of the milk.

2. Drain the potatoes, return to the pan and cook over a low heat for 2min. Mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in 150g (5oz) butter, half the cheese and the warmed milk and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Beat together well, cover and put to one side.

3. Meanwhile, divide the wine, stock and remaining milk between two large wide pans and bring to the boil. Add the haddock and salmon, return the liquid to the  boil, then turn down the heat to poach the fish gently for 5 min or until just beginning  to flake.  Using a draining spoon, lift the fish into two 1.4 litre (2½ pint) capacity deep ovenproof dishes and flake with a fork if necessary.  Reserve cooking liquid.

4. Melt the remaining 75g (3oz) butter in another pan, add the flour, stir until smooth and cook for 2 mins.  Gradually add the fish liquid whisking until smooth. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for 2 mins or until thickened.  Stir in cream, capers and parsley; season to taste.

5. Peel the eggs, chop roughly, scatter over the fish then ladle sauce evenly over the top.  Spoon potato mixture over the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and hot.

Tray-baked Cod with Runner Beans, Pancetta and Pine Nuts

Serves four.

This dish is from The Return of the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver (Penguin). He says that the flavours go “amazingly well" together and since only one tray is used there is hardly any washing up to do afterwards.

• 680g (1½ lb) runner beans, trimmed and sliced at an angle

• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Olive oil

• Four 225g (8oz) cod steaks on the bone

• 12 slices of smoked pancetta or streaky bacon

• 1 good handful of pine nuts

• 2 lemons, halved

Preheat the oven to 220C (425F, gas mark 7.) Place runner beans in an appropriately sized roasting tin. Throw in your garlic and a little salt and pepper, add just enough olive oil to coat the beans and mix it all around.  Nestle the cod steaks in among the runner beans, lightly season again, and then place some pancetta over the cod and among the beans.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and drizzle a little olive oil over the top

Take your lemon halves and place them in the tray - they will cook and colour slightly, going jammy, sweet and lemony.

Cook for roughly 15 minutes in the middle of the preheated oven.  Lightly lay kitchen foil over the fish for the first 5 minutes and then remove it.  You know the cod is cooked when the bone in the middle is easily removed.  This is a meal in itself, so serve with all the lovely juices from the tray drizzled over the top.

Crispy Cod with Parmesan Mash

Serves four

This combination of creamy cod with a rich and flavourful mash is from Food and Drink by Janet Marshall (BBC Worldwide).

• 750g (1½ lb) floury potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 250g (2oz) butter

• 4 thick pieces of cod, about 175g (6oz) each

• 1 tsp English mustard

• 50g (2oz) Parmesan, grated

• 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives and a few whole chives to serve

• a drizzle of olive oil

• grilled cherry tomatoes

Boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water for about 20 minutes, until they are tender. In a large frying pan, heat the oil with 25g (1oz) of the butter and then add the cod, skin-side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for about five minutes more or until cooked through.

Drain and mash the potatoes. Mix the mustard into the potato with the remaining butter and the cheese and snipped chives. Spoon onto plates.  Serve with the cod, skin-side up, and grilled tomatoes. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Easy Fish Supper

Invented at Beechwood Road, Sanderstead

Cook mixture of white fish – cod, smoked haddock.  Flake and debone.  Fry red & green pepper.  Fry onion.  Mix with fish.  Add grated gruyere or parmesan.  Add tub Greek yoghurt / crème fraiche.  Sprinkle with cheese – bake at 200c for 20 to 25 mins.

Mum note:  We had a very fussy Michael to stay after his bypass surgery.  I was trying to get him to have healthier food.  He actually liked this – Success!  Served with a salad or if he’d eat it, broccoli!!