Mitch Tonks's calamari in umido
Garlic, oil, sweet ripe tomatoes, wine and tender squid make a great combination, easy to do and make sure you've got some bread to dip in.
Serves 2
squid 6 small, each about 100g in weight, skinned & cleaned
garlic 2 cloves, finely sliced on a mandoline
cherry tomatoes 10, peeled (datterino are our preferred choice)
olive oil 100ml
dried birds eye chilli ½
lemon ½
flat parsley 1 tbsp, shredded
Make sure the squid is well washed and dried. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with a little salt, add the sliced garlic and chilli, fry gently for a few minutes until the edges of the garlic just start to take on a golden colour. Add the whole small squid, tentacles and the tomatoes. While frying with a fork gently squeeze the tomatoes as they cook so as to release some of their juice.
After 2-3 minutes the squid will have turned from translucent to pure white and a lovely emulsion will have formed from the oil and tomato juices. At this point remove from the heat add the parsley and a good squeeze of lemon. Stir well and serve immediately.
Mitch Tonks is chef patron of The Seahorse, Dartmouth, Devon
Sam Harris's salt pollock with peas, broad beans, potatoes and mint
Pollock is a great alternative to cod. Similar to cod in both flavour and appearance, it works brilliantly in this recipe with these seasonal vegetables and herbs. Everyone should try salting and curing their own fish, as it's very straightforward and creates a different eating experience. Treat this dish like a very thick soup and serve just warm as the flavours stand out more.
Serves 4-6
For the salt cured pollock
pollock with the skin on, 1 large side (around 1kg), cut in half
rock salt 600g
caster sugar 120g
fennel seeds 50g
rosemary 4 sprigs, picked
lemon zest of 2
salt cured pollock cooked and ready
fresh shelled peas 250g
fresh shelled broad beans 250g
new potatoes 8, cooked and peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
onion 1, finely chopped
fennel 1 head, finely chopped
garlic 2 cloves
mint 2 tbsp, chopped
lemon zest of 1
olive oil 4 tbsp
chicken/veg stock or water
For the cured pollock, blitz together the sugar, fennel seeds, rosemary and lemon zest until very fine. Mix in a bowl with the rock salt until well combined.
Lay out a large strip of cling film and place ⅓ of the salt mix on the bottom and place the first half of the fish on top skin side down. Cover with another ⅓ of the salt mix, place the other half of the fish on top flesh side down so they are sandwiched together with salt mix in the middle. Cover with the remaining ⅓ of the salt mix on top and then wrap in the cling film very firmly.
Place in the fridge, pressed down with a heavy weight. Keep refrigerated and pressed for 2 days, flipping over and re-pressing after half of the curing time (24 hours).
Once cured, rinse in cold water to remove the cure mix, then pat dry with a cloth.
Cut the fish into large chunks about 150g each, and bring a shallow pan of water to the boil with a lemon slice and a bay leaf in it. Once it is simmering add the fish and lightly poach for 2 minutes until only just cooked. Remove and chill.
The fish is ready to serve.
Sweat the onion and fennel in a wide shallow pan with lots of olive oil (4 tbsp) until very soft. Raise the heat and add the garlic and cook out the raw flavour. Add the potatoes and turn over in the oil, then the peas and broad beans.
Add enough chicken stock/veg stock or water, depending on your preference, then simmer and let slowly cook for about 5 mins.
Check the seasoning, and add the fish, flaking it as you go. Raise the heat and simmer for 2 more minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the mint and a few pinches of grated lemon zest, leave to stand for 5 mins to cool, this will help develop the flavours. Serve.
Sam Harris, chef patron of Zucca, London SE1
Fergus Henderson's devilled crab
This recipe is from Su Rogers, my best friend's mum – I beg her pardon for altering it a little, for I recall more of the meat is picked out of the shell in her recipe, whereas I enjoy the hard work at the eating moment.
To feed 6
crabs 3 x 1kg
extra virgin olive oil a healthy splash
garlic 4 cloves, peeled and chopped very finely
fresh red chillies 2, seeds removed and chopped very finely
fresh ginger 100g, peeled and grated finely
spring onions 12, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
lemons juice of 2
sea salt and black pepper
picked coriander half a bunch, washed, just disciplined by the merest chopping
picked flat-leaf parsley half a bunch, just disciplined by the merest chopping
Preferably you want to get your crabs alive. I am afraid I just drop the living crab into boiling water, which must be as salty as the sea or water will leach into the crab, resulting in wet flesh.
Boil the crabs for 20 minutes, on the side of under - rather than overcooked, as they are cooked again. When it's cold, clean out the "dead men's fingers", which are greyish, coarse slightly fluffy gills each side of the central body. Scoop all the meat out of the shell into a bowl and remove all the legs from the body. With a strong knife, cut the body into quarters and partially crack the large claws with a hammer.
In a pan heat the olive oil and fry the garlic, chilli and ginger for 3 minutes. Add the quartered crab bodies, the claws, the spring onion, and then the scooped crab meat and all the legs, and the lemon juice. Season and stir continuously and enthusiastically until heated through.
Just before serving, throw in the coriander and parsley, give one last stir, tip into a dish, and eat armed with useful tools to pick out the crab flesh, and many napkins, and for that matter, much white wine.
From The Complete Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson (Bloomsbury, RRP £30)
Buy it from the Guardian Bookshop here
Nigel Slater's smoked haddock with potato and bacon
Lightly steamed and shredded greens would be a suitable accompaniment to this quick supper. Cavolo nero or perhaps some savoy cabbage, cooked briefly then served without butter or oil, is my preference.
Serves 2
unsmoked streaky bacon 100g
rapeseed oil 3 tbsp
potatoes 400g, medium-sized
smoked haddock fillets 500g
double cream 500ml
bay leaves 2
peppercorns 6
curly parsley 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Cut the bacon into pieces roughly the size of a postage stamp. Warm the oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the bacon pieces, letting them colour lightly.
Cut the potatoes, without peeling them, into 1cm thick slices then cut each slice into short pieces, like tiny chips. Tip into the pan with the bacon and fry for about 15 minutes until golden and cooked right through.
Meanwhile put the smoked haddock into a pan with the cream, a couple of bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns. Bring almost to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes. Put the lid on and leave to infuse for 15 minutes or so while the potatoes finish cooking.
Divide the potatoes and bacon between two warm plates, lift the haddock out of the cream and place a fillet on each plate. Stir the chopped parsley into the cream, then spoon over the fish and serve.
Nigel Slater's herrings, sour cream and rye toast
I use the pickled herrings that turn up in plastic containers or large jars without apology. Make your own if you fancy. They often come stuffed with onion, which should be discarded. This works as a light lunch, but is quite substantial, especially if you keep the toast hot and slice it on the thick side.
Serves 2
cucumber 250g
sea salt
red onion 1, small
dill leaves and stalks 15g
white-wine vinegar or verjuice 2 tbsp
pickled herring fillets 300g
soured cream or soft labne 200g
capers 8
rye bread 4 slices
For the top
red onion a few slices
dill a little
Peel the cucumber and slice it thinly, each piece no thicker than a pound coin. Put the slices in a colander and scatter with salt. Set the colander over the sink and leave for an hour
Pat the cucumber slices dry with kitchen paper and transfer to a mixing bowl. Peel the onion and thinly slice half of it, finely chopping the remainder. Chop the dill fronds and stalks and toss most of them with the cucumber, the sliced and chopped onion and vinegar or verjuice.
Pat the herring dry, then slice it into short 1cm-wide strips. Add these to the cucumber. Mix the soured cream with the herring and cucumber, season with black pepper and the capers and set aside.
Make the toast then spread the herring mixture generously on top. Scatter with chopped dill and thinly sliced red onions.
Where possible, please ensure your fish is sustainably sourced. For more information, visit fishonline.org
