Recipe – Spice-Rubbed Leatherjacket

Spice-Rubbed Leatherjacket I love the thick flaky texture of the fish in this spice-rubbed leatherjacket recipe, but you could use any firm-fleshed fish, whole or fillets, including some of the oilier ones like mackerel or tuna as they’ll stand up well to the rich Mediterranean flavours. When you remove the pan from the oven, drape […]

Recipe – Southern Fried Salmon

Southern Fried Salmon While fried chicken is the Southern classic, a similar process works just as well with fish in this delicious Southern fried salmon recipe. You can use any firm-fleshed fish; I love salmon as its oiliness echoes the richness of the chicken skin in the traditional recipe. The Southern spice blend is inspired […]

Recipe – Prickly Ash (Chinese Salt & Pepper Seasoning)

Prickly Ash Sichuan peppercorns, those wonderfully numbing little nuggets that are essential to Sichuanese food, aren’t a true pepper but a similar-shaped dried fruit from the prickly ash tree (Zanthoxylum piperitum). This spice has a great aroma, which is amplified by roasting and grinding it. Salt is often considered the foundation of Sichuanese cooking as […]

Recipe – Snapper Baked in Salt Crust

Snapper Baked in Salt Crust Snapper baked in salt crust is a wonderful dish for entertaining – it’s easy to prepare as most of the work is done ahead of time and it’s so impressive when unveiled at the table. Janni Kyritsis taught me all about baking in salt crust when we wrote his cookbook […]

Recipe – Poached Rainbow Trout

Poached Rainbow Trout The same steeping method used for cooking Hainanese chicken works beautifully with whole fish, especially for poached rainbow trout or salmon. English food writer Jane Grigson recommends poaching pink fish in strong brine and that’s the method I’ve followed for years. Leaving the fish to cool in the poaching liquid keeps it […]

Recipe – Potato Focaccia

Potato Focaccia I love authentic focaccia made with a generous amount of olive oil. My recipe is inspired by Ligurian-born restaurateur, Lucio Galletto, who uses more water and oil in his recipe than many I’ve seen, which is what makes his focaccia so delicious. I love how versatile focaccia is and especially enjoy potato focaccia […]

Recipe – Gnocchi di Patate (Potato Gnocchi)

Potato Gnocchi I love potato gnocchi and when I asked restaurateur Lucio Galletto if they’re popular in Liguria he replied “On special occasions, we say: ‘Come home Mamma’s making gnocchi.’” Potato gnocchi are so versatile, they’re delicious dressed with just about any pasta sauce including pesto, easy gnocchi Sorrentina from the Amalfi coast, or the […]

Recipe – Fresh Fruit with Spicy Thai Salt

Fresh Fruit with Spicy Thai Salt I was reminded of this classic Thai dish at Viand, when Annita Potter served a simple pre-dessert of pomelo segments alongside a little mound of ground salt, sugar, chilli and kaffir lime. I’ve bought sliced pineapple from Asian grocery stores with a little pod of the salt-sugar-chilli combo, but […]

Recipe – Crisp Potato Skins

Crisp Potato Skins This recipe is inspired by one in a 1980s Gourmet Traveller magazine and I make it with potato skins leftover from preparing gnocchi. Roasting the potatoes on a bed of rock salt then passing them through a potato ricer ensures the driest potato and therefore the lightest gnocchi. It also leaves you […]

Recipe – Focaccia

Focaccia I love authentic focaccia made with a generous amount of olive oil and had such fun working on focaccia recipes for our Month on the Italian Riviera inspired by Lucio Galletto. Lucio uses more water and oil in his recipe than many I’ve seen and I think that’s what makes his focaccia so good. […]

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