Grilled turbot tail

Bought a big near 2 kg turbot, cooked half for one dinner in the oven. The next night, the tail part is cut into pieces, grilled on bbq until skin charred, to enjoy the snow white tender flesh. Fragrance of grilled meat is unbeatable.

Mackerel

Fisherman finally come back with a few mackerel, fishing from the cliff edge. The season has started but the fish is not oily yet. 

Cocktail oyster Alanna

Just tasted this new class of cocktail oyster, Alanna by Carlingford, Ireland. Plump but only 2/3 the size of normal ones, same good texture and sweetness as their Premium oyster but smaller in the mouth. 

What a nice evening of having oyster followed by bbq lobster, champagne, just because it has been a fine day, quite rare this June. 

Turbot

The best turbot this year, a nearly 2 kg one, very thick in the middle and nice fat fin muscles. This bigger size, good for 2 meals for the 2 of us, is far tastier than the 1kg plus size. 

As usual I season with salt, bake at 200˚C for 12 minutes, leave the oven door ajar and rest for 10 minutes. 

Returning young sea trout

Fisherman brought back 2 young brown trouts from fishing in the river upstream from sea. They still have that purplish silver sheen typical of sea trout, and will loose it when staying in the river for a longer time. 

I seasoned with salt and white pepper overnight, drizzle with olive oil, wrapped in baking paper and bake at 200˚C for 12 minutes, just right. Beautiful pinkish flesh and very tender. 

Some pieces of flesh is reserved to make an amuse bouche for friends coming over for a meal. I served with seaweed caper sauce topped with semi dried cherry tomatoes. 

Howth seafood

Bought seafood at Howth, compared with ordering online every week, the variety here is good and fish are fresher, bright red gills. 

Among Carlingford oyster, surf clam, squid and mackerel, only the squid is disappointing. Carlingford oyster is as sweet as usual, surf clam is wonderful being very meaty, mackerel is fine but not yet oily. Squid is the tough variety, better for stewing than for bbq. 

Lemon Sole

No turbot, the next best on the fish monger’s site is nearly 1kg lemon sole. Since weather is great, decided to have alfresco dinner and cook on bbq. 

Season with salt for a short while, brush with oil before cooking. Used bay tree sticks on the stove to avoid skin sticking to the grill, worked well. Fine while juicy flesh, no comparison with the firm texture of turbot. 

Cockle

After 5 years in Ireland, finally the fish monger offers cockle that are big enough to worth eating. In the past they are small with thick shell, not much meat inside. Probably with warmer season/water, cockle started to grow faster!

In a big pan, bring to boil a cm of water, oil, ginger, parsley and red pepper, when boiling, add in cockles in one layer. Cover with lid and serve when most opened up, less than a minute. 

Seared Monkfish

Seasoned this fillet of Monkfish with salt, pepper and seaweed flakes, Seared in butter with spring onions around, and the lid on. In just a few minutes it is cooked, the pure white flesh cracked open beautifully. 

Served with Brussel sprouts and home grown asparagus and fennel fonds. 

Baked Monk Fish

Pure white meaty monk fish is easy to cook, good to pair with strong flavour. 

Prepare mixture of sweet corn, diced ham, red bell pepper, pickled lemon skin etc season with salt, curry powder and olive oil, place half at the bottom of baking dish. 

Cut fish into thick slices, season with salt, pepper and rice wine, please in baking dish on top of mixture, add the rest of mixture on top. Bake at 180˚C until fish just cooked, around 20 minutes. 

In the same oven, bake halved Brussel sprouts, seasoned with salt, pepper and 5 spices powders for a few hours (to soften). 

Air-fried monk fish

 

Got some loins of monk fish, easy to prepare big chunk of white meat. I seasoned with salt, curry powder and olive oil for half an hour, then grill in Airfryer for 14 minutes, perfect juicy and tender. 

Air-fried mackerel

Bought a winter fat mackerel, filleted, seasoned, brush oil on skin and air fried for 18 minutes without turning over. Very happy with the result, the skin is not crispy, but the flesh is grilled, tender and moist (saved from slaving over a hot stove : )

Blue Fin Tuna belly

Come back to Ireland just in time for the first by-catch of blue fin tuna in Irish water, can only land as by-catch as Ireland has no quota for this fish that is swimming in Irish water. 

To prepare sashimi, I cut away a thin outside layer all round the block, to be seared to eat, the center I use for raw eating, both delicious. 

Seared squid

Saw this way of preparing squid, not the usual criss-cross pattern, but 2or 3 cuts through the piece. When deep fried with batter; it cooked through fast and has more crispy surfaces without using a thick batter. 
I used the same preparation but seared the squids, presentable and cook through fast too. 

Seafood feast

After shopping in Sai Kung town, feeling hungry and that I haven’t had seafood for a while, decided to have a treat. 
Went to the wet market to look for seafood, decided on Flower crab, bamboo prawn and clam. Brought them to the water front restaurant Chuen Kei, to have them simply cooked, what a great evening (HK350 for seafood and 300 for cooking and drinks).

 

 

Mayau fish soup and fish collar

The big fish head was dry baked in the oven for 20 minutes and add to a broth with ginger and white pepper. After simmering for a short while, the water turned white and thicken, the jelly in the fish came out. 

Add some sweet potato leaves and season with salt for a lovely flavourful soup. 

The fish collar is well seared on bbq plancha for crispy skin and just cooked flesh, a delight. 

Treadfin/ Mayau fish

An oily winter white fish, very popular in recent years, very high price for the big 5kg plus size. This time at the fish counter, saw this big one around 6kg, too big for us to have, but decided to buy half to try a really big Mayau.

 

 The liver is big and I asked for it to taste it. First time to have Mayau fish liver. Have to cut crisscross pattern and use salt to get most of the blood out. Cook liver with egg for breakfast and texture is still tender even being very well cooked. 

Learned from the fishmonger not to salt the fish, just dry and keep in fridge for max 4 days and in freezer for 2 months. 

The first slice is cooked right back home, a little salt, wrap up with baking paper and bake at 200˚C for 12 minutes. 

Amazing moist tender like tofu, this is the very best texture of a very big very oily very fresh fish, memorable. 

The next slice was cooked 3 days later, indeed without salt the fish does not smell at all, meat is firmer than the last one. 

Flower crab

One of my most favourite seafood in Hong Kong, this crab is sweet and meaty. Luckily supply and price has come down from last few years and is affordable to enjoy. 
I like to simply cut it up and cook on bbq, moist sweet meat with a mild char fragrance. 

Bruno table top plancha

It is time to take Bruno out on the dinning table, cooking while eating, easier this way to have hot meal. 

Simple to sear meat/scallop, or make vegetable pancakes. 

Tuna belly with seaweed flakes

Being very nutritious, I have been finding ways to use more seaweed in cooking. It is good to pair with seafood, imparting a umami savoury flavour. This seared tuna belly coated with seaweed flakes is delicious and pretty on the dish too. 

Season tuna belly with salt and pepper for a couple hours, cover with seaweed flakes just before cooking. 

Seared all sides of tuna at medium high heat, rest a short while to warm through the middle but still raw for a juicy result. Seaweed flakes becomes crispy after searing.