Contributed by: Brett de Charmoy
Deep within us men, is a primal urge to hunt, gather and impress the ladies with the rich bounty our country
has to offer. How better to do that than to catch and cook an amazing dinner for a loved one? As freedivers we are able to get our hands on some of the most impressive and easiest produce to cook, seafood!
The best part is that we really don’t have to do much to make it taste amazing. While cheffing around the world, I have come across many complex seafood recipes but have to say that the best of these are the simple ones. Taking time in preparing your catch will ensure you get the most out of your hard-earned prey and make a more enjoyable meal without having to dig out that stray fishbone.
Now we could start listing the many different ways to cook seafood but we might be here for a few days and start sounding like Forest & Baba scrubbing floors while discussing shrimp! Seasoning and preparing fish is about trial and error and your personal preference. There is a delicate balance between perfectly cooked and overcooked fish
and it’s important to remember that the residual heat from a pan or oven tray will continue to cook the fish after it’s
been removed from the stove or oven.
For perfectly cooked fish take it off the heat when it’s almost cooked, or still slightly translucent in the centre and let it cook through while resting. I use the same technique for most meats, resting is the key. I find that using marinades which have acidic ingredients such as citrus fruits, can easily leave seafood dry or tough if left for too long.
To overcome this and get better results, apply your lemon three quarters of the way through or don’t leave it
marinating for more than 5 minutes. To test whether your particular fish is done, use a fork and gently break apart the fish. If it flakes apart, you’ve nailed it! Follow these simple tips and you will be well on your way to
impressing that special someone. Try this quick and easy summer on a plate.
INGREDIENTS:
200g Fish fillet per person
1/2 a red pepper
Tin whole sweetcorn
Sugar snap peas
Spring onion
Radish
Feta cheese
MARINADE:
Soy sauce
1tbsp Ginger finely grated
1tbsp Garlic finely grated
DRESSING:
2tsp Olive oil
2tsp Brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper.
METHOD:
Mix your garlic and ginger into the soy sauce then slice the fish into 2cm thick pieces and add to the marinade. Chop the red pepper, sugar snaps, radish, feta and spring onion and place in a bowl. In a bowl mix together your lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
On the stove heat up your griddle pan and sear your fish or as an alternative you can braai your fish. Dress your salad
and place over the fish and garnish with fresh coriander. Enjoy!!!!
