The first time I ever tasted; Pescado a la Mallorquina I must admit I was fairly disappointed, it arrived on a large platter swimming in oil, the sea bream had been cut in half from head–to–tail and was full of bones making it really difficult to eat. To add insult to injury everything had been hopelessly overcooked and it all looked; very unappealing, it tasted fine but the real flavours and beautiful simplicity of the dish had been lost, which is a shame because it is a great, healthy and certainly very tasty meal when cooked with just a little care. This recipe is in essence a Mediterranean version of the classic French sole Veronique, only here the grapes are dried in the form of sultanas with tomatoes and pine nuts for texture. The great thing about my recipe is that it's easy and; nearly everything can be prepared in advance; and although I'm using sea bass (Lubina) which is an expensive item there are much cheaper alternatives in the market that can be substituted without a problem. Good alternatives are red mullet, serviola, dorada or even salmon works well. Choose the freshest fish in the market and you can't go wrong.
Ingredients; Serves four
· Fillets of sea bass
· new potatoes, sliced and boiled
· 400ml virgin olive oil
· 500g tomatoes, peeled and diced
· 30g sultanas
· 20g pine nuts, lightly toasted
· 2tbspns chopped parsley
· Seasoning
In a small saucepan heat and bring to the boil the sherry vinegar, add the sultanas and remove from the heat. leave them to cool and soak–up the vinegar. Then add the olive oil, pine nuts, diced tomatoes and season to taste. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy–bottomed frying pan, season the fish with salt and pepper. when the oil is hot, add the fish fillets, skin side down and cook for 1/2 minutes until the skin becomes crisp and golden. Turn over and cook for a further minute. remove the fillets and place them in a hot oven to finish cooking. add the sliced potatoes to pan and warm them through. To finish, place a mound of sliced potatoes in the middle of each plate, set the fillets on top skin side–up and spoon over the sauce and serve. 'Marc Fosh, is the resident Chef at Read's Hotel, represented Great Britain and also performs by-weekly cooking demonstrations.
Tarta de Almendra
Dear Chef Marc,
I would like very much a recipe for Tarta de Almendra.
John–Neal Fourcade. Thanks
Recipe: (Tarta de Almendra):
Separate the eggs and put the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. Add half the sugar to each one. Beat the yolks until they become light and smooth; then add the ground cinnamon melted butter and lemon zest. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and firm. Using a spatula, fold about one–third of the whites into the yolks until the mixture is perfectly blended. Add the ground almonds, cornflour and the rest of the egg whites; then carefully fold them into the mixture. Do not over mix or it will become heavy. Pour the mixture into a lightly buttered and floured tin. Bake in the oven 190c/375f/gas 5 for about 20–25 minutes. When cold sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
Majorca Easter dishes.
Dear Chef,
As Easter is fast approaching and my husband and I are coming for a two–week holiday then, could you tell me what food is traditional at this time of year please? Also can I have the recipes too?
Yours faithfully, Gloria Flower.
The traditional Easter dishes in Majorca are in the main sweet pastry items that have their roots in the Arabic, Moorish heritage of the island. Robiols are typical of these and have a variety of fillings which include cabello de angel (angels hair) made with sweet pumpkin; crespells are a type of shortbread biscuit eaten over the Easter period and wonderful Greixonera de brossat is a cream cheese flan with a lovely smooth texture. On the savoury side lamb is the most commen choice and is used in the stuffing of Empanadas and all the unmentionable bits find their way into the Frito de Cordero. Snails too are a popular dish at this time of the year so if you're feeling brave give them a go..I will be writing about Easter dishes in future articles.
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Hi Marc, I saw you with the Hairy Bikers on TV and you paid I recall 70 Euros for a large bass. How many portions did this create please at say 6 ounces? Regards Larry