Following on from my last blog, here are a few more of the seafood recipes that have made it into Fishing SA magazine over the past couple of years.

In keeping with the theme of the magazine, these recipes are fairly rustic, basic and open to changes according to tastes and what you have on hand.

Whether you’ve caught the seafood yourself or picked some up from your local fish market, you can try these recipes for yourself. They are also quick and easy enough to try out while you’re caravanning.

Creamy Fish Pie (Serves 4)

Mulloway with its firm flesh and delicate flavour makes it the perfect choice for a creamy fish pie.

Ingredients

300 grams skinned mulloway, 2 carrots diced, 1 cup frozen peas, ½ brown onion diced, 2 garlic cloves crushed, 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)

White Sauce

25 grams butter, 2 Tablespoons plain flour, ½ Tablespoon dried Tarragon, 2 Tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley, 500 mls milk, ½ cup grated cheese, 1 teaspoon dried dill, finely grated rind of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Pan fry the fish in butter over medium heat until just cooked, then remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan add onion, carrot and garlic and cook on a low heat until the carrots are just tender.

In a separate saucepan make the white sauce by melting the butter over low heat, then add flour and stir until combined. Add the milk a little at a time and keep stirring until all the milk is used and the sauce thickens. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in herbs, cheese and peas. Add the onion and carrot mixture, the flaked fish pieces and the grated lemon rind. Stir until all combined, then add pepper to taste.

Pour the pie mixture into a greased pie dish and top with the sheet of pasty. Cut some slits into the pastry to allow the steam to release as the pie cooks. Cook for around 25-30 minutes until the pastry has browned slightly. Serve with boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli and a wedge of lemon.

Garfish Rollmops (rolled, pickled fish)

Ingredients:

15 garfish fillets butterflied, 1 cup white vinegar, 3 cups water, ¼ cup caster sugar, 2 Tablespoons salt, ½ red onion sliced finely, 4 medium dill pickles quartered lengthwise, peppercorns, Bay leaves

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, water, salt and caster sugar and stir until combined and the sugar has dissolved. Put aside to cool.

Place garfish fillets on a board skin side down, put slices of red onion and a piece of dill pickle on top. Roll up tightly and secure with a toothpick.

Put the rolled fillets, ‘rollmops’, in jars and pour the vinegar solution over the top to cover, adding a few peppercorns and a bay leaf to each jar used. Secure the jar lids and refrigerate to cool and pickle. Rollmops should be tender and ready to eat in 2-5 days. Serve with buttered dark rye bread.

Seafood Pasta Carbonara

Create a richly flavoured fettucine carbonara by adding squid and prawns to this smoky bacon favourite.

(Serves 4)

250 grams fettucine (or spaghetti), 200 grams of smoked bacon, 10 green king prawns (alternatively use cooked prawns *see note), 2 medium squid tubes, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 egg and 3 egg yolks, 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, Sprinkle of nutmeg, Pepper and salt, Extra virgin olive oil, Flat leaf parsley , 1/2 cup of dry white wine

Cook fettucine in a big pot of slightly salted boiling water according to packet instructions. When pasta is al dente, drain and reserve some of the pasta water to add to the carbonara later.

While pasta is cooking, cut bacon into strips and using a large frying pan, cook the strips in a small amount of olive oil until they start to brown and crisp.

While the bacon is cooking, cut peeled prawns into cubes, and the squid into thin slices. Put the prawns in with the bacon along with minced garlic, stir to cook for around 5 minutes, then remove the mixture to a bowl.

Using the same pan, add the squid to cook in bacon fat for around 10 minutes, cover with a lid to help soften the squid with the steam. Stir occasionally and taste to check for tenderness. When cooked, add squid to the bacon and prawn mixture.

In another bowl, beat the egg and yolks, then add the parmesan, and season with a sprinkle of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Deglaze the frying pan with wine and cook for a few minutes, then return the seafood and bacon to the pan. Add the pasta, and use tongs to toss with the seafood, then add the egg and parmesan mixture. Continue mixing until all ingredients are combined and warmed through. Add some of the reserved pasta water to make the carbonara creamier in texture if needed. Garnish with flat leaf parsley.

*Note: if using cooked prawns, add them into the dish at the same time as the cooked pasta to just warm through.

Squid and vegetable stir fry

A quick stir fry is the perfect way to cook squid, keeping it tender while complimenting the flavour with crispy vegetables. This dish for four can be on the table in minutes.

Sauce

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon rice wine, 1 Tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon ketjap manis, 1 teaspoon cornflour, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

4 small squid tubes, 2 tablespoons rice bran oil (or vegetable oil), 1 tsp minced garlic , 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 small red onion, cut into wedges, 1 small red capsicum sliced into bite-size pieces, 1 bunch broccolini

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.

Pat the squid dry with paper towel then use a knife to open one side of each of the squid tubes and lay flat. Pat the inside of the tubes dry and with the point of a sharp knife score the surface on an angle. Rotate the tubes and score again to create a crisscross, diamond pattern.

Cut the tubes in half lengthwise, then slice across to make thick strips. When cooking the squid strips should curl slightly and hold the sauce well.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high until oil is hot. Add the squid and cook quickly for a minute or until the squid starts to curl and colour slightly. Transfer the squid to a plate covered with paper towel to absorb excess oil, and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, and add garlic and ginger, stirring to release the flavours. Add onion, broccolini and capsicum and stir fry for 1 minute or until vegetables are just tender. Return the squid to the pan and pour the sauce into the pan, stirring until the sauce is heated through and thickened, then remove from heat. Serve with steamed rice.

Remember all of these recipes are open to putting your own twist on them, enjoy!

Glenys