Fish Main Course Recipe

Little Sea Hotpot Recipe by Drew Rathbone of The Dore Deli

This dish loses itself in the translation, the Mar Menor region of Murcia is one of the gardens of Spain, as well as having wonderful seafood. As with many Spanish dishes it treats great ingredients with simplicity so they are the star, not the cook. Use either tiger prawns or some firm fleshed white fish. If possible use good quality Spanish rice, or if you really have to risotto rice.
 
400g spanish bomba paella rice
800g raw tiger prawns, or firm white fish such as cod or hake
2 ripe beef tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
1 nora pepper or 1tsp smoked paprika
Fish stock
Salt & pepper
Olive oil for frying
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
 
In a frying pan toast the nora pepper(if using) with the garlic cloves, in a little olive oil. Add the prawns or fish, the parsley, and the tomatoes, and enough water to cover. Turn the heat down and poach for ten minutes.
Meanwhile bring the fish stock to the boil, add the rice allow to boil for one minute, then turn town to a low simmer for ten minutes.
Once the prawns are cooked remove from the poaching liquor. Remove the other ingredients, and place in a liquidiser, add a splash of the poaching liquid and blitz until smooth, it should be the consistency of ketchup.
Add the sauce to the rice and cook for a further five minutes until the rice is al dente.
Serve the prawns on top of the rice, and with some allioli or garlic mayonnaise

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Dessert Recipe

Roast Pineapple with Almond Meringue

Andalucia is famous for growing tropical fruit, and almonds which turn the mountains into a sea of candyfloss pink and white in the spring. This recipe using a traditional Spanish meringue, and the modern twist with the pineapple, has great harmony, sharp, sweet, crunchy, heat, and cold, and can be made ahead of time. Use baby or small pineapples as the core isn't really tough woody.
 
1 unwaxed lemon
4 medium egg whites
pinch salt
200g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
blanched whole almonds
 
2 baby pineapples or 1 small pineapple
1 vanilla pod
1 tsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 
Preheat the oven to 140C
Grate the zest from the lemon, and squeeze some of the juice, keep to one side.
In a really clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt, until it hold a stiff peak, this is when the whisk is removed the point it makes goes straight up.
Whisk the sugar a little at a time, into the egg whites, beat until glossy and smooth, and you feel no more crystals of sugar.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod, mix them with the ground almonds, and the zest and juice from the lemon.
Fold the almond mixture into the meringue.
For a tidy appearance put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe golf ball sized mounds onto a baking sheet. For a craggier look use a spoon. Top each meringue with a blanched almond
Bake in the oven for 25 mins. Remove and leave to cool.
Turn oven up to 200c
Slice the pineapple as thinly as possible. If you remove the skin afterwards this makes it easier to do. If it's really ripe, freeze it for about an hour to firm up a little.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod, mix with the icing sugar.
Place the pineapple slices on a baking sheet
Sprinkle the vanilla/sugar mix over the pineapple, next sprinkle over the black pepper, use more or less to taste.
Roast in the oven for 5mins or until the edges of the pineapple are golden.
Serve immediately with the meringues and some good quality vanilla ice-cream.