Rice with Monkfish and Shrimp

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: "Arroz de Tamboril e Camarão"

This dish is easy and quick to make.

4 tbsp olive oil 
2 small onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 bay leaves
100g red bell pepper diced
1 kg monkfish cut into cubes
100ml white wine
250g peeled shrimp
300g rice
½ cube seafood stock 

2 tbsp parsley chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Stir-fry the onion, garlic and bay leaves in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add red pepper and continue cooking until tender. Add the monkfish, salt and wine and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add rice, shrimp, stock and water (measure 3 times the volume of the rice). Let cook for 15 minutes and add parsley. Serve immediately.

Salmon Patties

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: "Pastéis de Salmão"

1 salmon fillet

¼ cup white wine

¼ cup diced onion

¼  cup diced red pepper

1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 egg

½ cup fresh bread crumbs (not dried)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small pot place enough water to cover the salmon, add wine and season with salt. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Add the salmon, reduce heat and let it cook for 10 minutes. Drain, remove skin and bones and discard. 

With the help of a fork, mash the salmon and add all remaining ingredients except for the olive oil. 

Mix well and shape into small patties. Heat a non-sticking pan and add the olive oil. Cook the patties for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Fish Fillets with Red Bell Pepper Sauce

  Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Filetes com Molho de Pimento Vermelho”

This dish is prepared with the help of a kitchen robot. This recipe is adapted from one I found in Mycook recipe book. I also include times and temperatures for the thermomix.

4 fish fillets

500g red bell pepper, roughly chopped

100g white wine

50g olive oil

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp chive

2 garlic cloves

Salt to taste

Heat olive oil 1min/120º/speed 1 (TM: 1min/100º/speed 1). Cook garlic 2min/120º/speed 1 (TM: 1min/100º/speed 1). Add bell pepper, herbs and salt. Place fish in tray and set 10min/120º/speed 1 (TM: 10min/varoma/speed 1). Add wine and set 5min/120º/speed 1 (TM: 5min/varoma/speed 1). Give the sauce a silky finish by pressing turbo 6x5sec (TM: 30sec/speed 5-7-9) using the basket over the lid to avoid splashes.

Serve fillets with mashed potatoes and red bell pepper sauce.

Codfish & Mashed Potatoes Casserole

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo”

Another traditional Portuguese dish made with codfish. Apparently there are as many recipes for codfish as days in a year. Maybe. This codfish casserole created by a gentleman here in Porto, has mayonnaise which is not traditionally used in Portuguese cuisine. But that element gives the dish a richness and flavour that is much appreciated.

2 codfish fillets

Milk (enough to cook fish)

2 onions, medium size

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

4 tbsp “Mayonnaise” (click here for recipe or check blog archive)

Olive oil

¼ cup white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

8 medium sized potatoes
2 tbsp butter

Cook the potatoes in water seasoned with salt. Cook the codfish in enough milk just to cover the fish for about 10 minutes. Do not discard milk, use it to make the mashed potatoes. Mash the potatoes, add butter and enough milk to make soft, thick mashed potatoes. 

Slice onions and chop garlic. Fry them in olive oil along with the bay leaf about 10 minutes until they become transparent, not brown. Add the wine and let simmer for an extra 5 minutes.

Pre-heat oven at 200º.

Remove the larger bones from the fish and lay the fish in an oven-proof tray. Cover the fish with the onions. Spread mayonnaise on top and surround with the mashed potatoes. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes until potatoes and mayonnaise start to brown.

Codfish in Cream Sauce

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: “Bacalhau com Natas”

4 codfish fillets, about 630g after removing bones and skin

1300g potatoes, peeled

2 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 bay leaf

50g/ ¼ cup olive oil

Salt to taste

600g/2 ½ cups “Bechamel Sauce” (click for recipe or check blog archive). Double recipe with changes mentioned below

400ml heavy cream

2 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)

1 tbsp mustard

Breadcrumbs for topping

Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Fry in hot oil taking care not to let them brown, just cooked through. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and set aside. Place codfish in a pan with cold water and place on high heat. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove from water (do not discard) and when cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and break flesh into small pieces. Set aside. Make the Bechamel Sauce by doubling the recipe. Replace 1 cup milk with 1 cup liquid where codfish was cooked and add heavy cream, lemon juice and mustard. (The doubled recipe would take 2 cups milk, here it will take 1 cup milk and 1 cup liquid where codfish was cooked). Set aside. Pre-heat oven to 200ºC. Fry the onion, garlic and bay leaf in the olive oil until onion is tender. Add the codfish and stir, letting it cook for 5 minutes. Add the fried potatoes and mix well. Add in approximately ⅔ of the sauce to the codfish mixture and stir.

Place mixture into an oven-proof dish lined with butter, spread remaining bechamel on top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Baked Fish Fillets with Mushrooms

Para versão Portuguesa clique aqui: Filetes de Peixe com Cogumelos no Forno

2 fish fillets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

120g/½ can tomatoes

1 tsp mustard

125g mushrooms, sliced

125 ml/½ cup white wine

75 ml/⅓ cup water

1 fish stock cube

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

30g/2 tbsp butter

Sat and pepper to taste

Heat the water and dissolve the fish cube. Set fish stock aside. In a small pan, fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the mustard, fish stock, white wine and mix. Add mushrooms and let cook 10 minutes. Pre-heat the oven at 190ºC. Add the cilantro to the sauce, mix and remove from heat. Taste and if necessary season with salt and pepper. 

Grease na ovenproof dish with some olive oil and spread some sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay the fish fillets on top and cover with remaining sauce. Dot the butter over the fish and place in the oven for about 20 minutes until fish is cooked and sauce thickens a bit.