PANCIT CANTON

PANCIT CANTON

I love this dish! There are many, many different versions of this Filipino dish and you can add just about anything you like in the form of different meats, and veggies and even different sorts of noodles. It doesn’t need anything else because it’s wonderful just like this, but different people have different tastes, so modify away!

The only key ingredients that truly make it a genuine pancit, and are non-negotiable, are: Onions, Garlic, Chinese Sausages and noodles…everything else is a personal choice!

I love the baby mung bean sprouts, so I added them to my recipe. I also sometimes add baby corn or water chestnuts, but this recipe is to be modified according to your own taste, so feel free to add or subtract away…you’ll need to multiply too if you plan on taking it to a party because this dish goes FAST!!!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp Oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, crushed
500 Gm Meat , (sliced Chinese sausage, and anything else you want to add)
1 Stalk Celery, diced
1 Shredded Carrot
¼ Head of Cabbage
250 Gm Mung Bean Sprouts
4 Cups Stock (Chicken, Beef, Veg…doesn’t matter)2 Eggs, sliced
3 Spring Onions, chopped
*Noodles
*Sesame Oil
*Sesame Seeds, lightly toasted
*Good Soy Sauce to brown and season the noodles (I used Mushroom Soy Sauce)
*Freshly Ground Black Pepper

*Amounts vary to individual tastes.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in the saucepan and soften the onion first.

Next, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute before adding the next ingredients. The onion should just start to brown.

Now add a bit of soy sauce and black pepper.

Next, add your Chinese sausage (essential ingredient for this dish and cannot be substituted, to my knowledge) and any other meat you like (shredded chicken, shrimp, diced beef, etc.), and cook until the sausage pieces begin to brown.

Now add the celery, carrots, cabbage & bean sprouts and cover the pan allowing the veggies to steam for a few minutes. At this stage you can choose to add more soy sauce & pepper for flavour if you like.

Meanwhile, boil some stock for your noodles and cook the noodles in your stock according to the package (use pancit canton noodles if you can find them, but rice stick noodles and many others are perfectly acceptable for this dish).

Now, grab a large bowl and combine the noodles and the cooked mix really well.

Top it all off with your egg slices, a bit of sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and the spring onions (scallions).

This is a wonderfully tasty dish and can be served hot or cold.

CHICKEN & PRAWNS WITH VODKA SAUCE

Well, in less than 24 hours now I will be in Waikiki, Oahu with my lovely family and I will be relying primarily on other cooks' creations for several days. Do not be surprised to see a post or two on Hawaiian fare if I get the chance!

Luckily, I have a good friend to stay and cuddle our needy little cat, Polly, whilst we are away. Things have been hectic lately with all of my daughter's activities, homework and school projects, but I have managed to provide a few tasty treats for the family on minimal time allowances. This, and the fact that hubby loves my cooking, makes me VERY proud of myself.

I borrowed this lovely sounding recipe from Katherine at Smoky Mountain Cafe and I have to say, it was just as good as I thought it might be. I made a few minor adjustments to suit my own tastes (and to feed an extra dinner guest) and it was, in my opinion, a good choice. Oh, yes...those ARE Artichokes in the photo background...and from our little veggie patch in the back garden...just gorgeous!

Thank you Katherine, for the inspiration!


INGREDIENTS:

1 Med Onion or 3 Lg Shallots, finely minced
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Good EVOO
3 Cups Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Cup Cream (I used canned evaporated milk to lower the fat content)
¼ Cup Vodka
½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes, crushed
300 Gms (½ Lb) Prawns, peeled, tails off & deveined
300 Gms (½ Lb) Chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes
*Salt & Pepper

*Amounts vary to individual tastes


DIRECTIONS:

First, heat the butter and oil together in a skillet over medium heat.

Next, add the minced onion to skillet and saute until transparent.

At this point, I quickly brown the chicken for a few minutes then add the prawns and brown those for an additional minute or so...then, I removed the chicken and prawns and set them aside to add back in later.

Now, add the diced tomatoes and cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until almost no liquid remains in skillet, stirring frequently.

Next, increase heat and add the basil, cream (or evaporated milk), vodka and crushed red pepper flakes.

Just bring to a light boil then reduce the heat to add back in the chicken and prawns (or whatever seafood you plan to use).

Now, boil this for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens up a bit.

Lastly, season to taste with salt and pepper.

There you have it. A flavourful and creamy tomato sauce with depth. I added veggies at the last minute and served this with vermicelli noodles, but it would be tasty with other pastas or even rice too.

Enjoy!

LOBSTER GRAMS

A GIFT FOR LONG-DISTANCE LOVED ONES

I remember having lunch one day, years ago now, with a workmate friend of mine in Portland, Oregon as we discussed a great new gift giving idea. She had ordered a complete lobster dinner for her mother-in-law's birthday, complete with the pot to cook it in as well as tools to break open the shells. Of course at that time I didn't really have a budget that would allow such luxurious generosity, nor did I have any friends or family too far from home that I couldn't just post something in the mail if need be. Nevertheless, I kept the idea in mind just in case my circumstances did change someday.

Fast forward now to today and I do live on the other side of the world and I do have the means to treat my family once in a blue moon. Well, last year I ordered my first lobster gram for Mom's birthday...a "Ship To Shore Gram For Two", because of course I couldn't let Dad eat spaghetti or Rice-a-Roni whilst Mom feasted on clam chowder, filet mignon, lobster and chocolate lava cakes, now could I?... It was a "grand slam", a "touchdown"...or a "try" for you rugby fans out there! What I am trying to say, albeit with cheesy sport analogies, is that they LOVED this gift and told me in no uncertain terms that I had spent too much (which I didn't) and that they'd be all too happy to get those in the future instead of the odd chocolate and licorice parcels from Kiwiland!

I was told that these dinners were of the highest quality, they came superbly packed in dry ice and, they came with thawing and cooking instructions as well as clarified butter for the lobster. Dad said it was better than any restaurant dinner he had experienced in a long time (and they like to eat out for birthdays, anniversaries, and the occasional night out just because...). It was a huge compliment from them and I was ever so pleased that they really felt treated.

If you are interested in having a look at the options available (they also do other seafood and steaks as well as desserts, sides, etc.), here is the link to LiveLob and a recipe blog for seafood and steaks. They even have a LiveLob review blog here if you are interested in having a peek.

In any case, I personally feel this was a fantastic idea for gift giving - especially if the recipient already has anything they might want or need. Next time you can't think of what to get Nana and granddad, or your favourite Aunt in California, have a look at the LiveLob web specials and see if one of their packages would be a good fit.

I have already inquired, and unfortunately they don't ship to international destinations...BUGGER...but, they are splendid for the rest of you and your kin.

Bon Appetite!

FRESH NZ CRAYFISH SALAD

(aka Spiny Rock Lobster to those in North America)

First, I need to share a little story.

Just after arriving in NZ over 3 years ago now, my husband took me over to meet one of his many sisters and her hubby. We arrived just before her husband and his boat, as he had just returned from a dive with several huge creatures nearly as big as our daughter! I was then asked if I liked crayfish or scallops, to which I promptly replied, “uhm, not crayfish, but scallops are nice…I do like lobster though.”

I didn’t understand at the time why they might ask me about crayfish when we were looking at enormous lobsters (sans front claws though) here and, where I grew up, crayfish were smallish muddy horrible things that weren’t worth all of the effort to catch, soak in clear water overnight, clean and cook just to get one bite of meat from each of the little beasts.

So, we carried on with our visit and I think we even went home with some lovely NZ scallops (also quite huge and attached to some funny orange bit – more on that later). It wasn’t until later that evening at home when I realized in talking to my husband, that we could have probably taken one of those huge lobsters home if I hadn’t said I didn’t eat crayfish! What – you actually call those gigantic granddaddy lobsters crayfish???

Well, it’s been an ongoing joke ever since…Tiff “blew her chips” (meaning lost her chances) to get any fresh crayfish from now on.

Now, fast-forward to this weekend and my brother & sister-in-laws were on their way to visit another sibling nearby and popped by on their way to drop off a crayster – or lobsfish…you know what I mean… It was a great surprise and just in time for lunch – YUM! (THANK YOU VERY MUCH!)

I basically borrowed a slightly modified version of a friend’s cauliflower recipe over at Cooking Dunkin Style and topped the creamy, cheesy cauliflower with the diced up crayfish meat. What a treat! I usually eat lobster with the traditional clarified butter, but I have learned to do things a bit differently here.

So, in a nutshell, here is one more nice way to have lobster/crayfish!


INGREDIENTS:

Cauliflower
Mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellmans)
Milk
Diced Onion
Grated Tasty/Cheddar Cheese
Crayfish
Salt & Pepper

All of the amounts are really up to the individual, so just go with what works for you.

DIRECTIONS:

The crayfish was boiled and chilled in advance, so all I really needed to do was crack that baby open and carefully pull out all of the meat, then dice it up and set it aside.

I cut up the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces next and put them all into a microwave-safe glass dish.

Next, I put a couple of good dollops of mayo into a jug and added just enough milk to make it easy to pour over the cauliflower.

After that, I sprinkled diced onions evenly over the top and covered the whole thing with grated cheese.

To cook it, I placed baking paper over the top and nuked it in the microwave until the cauliflower was tender and the cheese was melted and beginning to brown (about 5-7 minutes).

To serve it, I just mixed up the cauliflower and scooped some into a bowl then topped it off with the crayfish meat and a bit of salt & pepper.

Couldn’t be easier, really…or more tasty.

Thank goodness that our daughter has not yet developed a fondness for crayfish, as it is currently about $100 NZD per kilo (2.2 Lbs)…that is approximately $50 per pound…or, $25-30 per pound in US dollars! :o) Doesn’t sound so bad that way, does it? LOL

LUMPIA

Lumpia is the Filipino version of a spring roll or egg roll. I learned to make lumpia when I was still in middle school. My home economics instructor back then was a lady from Hawaii and she taught us about many different, weird and wonderful (or, some not so wonderful) foods from places all over the world.

This teacher even brought in Poi one day for us to taste (eeyuk). For anyone unfamiliar, from what I remember Poi is a gooey paste made from mashed Taro root and, if not eaten immediately, the paste is left to sour/ferment for up to a week. It is supposed to be very nutritious for babies with dairy allergies, but once it begins to ferment, it is rarely eaten without adding milk & sugar.

Anyway, I digress, Lumpia and sweet & sour sauce was one of our first cooking lessons (I think I was 12 or 13 at the time) and they turned out lovely, so I have continued to make them ever since. This is my own version, although I am sure there are heaps of recipes out there. I made pork lumpia on this occasion, but I think I like beef the best, but I have added shrimp on occasion and those were nice as well.


INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Lg Yellow Onion, finely diced
3 Cloves Crushed Garlic
500 Gm (approx 1 Lb) Lean Minced Pork (or chicken, or beef)
2 Med Carrots, peeled & grated or julienned
¼ Head Cabbage, sliced finely
½ Cup Mung Bean Sprouts (more or less)
4 Cups Stock (whatever kind you prefer, I used chicken)
1 Pkg Rice Vermicelli Noodles (adjust to suit depending on how many rolls you are making)
¼ Cup (packed) Coriander or Parsley, finely chopped
3 Lg Scallions (spring onions)
*Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Pkg (approx 20 ea) Spring Roll Wrappers or Lumpia wrappers (if you can get them)
*Peanut Oil for frying rolls

*Amounts vary to individual tastes


DIRECTIONS:

Heat your sesame oil and begin to cook onions over medium heat.

As the onions begin to go clear, add garlic and cook for an additional 30-60 seconds before adding in the meat of your choice.

Brown the meat and be sure to cook thoroughly, as the frying of the rolls at the end will not be long enough to get the rolls to a temperature high enough for a long enough time to cook the meat at that stage.

As the meat is browning, in a separate pot, bring your stock to a boil.

Once meat looks cooked, add in the carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts.

Once the stock boils, remove it from the heat and add your rice vermicelli noodles and allow them to soften about 2 minutes.

Once the noodles are soft, drain them and add them to the meat mixture.

Remove the meat mixture from the heat and add the coriander/parsley, the scallions, and the black pepper and make sure to combine everything well and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Now you need to remove the wrappers from the package and lay them onto a damp tea towel. You will remove one wrapper at a time and fold the damp towel over the top of the remaining wrappers while rolling each lumpia roll.

Depending on who you talk to, traditional lumpia rolls are fairly small with very little filling however…I tend to make them bigger and more the size of a spring roll, but it’s up to you how much filling to roll up in each wrapper.

To fill and roll lumpia, as with most spring roll/egg roll items, you begin with the wrapper angled with corners on both sides and placing the filling across the bottom corner.

Next roll the bottom corner up and the sides in toward the center. Continue rolling up from the bottom and with clear water, moisten the top corner to “glue” it to the roll.

Once you have all of your rolls made, you can heat up the peanut oil and fry them 2-3 at a time to cook the wrapper until it’s golden brown and crispy.

Lumpia is best served with a sweet and sour sauce. You can find a simple recipe for my sauce with my post for Coconut Prawns.

Enjoy!!!

COCONUT PRAWNS

WITH SPICY SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

So, I've been quite busy these last couple of weeks. With the school festival and trying to plan Thanksgiving, and somewhere in all this the excitement of our precious daughter getting her first job! That's right, only 7 years old and we make her earn her keep! Actually, she has always been quite a little drama queen and she was recently given the opportunity to be on television in a commercial for a bank. (pretty cool, eh?!) Technically, it's her second job though...her first gig was a photo shoot for a government brochure about 2 weeks after we arrived here in New Zealand. A photographer had asked me if she could photograph my lovely little nymph as she chased pigeons around the parliament courtyard...several weeks later we received, a package with a check and several photos in it along with a copy of the Auditor General's Annual Report and guess who graced the cover?! Well, that was a couple of years ago now, and I don't push my little one into anything, so there are no acting lessons on the horizon as we will stick to ballet and piano for now. She wants to do everything (guitar and singing/dancing are the flavours of the week because she wants to be like Hannah Montana). LOL

Anyway, my point...so much to do and so little time!

I had practically forgotten about coconut prawns as I haven't had or made them since we moved down under. This was a favourite appetizer at a local restaurant that a former director used to take my department to whenever we celebrated anything. In any case, it was always something I liked to make, but my daughter has never been fond of coconut or prawns...aha, but put them together and as long as it's fried, it now passes inspection...just barely!

These were just fantastic last night though. Not too heavy, and the ever-so-slight coconut aroma was heavenly. This was paired perfectly with the slightly spicy sweet and sour sauce I managed to whip up successfully (one of the first things I had learned to make way back in home economics class when I was about 13 or so).

My only regret here, is that I apparently didn't make enough for lunch today, so it's back to leftover chicken from my hubby's weekend cooking spree (he won a size 20 chook in the quick-fire raffle at the school gala - just a bit too big for our little family I think).

Here is the easy-to-follow recipe for my coconut prawns and sauce. Sauce first...


SAUCE ~ INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Crushed Pineapple, with juice
3 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Tbsp Red Chilli Sauce (or minced red chillies without seeds)
2 Tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar (lemon juice will do in a pinch)


DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the sauce by combining pineapple (with juice from can) in a pot with garlic, soy sauce, and cornstarch, then stir together until well combined

Now, add chilli sauce or minced peppers (jalapeno works as well, but use half as much if you don't want the sauce to be too spicy).

Mix together until peppers are well incorporated.

Next, simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Lastly, stir in vinegar.

The sauce is best prepared up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve (serve room temp or cold). Also, any leftover sauce is great with leftover rice the following day. Mmmm…sweet and slightly spicy!


PRAWNS ~ INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup Flour
½ Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
½ Tsp Garlic Salt
½ Cup Cold Water (more or less)
¾ Cup Breadcrumbs
1½ -2 Cups Shredded Coconut (I prefer the finer texture over the coarsely shredded version)
500 Gm (approx 1 lb) Prawns, de-veined and tails off
2 Cups (more or less) Peanut Oil or Rice Bran Oil


DIRECTIONS:

Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and paprika in a medium size bowl with a fork or using chop sticks.

Once well combined, add water and whisk until batter is smooth, then set it aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and coconut to make the coating.

Drop the prawns, one by one, into the batter, and then roll in the coconut mixture, pressing down on the prawns to coat them well. I used chop sticks to keep from making a big mess.

Now heat approximately 1 inch of peanut or rice bran oil in a large frying pan to 185° C (approx 365° F).

When the oil has reached temperature, fry the prawns in batches of about 6 at a time until they are golden brown on both sides, turning over once.

Remove the prawns from the oil using a slotted spoon or tongs and drain the excess oil on paper towels.

Finally, you sprinkle the hot prawns with a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour before serving with steamed rice and a veg. I added a hint of coconut essence and a few drops of sesame oil to my rice and it was addictive!!! YUM!!!

SPICY TWIST:

Add ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper to bread crumbs and follow basic process as above.

FOODIEVIEW POST BUTTON

BALSALMIC MUSHROOMS & PRAWNS

One thing about me is, that I never really enjoyed fish unless it once inhabited a shell. I have since discovered the whole new world of Kiwi cuisine and lovely fish recipes my entire family enjoys, but now and again I still revert to my old ways and buy some sort of crustacean.

The other day I was clearing the freezer to make way for a Kiwi-giant-sized tub of ice cream, since the good flavours don’t seem to be sold in any smaller amounts, and I came across some flash frozen prawns. “Hmmm…a few lovely scallops might be nice too, but how do I want to fix them?” I pondered. “Aha, I have it!”

My daughter hates mushrooms (weirdo!) and she’s not too fussed on prawns either, so I can make something to combine the two of those things for my hubby and I to enjoy, and wrap the scallops in bacon for her! Voila! A nice green salad on the side and we have an all-around winner!

Now, since they are separate preparations, I’ll post them individually here (see Bacon Wrapped Scallops post).


MUSHROOMS - INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
1-2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
*Crushed Sea Salt
*Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tbsp Balsalmic Vinegar
2 Tsp Chives, finely chopped

*Amounts Vary – Season to Taste


DIRECTIONS:

Heat butter in a wide chef’s pan or simmer pan and when it’s bubbling & hot, add the mushrooms.

Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and when they begin to go soft, add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

Now add the salt & pepper and the vinegar and stir well to absorb all of the liquid.

Now, sprinkle with chives and remove from heat. I added them back into the prawns after the fish was well cooked.


PRAWNS - INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp Butter
500 Gm Prawns (about 1 Lb)
1-2 Cloves Crushed Garlic
*Crushed Sea Salt
*Freshly Ground Pepper

*Amounts Vary – Season to Taste


DIRECTIONS:

Thaw prawns in warm water, then rinse and pat dry.

Heat butter in a wide chef’s pan or simmer pan and when it’s bubbling & hot, add the prawns.

Cook for 2-3 minutes and when they begin to go pink, add the garlic and cook an additional minute, or until prawns are completely done, but don't cook too long or they become rubbery.

Now add the salt & pepper and stir in the mushrooms.

Serve immediately.

I served the concoction on vermicelli with olive oil and garlic butter, alongside the Bacon Wrapped Scallops and a lovely salad. It was truly delish and there was none left at the end of the meal.

I guess I’d best hit that treadmill again if I don’t want to gain back the kilos I have worked so hard to lose!!! Bugger! ;o)

BACON WRAPPED SCALLOPS

One thing about me is, that I never really enjoyed fish unless it once inhabited a shell. I have since discovered the whole new world of Kiwi cuisine and lovely fish recipes my entire family enjoys, but now and again I still revert to my old ways and buy some sort of crustacean.

The other day I was clearing the freezer to make way for a Kiwi-giant-sized tub of ice cream, since the good flavours don’t seem to be sold in any smaller amounts, and I came across some flash frozen prawns. “Hmmm…a few lovely scallops might be nice too, but how do I want to fix them?” I pondered. “Aha, I have it!”

My daughter hates mushrooms (weirdo!) and she’s not too fussed on prawns either, so I can make something to combine the two of those things for my hubby and I to enjoy, and wrap the scallops in bacon for her! Voila! A nice green salad on the side and we have an all-around winner!

Now, since they are separate preparations, I’ll post them individually here (see Balsalmic Mushrooms & Prawns).


SCALLOPS - INGREDIENTS:

12 Med-Lg Scallops (more or less)
250 Gm (about ½ Lb) American Streaky Bacon
4 Stripped Rosemary Sprigs (or short bamboo skewers)
2 Tbsp Sav Blanc (or other white wine)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*Crushed Sea Salt
*Freshly Ground Black Pepper

*Amounts Vary – Season to Taste


DIRECTIONS:

First, move oven rack to first or second position and preheat oven to 200 C (400 F), or higher for broiler/grill. Insert a shallow baking dish to get hot in oven.

Rinse scallops and pat dry.

With kitchen shears, cut bacon strip in half and use a half strip to wrap each scallop, pinning the bacon ends together by skewering the bacon & scallop with the rosemary sprig or bamboo skewer.

Skewer about 3-4 scallops per sprig.

Carefully remove baking dish from oven and place the skewered scallops into the dish and drizzle with oil then sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until bacon gets crispy on top, then deglaze the pan with the wine and leave for an additional minute.

The scallops are tender and juicy and the bacon is a lovely companion to the fish. The rosemary sprig gives off a wonderful aroma that does not overpower the fish. My daughter said she liked them, but chose to eat a rather significant portion of the prawns as well. Perhaps someone is growing??? In any case, bon appetite!

GRILLED HONEY MUSTARD TUNA STEAKS

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

Plus...20-30 Minutes to Marinate
COOK TIME: 6 minutes

One more recipe for the Quick-N-Easy category, and it’s quite a tasty one at that! Tuna steaks are really best grilled on an outdoor BBQ, but we are still slogging through Spring at the moment and have not yet dusted off the good ole’ outdoor grill. As an alternative, a stovetop grill pan or even grilling in the oven will work in a pinch. Also, try to use sushi-grade tuna for the very best flavour.


INGREDIENTS:

½ Cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
3 Tbsp Honey
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Crushed Garlic
3-4 Fresh Tuna Steaks (approx 600 Gms or 1-1 ½ Lbs)


DIRECTIONS:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a shaker or other covered container and shake to mix well.

Rinse & pat dry the tuna steaks then put them into a Ziploc bag (or other leakproof container) with the honey-mustard mixture.

Seal the bag and let marinate for about half an hour (20-30 minutes is sufficient) at room temperature.

Brush the grill (or grill pan) with the olive oil and heat thoroughly before adding the fish. Grill the tuna over high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until done as desired.

Remove the tuna from the marinade and pour the marinade into a small saucepan then bring it to a boil. Now remove it from the heat and set it aside until the fish is done.

Drizzle the hot honey mustard sauce over the steaks and serve immediately with a gorgeous baby-green salad and/or rice.

FRESH NEW ZEALAND BUTTERFISH

ENCRUSTED IN MACADAMIA NUTS

AND KUMARA

Prep Time: 10 maybe 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

First, a bit about the poor 'sole' I served up with red cabbage and brussel sprouts last night (pun intended). What is a New Zealand Butterfish, you may ask...well, it appears to be slightly different than the American variety (a.k.a. Black Cod or Sablefish).

New Zealand Butterfish

Butterfish is a kelp fish found throughout New Zealand, but most commonly in the colder, deeper, southern waters. It grows to about 20 inches in length and is purplish grey to olive green with lighter colouration underneath. The fins are variegated with bright blue and the body is marbled and streaked with brown. These are also referred to "down under" as “greenbone” because the bones and the flesh in contact with them are stained bright bluish-green. The flavour of this fish is lovely and mild and it is keenly sought after on the market. The texture, when cooked, is moist and "buttery" and it will simply fall apart and melt in your mouth. I personally try to get to the big outdoor market in Wellington on Sunday mornings (before 9:30 a.m.) to get a fresh one filleted right on the boat in front of me. The butterfish is not to be confused with another popular and tasty fish here, the butterfly fish (a.k.a. red gurnard, pictured below). ;o)

Now, perhaps I have seen too many Food Network shows, but I wanted to try to do a process variation of a fish dish I saw Emeril or one of his Foodie friends doing to a different species of finny, floating, fishie. (I know, I know, cut back on the caffeine. It's all Mom's fault - she's really the punny one in the family!)

Back to the kitchen... I used butterfish because it is so very tender and mild when cooked correctly. I decided to use macadamias because I had a huge bag in the pantry that needed to be put to good use and, because my daughter loves them. I also chose to use kumara because I thought normal potatoes might be too "juicy" to stick to the floured & eggy fish and, because I thought the sweetness might be nice with this fish and the nuts (macadamias, not family members). Wow, was I right! This did turn out to be a very nice preparation, albeit somewhat messy, so here's how you get started.

INGREDIENTS:

500 Gm (about 1 Lb) Butterfish

1 Cup (approx) Flour

1 Tbsp Salt

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

2-3 Tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Nuts (I used Macadamias, but Pistachios or Almonds would also be nice)

2 Eggs

2 Raw Grated Kumaras (or Sweet Potato/American Yam)

1/2 Cup Cooking Oil (I used Sunflower & EVOO because Olive Oil will burn with sustained high temp)

DIRECTIONS:

First, have a baking dish big enough to accommodate all of your fish set aside and preheat the oven to 350 F (180-190 C).

Now cut up the fish into manageable sized pieces for dredging. Mine were probably about 3-4 inches square (8-10 cm).

Next, mix up some flour, salt, garlic powder & pepper for the first step of coating the fish and grate up the kumara with a standard cheese grater.

Beat 2 eggs in a shallow bowl and add about a half cup or so of crushed nuts (the finer, the better - food chopper or coffee grinders are great for this). Combine well.

Okay, we are ready! Start the oil heating to a med-high temperature in a good sized pan for frying, then coat each piece of fish in the flour mixture and set aside.

After all of the fish is floured & seasoned, dredge in the egg & nut mixture then quickly roll in grated kumara. It won't all stick yet, so make sure to pile a little extra gratings on and here is where it gets a bit tricky... You can either do them all in advance to cooking and set them aside or...have the oil at temperature and start frying them off immediately out of the batter and kumara. I opted for the latter and it was slightly less messy than setting them aside on another dish to await the frypan.

Only fry off long enough to brown the outside coating, then place into the baking dish. Once all of your fish has been browned in the frypan, put it into the oven for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. (Just look how moist it is in the photo below.)

I served this last night with lovely fresh brussel sprouts and a bit of red cabbage. I topped the veggies off with a really simple dressing great for any cabbagey veg or slaw. Just get a measuring cup out, add a couple of dollops of real mayonnaise, add a couple of tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, and some salt, pepper and wholegrain mustard. Give it a good mix and pour it over your veggies.

A touch of lemon really sets this dish off so serve with lemon wedges immediately and enjoy!

TJ's GARLIC PRAWNS

Prep Time: Approx 10 Minutes

Cook Time: Approx 15 Minutes

I was never much of a seafood lover before I arrived here. The few sea-faring items that I would eat, all basically lived in shells at some point. This would mean lobster (in New Zealand these are a claw-less variety and the locals refer to them as crayfish), prawns (only the ones large enough to be deveined before I bought them), fresh crab, scallops (minus the horrible orange roe that Kiwis seem to love and Americans throw away or use for stock), and fresh clams.

You see, even living in the grand Pacific Northwest region of America, I never learned to appreciate the plethora of fresh trout or salmon always on offer much. Even if it was caught fresh that day just off the coast or in one of our very own rivers, I wasn't interested. No, the only scaly fish I would eat were tuna or halibut, pretty much. I think it's the aroma that always put me off really...that, and watching my Dad devein shrimp in Texas when I was a kid...yyyuck! Once I knew what it really was that he was removing, that was it!!! No "shrimp" for me for another 10 years or so - honestly! As for the finny fish, it was probably not helpful to see my lovely late grandma baking trout and serving it to us without removing the heads either. (I still shudder at the memories of it all.)

Now I live on the other side of the world and there are so many new things to try. We have local Farmers' Markets that sell incredible fruits & veggies as well as fresh fish - right off the boat! So, my point is that I have learned to appreciate some of the new seafood available to me here (even the Aussie Moreton Bay Bugs - grilled with creamy garlic sauce over the top).

Anyway, I digress...this recipe is one of my favourites now. I love prawns and this is another recipe I used to make quite often even whilst I was counting Weight Watcher points. Again, portion control is the name of the game, but it's up to you to decide how important it is to you once you've tried this recipe. My apologies on the photos this time, my light source was....uhm, compromised. :o)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

400-500 Gm (1 Lb) Raw Prawns (tail-off, deveined)

2-3 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1/2 Cup Sour Cream (lite/lowfat versions are just as tasty)

2-3 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Basil

2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

4-5 Tbsp Freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano or Romano Cheese

(Rice or pasta of your choosing. I use either Basmati Rice or Tricolore Spaghetti, but Fettucini works nicely too.)

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare approximately 4-5 servings of rice or pasta ahead of time, as the prawns only need a few minutes of actual cooking time.

Heat oil over medium heat and add prawns when the oil is hot. Cook for 2-3 minutes making sure that all of the prawns are turning pink.

Now reduce the heat and add your garlic. Cooking garlic for too long or at a temperature too high will burn the garlic and lend a bitter taste, so be careful not to overcook or brown it.

About a minute or two after adding the garlic, add the sour cream and cook until the sauce begins to thicken.

At this stage, add the basil and parsley then give it a good stir through.

Remove from heat and serve the prawns over the rice or pasta and a healthy veg, and top it off with the freshly grated cheese.

If you care anything for your food, please refrain from buying the American-style canisters of parmesan cheese...it only takes 30 seconds to grate it yourself and it tastes HEAPS better!

There you go - a really quick & easy meal that leaves you licking your fork at the end!

Cheers.