Currently hunting for Salmon recipes....

This sounds good.....

Ingredients

2 x 180g/6oz salmon fillet steaks
2.5ml/½ tsp chilli sauce
juice and zest of 1 lime
2.5ml/½ tsp clear honey
ground black pepper
sprigs of fresh coriander

Method
1. Mix together the chilli sauce, honey and the juice and zest of the lime. Stir in plenty of ground black pepper.
2. Pour over the salmon fillets and leave to marinate for 5-10 minutes.
3. Place under a hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the pieces of fish. They are ready when the salmon becomes opaque all the way through.
4. Serve sprinkled with the fresh coriander on top

West Coast Fishing Club, Queen Charlotte Islands

Just return from an amazing trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands - and I have too much fish for my freezer! Soon after we arrived, the realisation came soon that we were "hooked" on fishing and I brought home 3 Coho and 1 Halibut. The ellusive Chinook, the king of the sea didn't make an appearence sadlly, but there is always a next time.....

Slow Roast Pork Chops with Orange

Just found this recipe on one of my favourite food sites www.bbc.co.uk/food

Slow Roast Pork Chops with Orange

• 4 thick-cut pork chops
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 sprigs fresh thyme
• 8 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 orange, zest only
• 5 large leeks, trimmed
• 40g/1½ oz butter
• 1 orange, juice and finely grated
• and freshly ground black pepper
• 40g/1½ plain flour
• 300ml/10½fl oz milk
• squeeze lemon juice

1. For the pork chops, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Preheat the grill to hot (or preheat a griddle pan to hot if the grill is located in the oven).
2. Score the pork chops lightly on both sides with the tip of a sharp knife, then make small cuts across the fat on the sides to prevent them from curling when cooked.
3. Cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub the cut side over both sides of each chop (discard the used garlic clove).
4. Brush both sides of each chop with olive oil, then season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown the pork chops lightly under the preheated grill or brown them swiftly on the preheated griddle pan.
5. Make a bed of the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and bay leaves in an ovenproof dish just large enough to hold the pork chops in a single layer. Scatter over the fennel seeds.
6. Lay the pork chops on this aromatic bed, then cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pork is cooked through (the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced in the thickest part with a skewer).
7. Meanwhile, to make the orange gremolata, chop the remaining garlic clove very finely and mix with the parsley and orange zest.
8. For the creamed leeks, cut the leeks into 4-5cm/1½-2in) lengths, then shred into fine rings with a sharp knife.
9. Melt the butter in a wide pan and add the leeks. Stir to mix, then add the orange juice and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Cover and cook gently over a low heat for ten minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender. Uncover, increase the heat and boil off most of the watery juices until all that remains are a few tablespoonfuls of buttery liquid.
11. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to mix evenly. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously, and then add the orange zest. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is very thick and creamy. If absolutely necessary, add a little more milk.
12. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, if needed. Stir in the lemon juice. (NB: If not using immediately spear a small knob of butter on the tip of a knife and rub over the surface to prevent skin forming.)
13. Reheat gently, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from catching and burning, before serving.
14. Just before serving, pour away any excess fat off from the chops. To serve, spoon the leeks into the centre of the plate, top with a pork chop and sprinke over the gremolata.

Tonight to Miku Restaurant

Heading to Miku Restaurant tonight with a journalist from Chicago.

Looking forward to superb quality sushi accompanied by delicious and unusual sauces, Wyshugu Beef and the famous Miku Roll... mmmm.....

www.mikurestaurant.com

Crispy Tuna in Citrus Sauce

Found this recipe in Metro last week and planning to make it tomorrow night, if I can find some cheap tuna down in Granville Island Market.... I will report back!

Crispy Tuna in Citrus Sauce

• 1 orange, 1 lime
• 1 chunk ginger
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 bunch chopped coriander
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs
• tuna steaks
• olive oil

Peel fruit and section. Whisk orange juice, chopped ginger, fruit zest, wine and cornflour until smooth. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in oranges.

Mix coriander, breadcrumbs salt and pepper in shallow dish. Coat both sides of tuna steaks with mixture, pressing firmly. Sear tuna in a hot pan and drizzle with olive oil before puring sauce over and serving with buttered spinach.

Thom Yum Stir Fry

This one's not from a cookery book - just an inspired turn in the kitchen and some wonderfully fresh ingredients:

Thom Yum Stir Fry
Marinade

• 2 cloves of garlic
• a chunk of ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 fresh chili (seeds removed)
• 2 spring onions
• lemongrass
• 3 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• Pepper and salt

Stir Fry

• 1/2 cube of vegi stock
• 3 bok choi
• 1 red pepper
• 4 large mushrooms
• 1/2 pack snow peas
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Basil leaves
• 1 large piece firm fish (salmon or halibut)
• 8 large prawns
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 splash water

First, marinade the fish in the paste for 2 hours in the fridge.

Pour the coconut milk into a wok and add the stock cube and a splash of water. Add the vegetables and simmer on a low heat. Once cooked through, add the firm fish and the marinade. Stir so the fish chunks cook though. Add the prawns, stir and turn heat off. Allow to stand so prawns turn pink.

Serve with sprinkled, torn basil leaves on top.

Thai Green Curry

Cook books are fabulous; I can spend hours flicking through them, not looking for anything in particular but just musing at the phenomenal range of dishes and the culture that each is a tiny representation of.

I recently indulged in a purchase of Jamie Oliver's latest work, "Jamie's Food Revolution". Bound in wonderful red, hard back cover (the way all cookery books should be), the book is a collection of culinary treat, perfect not only for the first time cook, but also the more adventurous, keen to develop kitchen skills and learn how to construct their own flavour combinations.

I love to use cookery books for inspiration; new recipes spring out of the page whereas familiar ones are drawn back into the foreground of the mind. This is exactly what happened when I opened "Jamie's Food Revolution". After turning a few pages, a spotted the Thai Green Curry and after collecting the ingredients in my store cupboard, I decided to put my own twist on it:

Thai Green Curry

Paste

• Lemongrass
• 4 spring onions
• 2 fresh green chilies (seeds removed)
• 1 fresh yellow chilie (seeds removed)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 chunk of ginger
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds (crushed with a pestle and mortar)
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Fish Sauce

Curry

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1 leek
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 12 raw large prawns
• 1 lime

To Make
Mix the curry paste ingredients together in a food blender until all are finely chopped. Heat a wok and pour in the sesame oil with the same amount of sunflower oil. Add the paste and cook at a medium heat for 3 minutes.

Slice the leeks and asparagus and add to the pan. Pour in the can of coconut milk. Allow to bubble for 10 minutes until all vegis are cooked through. In the meantime, cook the rice.

Add the prawns and stir through. Reduce heat and serve rice. The prawns should be plump and fleshy but cooked through.

Sprinkle with finely chopped spring onion and red chilie and serve.