Sometimes I get the inspiration for a new dish from something I’ve enjoyed in a restaurant. Very seldomly I try to copy a dish exactly, but I do use the combinations of ingredients or preparations. At two Michelin star restaurant … Continue reading Grouper Sous Vide with Vanilla and Lemon Zest
Monkfish wrapped with prosciutto is a classic combination. By dry brining the fish first and then cooking it sous vide, the fish will be tender and juicy. It is important to remove the membrane of the monkfish, as it contracts … Continue reading Monkfish With Prosciutto Sous Vide
In Italy at Villa Rosa di Nonna Rosa, I enjoyed sea bream with a squash velouté. I really liked this combination, so I decided to make this at home. Sea bream (orata) is a type of fish that dries out … Continue reading Sea Bream with Squash Velouté (Orata con Vellutata di Zucca)
At Ubin restaurant in Costa Rica we enjoyed tuna that had been seared with fennel seed and coriander seed. I really liked this combination and wanted to try it at home. The photo was made with my phone in bad … Continue reading Seared Tuna with Coriander Seed and Fennel Seed
This is my favorite way of preparing cod. And so I was surprised to find that I had not yet shared it with you on my blog, when I did the post about what we eat on a daily basis. … Continue reading Merluzzo alla Palermitana (Baked Cod With Crust)
Zander is a freshwater fish with a very elegant flavor that is caught locally in the Netherlands. It is also called pikeperch or pike perch. The combination with tart apple syrup and bacon has been made famous by Jonnie Boer, … Continue reading Zander with Apple Syrup and Bacon
Cappon Magro is a delicious and special dish from Liguria with fish and vegetables. It is on the menu in Liguria for special occasions such as the holidays. The name means “lean capon”, which indicates that it was an alternative … Continue reading Cappon Magro Sous Vide (Stack of Fish and Vegetables with Green Sauce from Liguria)
We had friends over for dinner. She likes fish, but he likes meat and red wine. I ended up preparing Portuguese style cheeks in a red wine sauce for everyone, but we had Iberico pork cheeks, and she had monkfish … Continue reading Monkfish Portuguese Style
Arroz de marisco is a Portuguese seafood dish of rice with seafood that is like a soupy version of risotto. Click here for the regular recipe. For a more luxurious version, you can also make it with lobster, and then … Continue reading Portuguese Lobster Rice (Arroz de Lagosta)
Tuna is locally caught along the Algarve in Southern Portugal, and so the local cuisine also includes recipes for tuna. Cebolada de atum is one of the most common dishes. The name “cebolada” refers to the onions in the dish and … Continue reading Cebolada de Atum (Tuna with Onions and Bell Peppers)
Lobster Thermidor is a classic French dish that I had not prepared before. Now I regret that, because it is really delicious and I will definitely make it again. As I am somewhat of an ‘adopted Italian’, I don’t tend … Continue reading Lobster Thermidor
As we were traveling along the coast of Portugal, arroz de marisco was on the menu of almost every restaurant. It is much more wet than Spanish paella or Italian risotto, more like a seafood soup with rice in it. … Continue reading Arroz de Marisco (Portuguese Seafood Rice)
Bacalhau, salted cod, is an ingredient that is used a lot in Portuguese cooking. It is so popular in Portugal that the supermarket had a special department with just bacalhau. Bacalhau is not produced in Portugal itself, but imported from places … Continue reading Bacalhau à Brás (Portuguese Salted Cod with Potatoes, Onions, and Egg)
Curing fish improves its texture for cooking sous-vide, and this miso cure also adds flavor. This recipe is often prepared with black cod, a type of fish that is not available here. I prepared it with salmon instead, and it … Continue reading Miso-Cured Salmon Sous-Vide
Years ago I performed an experiment to find out whether I liked dry curing or wet curing pork tenderloin before cooking it sous vide. The conclusion was that for meat I preferred to just season with salt right before cooking … Continue reading Briefly Curing Fish Before Cooking
During our recent trip to Sardinia, we had a nice dinner at Albisbe4 in Alghero. As secondo piatto I had sea bass with sweet & sour savoy cabbage that I really enjoyed, and so I decided to recreate something similar … Continue reading Sea Bass with Sweet & Sour Savoy Cabbage (Spigola con Verza in Agro-Dolce)
Quahogs are a type of large clams. In New England and especially Rhode Island they are prepared stuffed and then called “stuffies”. Since quahogs are not available in the Netherlands, I used a fairly large type of clams called “sea … Continue reading Stuffies (Rhode Island Stuffed Clams)
We are sailing in the Maddalena archipelago on the north side of Sardinia in the Mediterranean. The galley on board is very limited, but last night we anchored in a bay away from any village with restaurants. The view on … Continue reading Cooking on board: Oven-baked Sarago with Eggplant and Zucchini
At seafood restaurant Angiolina in Pisciotta, south of Naples, I enjoyed a wonderful seafood and vegetable soup. Back home I made my own version. You can easily adapt it to what is available and seasonal, in terms of both seafood … Continue reading Seafood and Vegetable Soup (Zuppa Mediterranea)
At Angiolina, a bit South of Naples, I enjoyed fish fillet pan fried in batter with sage. I liked this somewhat unusual combination of fish and sage very much, and so decided to prepare something similar at home. According to … Continue reading Fish with Sage and Runner Beans (Filetto di Pesce alla Salvia)
Skrei is cod that is caught between December and April in the Northeast Atlantic when it migrates from the Barents Sea area to the Northwest of Norway to spawn. The name was derived from the Old-Norse word skrida, which means … Continue reading Winter Cod (Skrei)
I like ‘refrigerator cooking’ and I like blogging what I’ve just prepared and eaten. This post hits the spot both ways, as I had some leftover sweet potato, lettuce, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño, and decided to pick up some fish … Continue reading Sweet Potato Fish Cakes with Lime, Cilantro, and Jalapeño
Octopus is called polpo in most of Italy, but polipo in Puglia (even though technically the latter is incorrect, because polipo means polyp, an entirely different sea creature). In Puglia octopus is often stewed in a local red wine from … Continue reading Octopus Stewed in Red Wine (Polipo in Primitivo, Polpo Ubriaco)
Sarde a Beccafico is a famous traditional dish from Sicily. The sardines are stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, and baked in the oven with orange juice. At Cala del Citro the chef made a dish with red mullet that … Continue reading Stuffed Red Mullet with Pistachios and Orange (Triglie ripiene)
To compensate for the fanciness of the previous post featuring white truffle, this post is back to basics: how to pan fry salmon. Or salmon fillet, to be more precise. There are two common problems with cooking salmon fillet, caused … Continue reading How to Pan Fry Salmon
If you like having a great red wine with the Christmas dinner main course, but you would also like to have fish, this is the perfect solution for you! I used yellowtail, which is a great tasting fish that is … Continue reading Yellowtail with Truffle, Mushrooms, and Red Wine Sauce
This dish was inspired by another dish we had at Don Alfonso. It could be made with any kind of white fish and any kind of green peppers, as mild or as hot as you like. The Italian green peppers … Continue reading Cod with Green Peppers and Yogurt-Lemon Sauce
Turbot is one of my favorite kinds of fish. It has a great texture and delicate flavor. In this simple preparation it is served with a mint sauce, inspired by Biba Caggiano. I made the fish stock for the sauce … Continue reading Pan Fried Turbot with Mint Sauce
One of the best dishes from our trip was right on our first night at Taverna Estia, ricciola with zucchini ‘scales’ and a smoked cheese sauce. And although my plating skills (and especially patience) are not of Michelin star quality, … Continue reading Amberjack with Zucchini and Smoked Cheese Sauce (Ricciola con Zucchine e Salsa di Scamorza)
The inspiration for this dish came from my recent dinner at 212 in Amsterdam. I really liked the cod with red wine sauce, and thought it would be nice to prepare something similar. If only because everyone seems to think … Continue reading Turbot Sous-Vide with Red Wine Sauce
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