Monday, August 9, 2010

CAMP CORNWALL

CAR. TENT. PORTABLE GAS COOKER.

Usually braving the waves in Easter, this year I am treading water in warmer seas. No, nothing as daring as 'out of the UK', but going West to the wondrous British holiday destination that is Cornwall.

We're heading down to the beautiful home of Rodda's clotted cream, blow-your-socks-off Rattler cider, and the one and only Padstein. And yes, last year I did get good old Steiny to sign my much-loved Seafood book, only to be sympathetically chuckled at when I requested a recipe to cook on my caravan hob...


This year, Rick would have a field day - crrrryyy with laughter, wet his knickers. We're tenting it. HA IMAGINE. Dinner for two under a cramped and smelly tarpaulin. How very romantic.

But it's not going to be soggy sarnies and salty tea. I've got a gas cooker, pans, a kettle and, boy!, am I going to show them some Cornish love.

But I need your help please. Your suggestions, if you would be so kind, of where to buy, what to cook and where to eat it. We have no plans apart from to roam the winding roads of the Northern Regions of Cornwall (Padstow and around), so by the end of the week I want to have fished and chipped (homemade style) in every little Cornish nook and cranny I come across. Don't hold back on the restaurants either - it will rain.

So while you unload your thoughts underneath this blog, here is a fishy recipe to whet your jealousy and imagine you''ll be in Cornwall with me!

SALMON AND CHILLI FISH CAKES


Recipe adapted from Skye Gyngell's Crab cakes

MAYONNAISE:

3 free-range egg yolks

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

juice of 1 lemon

250ml mild extra-virgin olive oil

SALMON CAKES:

250g fresh salmon

squeeze of lemon juice

4 new potatoes, mashed

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced

50g fresh white breadcrumbs

200ml very clean, neutral-tasting oil such as sunflower or corn

lemon wedges, to serve

Heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Bake the salmon fillets for about 20 minutes until cooked through.

Cook the new potatoes in pan until soft. Remove the skin, and mash with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile make the mayonnaise. This will go into the fish cake mix to make them suupppper moist. Whisk the egg yolks with the salt, mustard and lemon juice. Trickle in the oil, very slowly to begin with, whisking all the time. Continue until all the oil is incorporated. You should end up with a lovely, bright yellow, bouncy mayonnaise.

Once the salmon has cooked and cooled slightly, break into small flakes with a fork. Squeeze over the lemon juice and add the chilli, the mashed potatoes and a large pinch of salt. Stir in 100ml of the mayonnaise until evenly mixed in. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour. This will harden the mixture slightly and make it easier to roll into fish cakes.

Spread the breadcrumbs evenly on a clean work surface. Shape the salmon mix into evenly sized patties or balls. Roll in the breadcrumbs, making sure the surface of each cake is well covered. Return them to the fridge for another half an hour.

To cook the cakes, put the sunflower oil in a shallow, heavy-based saucepan and place over a low to medium heat. Heat the oil gently until it reaches about 60°C (check with a thermometer). Gently - and CAREFULLY - drop the cakes into the oil in small batches and cook for two minutes on each side; they should be golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve with fresh chilli oil, the remaining mayonnaise, and a wedge of lemon. Devour either as a starter, with a warm Nicoise salad - soft boiled eggs, spinach, peas, new potatoes - or serve in brown paper for a Gourmet take away (much like what I hope to be doing on my Cornwall camping escape).

Might I briefly add that it is always VERY wise to turn OFF the heat when the cakes are cooked...I managed to set the pan alight. Nicht gut. That's enough of that memory -but the fish cakes were worth it.

Enough scoffing, now for your beachside, camp fire, pub bench tips.

6 comments:

  1. Surely add the mashed new pots to the fishcake mix? x

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  2. Yes! You're right. Smacked wrists. Thank you... Add them in as you add the mayonnaise. I shall amend. x

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  3. i love skye gyngell x

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  4. Just to say I was lucky enough to sample those delicious fishcakes...a complete and utter treat!

    Secondly, in regards to cooking around the campfire I have a wee suggestion for you that I used to do as a little girl in Denmark...it is called 'Snobrod'-all you need is 200g flour, 100ml water, 1 tbs sugar and some salt. Knead all the ingredients together to make a dough, divide into 4 portions and roll each portion into thin sausages. Wind each sausage around a stick securely (any stick that is lying around, normally best to pull the knobbles off them first!), and cook by turning the stick over the open fire until the Snobrod is brown and crispy.

    It is very basic, but it is tres rustic...I am sure with your magic you could make it more exciting, perhaps chop olives into the mixture.

    Lots of love, and I will meet you by a campfire on the coast for some Cornish love next week! x

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  5. Has your pan got a lid? You could make some popcorn- we are just doing the same, warm in front of a film! Abbey's suggestion - French toast with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast or with roddas and hedgerow berries for pudding! yum! xx

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  6. Georgie, that looks so delicious! I will be trying that this week if I may! And tres rustique is definitely the tone I had in mind...

    And my pan, dear anonymous, does have a lid. What a great idea for a cosy rainy night in the tent, munching on those moreish morsels! Don't even get me started on bacon and maple syrup. Sluuurrrp.

    So this week, we dined happily on fried eggs, and whipped up a rather outrageous spaghetti with meatballs - perhaps not your average camping nosh - and many a hot and much needed cup of tea. I think the trick when out roughing it, is to play the cooking by where you are, what provisions you've stumbled upon, and what the weather is like. If on a beach at, say, sunset time, barbies are unbeatable. And who needs a gas fire when you've got a hole in the sand for Georgie's Danish Snobrod! Sausages will always be best eaten after a good grilling on the BBQ, so we had ours wrapped in parma ham with spinach, watching the sun go down on Treyarnon Bay. Nothing better.
    But, my, does a gas fire do a mean fry up! Thank you for your suggestions! xxx

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