SMOKED MACKEREL KEDGEREE

This takes no time at all to whip up and makes the perfect breakfast for Christmas day. Change the mackerel for kippers, if you're anything like my Dad, or throw in trimmings of last night's smoked salmon.

Smoked mackerel kedgeree

Serves 2

2 free-range eggs

good drizzle olive oil

knob of butter

1/2 banana shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric

250g cooked basmati rice

handful spinach leaves, washed and roughly sliced

150g smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed

handful dill leaves, roughly chopped

lemon wedges to serve

 
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the eggs for 5 minutes until soft boiled. Drain and rinse under cold water before peeling and slicing in half.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and the butter in a frying pan and fry the shallot for a few minutes until just softened. Add the garlic, cumin, cayenne and turmeric and fry for a further 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the rice until coated in the spices and hot through. Add the spinach and fry until wilted then flake in the mackerel and stir in the dill. Season and squeeze in lemon juice to taste. Serve with the soft-boiled eggs.

CRAB AND BROWN SHRIMP GRATIN

Something for the weekend

Serves 2 with a jacket potato and salad

knob of butter, plus extra for greasing

1 onion, grated or finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

Splosh of brandy

1 1/2 tsp plain flour

150ml whole milk

1 tsp English mustard

1/2 wholegrain mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

pinch nutmeg

200g mix brown and white crab meat

small handful of tarragon and/or parsley leaves, chopped

75g brown shrimp

lemon juice to taste

50g breadcrumbs, from a coarse, stale loaf

1 tbsp chopped hazelnuts (optional)

20g parmesan

olive oil for drizzling

Heat the oven to 180C/fan160/gas mark 4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat. Fry the onion for 10 minutes, covered, until softened then add the garlic. Pour in the brandy, increase the heat and bubble for a couple of minutes. Stir in the flour and fry for a further 2 minutes. Gradually incorporate the milk, stirring, to thicken. Stir through the mustards, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg, adding more to taste, if you like. 

Fold the brown and white crab, herbs and half the shrimp into the sauce. Season well with salt, pepper and the lemon juice to taste, then pour into a small ovenproof dish or two ramekins. Mix the breadcrumbs and hazelnuts, if using, with the cheese and the remaining brown shrimp and sprinkle onto the crab. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then slide into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

CRAB OMELETTE

The truth is, I've always been terrible at omelettes. Scrambled before they have a chance to set and flipped onto the plate into a sloppy mound, rather than elegantly slipped from the pan in a perfect fold. I don't admit my failure much.

A good omelette, or so I learnt last night, takes a little patience and a bit of skill, good eggs and a non-stick pan. A silicon spatula works a dream to loosen the edges. It turns out they are pretty simple to do. Who knew?

This recipe makes a non-omeletteer seem pro. All it takes is a few scrumptious ingredients, a whisk, a confident smile, and you've got yourself a gourmet supper in seconds.

CRAB OMELETTE


SERVES 1

drop olive oil/ small knob butter
3 eggs
salt and pepper
tbsp chives, finely chopped
tbsp dill, finely chopped
tbsp brown crab meat
2 tbsps white crab meat

Whisk the eggs, seasoning, herbs and brown crab meat in a small bowl.

Then melt a small amount of butter or wipe a little olive oil around a large, flat, non-stick pan. Place over a medium-hot heat.

When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture and swill around the pan. Using the spatula, quickly scramble the eggs, so that the cooked egg comes to the top. Swill again so you have a large, even, circle shape, filling the gaps in the pan with the uncooked egg. Loosen the edges of the omelette with the spatula. Scatter the crab along the vertical diameter and, when the egg is almost cooked and the underside is browning, start to roll the omelette from right to left.

Slip onto a warm plate and scatter with any remaining herbs. Serve with a fresh green salad.

This is suitable for those crazy fools on the Dukan diet - just use very little oil to wipe the pan and don't have the salad.