|
|
 |
| |
Camden food and drink | Clare Latimer visits Cornwall| Recipe for pan-fried gurnard
Clare Latimer takes inspiration from her new favourite haunt in the South-west
WITH your eyes shut, imagine staying in a tiny cottage tucked into a corner of a harbour village in the depths of Cornwall, with not a car in sight.
It’s a far cry from Camden, but jump on a train and a few hours later all this can be yours.
Boutique Retreats was started by a young couple who have escaped the pressures of city life in London and created fabulous romantic cottages that sleep two and have the grandeur of the Dorchester.
When you have unpacked and relaxed in a Victorian bath of bubbles you can take a stroll around the dearest little harbour – colourful fishing boats framed by a sandy beach – and then head off to browse the art galleries.
Now, feeling a little peckish, you can aim for my favourite restaurant of the moment – No2 Fore Street, Mousehole, which overlooks the harbour and St Michael’s Mount on the horizon.
There’s a lovely Mediterranean-style gravelled garden with palm trees, where you can sip a cooling glass of rosé while choosing from the superb menu of fresh local ingredients.
Chef/owner Joe Wardell has worked with Raymond Blanc and he certainly knows his stuff. Kerry, his partner, keeps everything ship-shape.
They also have a great website, so have a Cornish browse even if you can’t jump on that train right now.
Pan fried gurnard with saffron curried mussels
Gurnard is a local fish to Cornwall and has a very good flavour.
Joe turns this dish into a triumph.
Get your fishmonger to fillet the fish.
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 good-size gurnard
(filleted)
Knob of butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 2 lemons
1 white onion, peeled and sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced and blanched
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
½ teasp mustard seeds
1 teasp cardamom
½ teasp fennel seeds
¼ teasp cumin
200ml fish stock
1kg fresh live mussels (cleaned)
100ml double cream
¼ teasp good quality garam masala
Fresh coriander.
Method
Preheat oven 140C/275F /gas 1. Cook the gurnard fillets skin side down for two minutes. Turn, season, add a little lemon juice and a little butter.
Keep warm in oven.
Sweat the onion, garlic and blanched fennel in butter; add all spices except garam masala and cook for two minutes over a medium heat.
Add fish stock and mussels. Cook until the mussels open, then add cream, lemon juice, garam masala and coriander.
Serve in soup plates with gurnard on top. Garnish with coriander.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
