Seafood waterzooi

This Belgian style fish stew is a great winter warmer. A bit like potato and leek soup with fish in it, I put smoked eel in this one (which I get from Paul Utting, of Cambridge's Wednesday Fish Van, near Stir Café). Serves three.

300g baby potatoes, cut into thick oval chunks
1 large leek, sliced into coins
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 onion, roughly chopped
big handful fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
400g mixed seafood
600ml vegetable stock
100ml cream or milk
butter
rapeseed oil
Salt and white pepper to taste

Heat butter with a bit of oil (to prevent burning) in a big heavy pan. Add the garlic, then sauté the leeks until just done, then remove them and set them aside.
In the same pan, sauté the onion, then add the carrot. When coated with the infused butter/oil, add the potatoes, then the stock.
Bring to a simmer, and add the potatoes. Part-cover and cook until the potatoes are tender. Add a big pinch of white pepper, the cream, and the seafood (and in order of required cooking time) and cover. When just done, add the reserved leeks and the parsley, stir in another knob of butter (optional, for added richness/gloss - if using cream you probably don't need to), and ladle into warmed bowls. Serve with crusty bread and maybe chilled Belgian blonde beer.

Samphire salsa verde

This is a great accompaniment to fish. Try it with grilled Cornish sardines!

Handful of fresh samphire
A few cornichons or pickled gherkins
Tablespoon of chopped mint or lemon mint
Tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
A few capers
A big dash of cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
A couple of lugs of olive oil

Either chop everything by hand or use a mixer. Check for seasoning - there's no need to add salt, as the samphire is really salty. If you're using ordinary mint, you might want a squeeze of lemon juice. Make it a couple of hours before you need it and let the flavours mingle in the fridge.

Linguine with mussels, saffron and chilli

I made this dish whilst down in Cornwall recently. It's basically moules marinere served over pasta.  A great quick supper.
Serves 4

1kg live mussels
pinch of saffron
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, torn up
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 glass white wine
350g linguine pasta
olive oil, butter

Clean and de-beard the mussels, discarding any that don't open when tapped.
Heat the pan, and add a lug of oil and about 10g butter. Add the onion and fry until softened, then add all the other ingredients (except the pasta).  Cook covered for about 4 minutes or until the mussels have opened (discard any that have not).
Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to pack instructions. Dish up the pasta into warm bowls, and pour the cooked mussels and most of their cooking liquor over the top. Serve immediately with a chilled white Sauvignon Blanc.

Squid, mussel and saffron soup

This is a venetian-style soup, and has got a lot of my favourite things going on in it - seafood with a bit of spice... Serves two.

For the stock:
1 3/4 pints of water
2 carrots, chopped
half a bulb of fennel, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 potato, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
A sprig of wild thyme
Blade of mace
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
Handful of fresh parsley

Also:
1 kg live mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
Half a glass of white wine

And:
200g squid, cleaned and cut into rings (or any other seafood you fancy - I added some prawns and tuna steak when I cooked this for the picture)
Big pinch of saffron strands
1 medium sized mild red chilli, chopped finely
Big pinch of white pepper
Sea salt (or a dash of Thai fish sauce) to taste
20g unsalted butter
60ml single cream

First off, make the stock. Chuck all the chopped veg and the seasoning into a large pot with the water. Cover and bring to the boil, then uncover an simmer for about half an hour until the liquid has reduced down to about a pint. Strain, and set aside.
Next, cook the mussels. Clean and pull off the beards. Discard any that don't close tight when tapped. Put the mussels and the half glass of white wine in a large pan. Choose one with a close-fitting lid that's got a large enough bottom so that the mussels aren't piled up too deep. Cook covered on a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan vigorously from time to time. As soon as the mussels have opened up, remove from the heat and tip them into a big colander with a bowl underneath to catch the liquor. Discard any that haven't opened properly. Remove the mussel meat from all except a handful of nice-looking ones, and set aside.
Next, heat some butter in a big pan. Add the chopped chilli and cook for a minute or so. Add the stock and the saffron and bring it to a slow simmer. Add the cream and the raw seafood and cook for a couple of minutes until just done. Add the mussels and the liquor (keep back the last spoonful as it may contain some grit). Add the parsley, check for seasoning, and serve.
This goes well with some crusty bread and a glass or two of rosé wine.