Angelfish Fishcakes

flickr cc {chooyutshing}

You know how life goes, one minute you're up, employed and struggling along from day to day, and the next, you're tossing around in the sea of unemployment, trying desperately to hold onto something familiar. Such has been my life for the past month, as I try to navigate the steps into the next stage of my life.

Sometimes I want to buck the shackles of full time employment, strike out on my own, and try to make a living off my wits and skills. Then my doubts crawl back into bed with me, and I'm convinced I'll never be able to make it work, I'll just live like a leech off my poor, long-suffering husband forever. So at the moment, I'm trying hard to come up with ways to make some bucks on the side, in my semi-employed state, and try to toss around ideas for what will come next. To that end, I've been applying to countless jobs - full time, part-time, freelance, and everything in between. I've been for a couple of interviews, but only one I really want. So while I wait to hear how that turns out, my thoughts turned to comfort, and for me, you may have realised, comfort equals food.

This is the second half of a batch of angelfish I got from Ocean Jewels Fish. I pan-fried these in seasoned cornflour at the suggestion of Jenny Morris, and while that was delicious, my sister was coming over for dinner, and we all know how she feels about fish.. So I took some of the fillets, and flaked them to create some absolutely divine fishcakes. These fishcakes were all about softness and subtlety, allowing the flavours of the angelifish to shine, while not being 'too fishy' for my fussy sister to deal with. This was an all round favourite, and one I can heartily recommend.

Angelfish Fishcakes (or Angelfishcakes, but that's a bit awkward)

Ingredients:
1 fillet angelfish
± 2 tbsp cornflour
1 egg, lightly beaten
olive oil for frying
salt and pepper to season
2 large potatoes, washed
3-5 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp chilli jam (or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tbsp apricot jam)
± 2 tbsp flour

Method:

1. Spread the cornflour on a plate and mix with some salt and pepper to season.
2. Dip the fish fillets in the flour to season, then dip in the egg, and back in the flour.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan, and pan fry the fillets in the olive oil until lightly golden, and cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets.
4. Remove to a plate, and allow to cool.
5. Meanwhile, prick 2 potatoes all over with a fork, and bake in the microwave for 10-15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool, slice in half, and scoop out the baked flesh into a bowl.
7. Flake the cooled fish into the same bowl, and mix them together.
8. Add the spring onion, and stir. If necessary to bind, add some of the egg from your egg wash, but the fish is quite moist, and I didn't find I needed the egg.
9. Stir through the chilli jam, and taste for seasoning (if you haven't added the raw egg, there's nothing raw, so the mixture is perfectly safe to eat). Add more seasoning, or more jam if necessary, to taste.
10. Add a little flour, and mix, and flour your hands. Scoop tablespoonfuls out, and form them into little flat patties with your hands, rolling them in a little flour.
11. Set aside on a plate in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
12. Heat some olive oil in a pan, and fry until light golden.
13. Serve hot

 These were delicious with some salad and sweet potato fries, but they'd also work well as an appetiser dipped in aioli, or just as a snack. It's a little bit of PT to make these from scratch, but the next time you find you have leftover fish, this is a brilliant way to use up the leftovers.

Enjoy!

Angelfish Spaghettini

flikr cc {sifu renku}

I've been working with the lovely Julie from Ocean Jewel's Fish lately, and just had to try some of her angelfish. A local fishmonger, Julie is committed to providing sustainable, SASSI green fish to the public, and works hard to keep her stocks sustainable and seasonal.

flickr cc {sifu renku}

I've got very little experience cooking with fish. For all the years I lived with my sister, she complained the few times I made it (she doesn't really like fish, preferring shellfish more), so I got out of the habit of cooking it. So while I have things like instinct and habit when cooking things like mince or chicken, with fish I'm a beginner.

I've been stalking Julie's blog (Ocean Jewel's Fish), and have been reading up on ways to cook fish that would fit into my lifestyle, and after all that.. I decided to make something up. What, you're surprised?! Do you know that I can't follow a recipe for toffee?

So here we have my attempt at a spaghetti marinara, with a light, delicate tomato sauce - similar to the one I made for my Bucatini, and gently poached and flaked angelfish, served over spaghettini, also known as angelhair pasta. Which is my version of a food pun (geddit? Angelfish Angelhair Pasta? *falls over laughing*) Right, enough of my bad jokes, let's get to the food, right?

Angelfish Spaghettini
Serves 2 (with leftovers for lunch)

Ingredients:
2 angelfish fillets
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 500ml carton of passata (strained tomatoes)
half a packet of spaghettini (spaghetti would work too, but I did like the finer texture of the spaghettini)
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil to saute onion
Parmesan (optional)
Lemon (optional)

Method:

1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions, while you make the sauce and cook the fish. Spaghettini is finer than spaghetti, so cooked quicker. When cooked, drain, toss with a little olive oil (to prevent it clumping) and set aside.
2. In a deep, wide pan, heat a little olive oil, and saute the onion over a medium heat until soft and slightly translucent.
3. Add the garlic, Italian herbs, and smoked paprika, and stir, sauteing until fragrant - not more than a minute.
4. Pour the passata into the pan, and bring to a light simmer. 
5. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper, and immerse in the passata, ensuring that both fillets are covered with the tomato sauce.
6. Cook the fish for about 10 minutes per inch thick - I allowed mine go for about 5-7 minutes per side. To test for doneness, check that the fish is a solid white the whole way through. There should be no translucency when it is cooked.
7. Using a spoon, flake the fish right there in the pan - you don't need this to be perfect, just break it up into smaller, more bitesize chunks. Angelfish does have small bones, but they aren't going to choke you, and they are too small to pick out before eating, and there really weren't enough to bother anyone.
8. Serve the sauce over the pasta in a bowl, with a grating of Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.

This light, flavourful dish is cheap, quick and delightful on a cold winter's night.

PS. Forgive me the flickr pictures, this went so quickly, there was no time for photos (I did say it was a quick weeknight supper), but these pictures are pretty close. Come to think of it, a pesto drizzle at the end would also be delightful. Try Pesto Princess for some delightful pesto options.

A Long Time Coming - Fishcakes!

Hi!

I know I've been incredibly lax lately, but all these public holidays are really messing around with my domestic goddess ambitions! I made this about 2 weeks ago, but I've been having a tough time actually writing it down, bloggers block is hard!

So I got the recipe for these fishcakes from.... somewhere! Yup, as usual, in the time between making it and writing it down, I've totally forgotten where I got it from, so if anyone recognises it, please say so! I'd love to credit this genius! OK, so I'll get on with it!

Tuna fishcakes
Ingredients: Makes 10-13 balls (size dependent)
2 x cans solid meat tuna
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 yellow pepper, finely chopped
handful chives, chopped
250ml couscous
1 egg
flour for dusting 


Method:

1. After chopping everything above, toss all of it, except the flour, into a bowl and mix. When I made it, it was a bit watery, and didn't bind well at first. I think next time I make it, I'll use some more couscous and possibly some flour in the mix, to help bind it together. 
2. When everything's mixed together, and the tuna's all broken up, form small balls about the size of golf balls. 
3. Roll them in flour, and if they aren't sticking together well, use a bit more flour and press them harder together. 
4. Put them all on a plate, once rolled, and stick them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to let them harden. 
5. Heat some oil in a pan, and roll the balls in a little more flour, then placing them in the heated oil. Don't have the temperature on too high, the balls will stick to the bottom of the pan. Remember also, that the tuna doesn't have to cook, just warm through, since it's fine to eat straight out of the can. 

Fry the balls on a medium heat, until golden brown, turning regularly. It should take about 10-15 minutes. Take them out and place on a piece of kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil, and serve with garlic baby potatoes or mash, and veggies or a salad. This is a lovely light meal, and so quick, cheap and easy to make! Enjoy!