Home Chef - Series 5 – Episode 11
A STUDY OF SHELLFISH
This is one of our signature dishes on the menu. It has the perfect balance of texture and
flavour from the selection of shellfish. It’s a wonderful showcase for the fantastic produce
that is harvested from our ocean and our customers love it.
Serves 6
FOR THE CRISPY PRAWNS IN KATAIFI PASTRY:
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150g (5oz) frozen kataifi pastry
25g (1oz) plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 egg
50ml (2fl oz) milk
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12 fresh Dublin Bay prawns,
peeled and veins removed
groundnut oil, for deep-frying
chilli jam, to serve
curried mayonnaise, to serve
FOR THE CRAB RAVIOLI:
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100g (4oz) organic salmon fillet,
skinned, boned and cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cold cream
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 tsp snipped fresh chives
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1 tsp chopped fresh basil
100g (4oz) white crab meat
12 wonton wrappers
egg wash (made with 1 egg and 1
tbsp milk), to glaze
creamed leeks, to serve
prawn velouté, to garnish
FOR THE OYSTERS:
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6 Atlantic oysters
1 rindless smoked streaky bacon
rasher
knob of butter
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50g (2oz) spinach leaves, washed
and tough stalks removed
3 tbsp flaked sea salt
lemon grass foam, to serve
FOR THE SCALLOPS:
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6 king scallops, roes removed
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
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sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
sauce vierge, to serve
To prepare the prawns, thaw the pastry while still in its plastic for a minimum of 2 hours
before using. Once it’s thawed it will be soft and pliable and ready to use, but remember
when using it that you must always keep it well covered.
Place the flour in a shallow dish and season generously. Beat the egg with the milk and a
pinch of salt in a separate shallow dish.
Toss the prawns in the seasoned flour until lightly coated, then dip briefly in the egg wash,
then wrap well in kataifi pastry. To wrap the prawns, lay about 10g (1/4oz) of the kataifi
pastry in a rectangle on a board. Sit a prawn across the width at the end closest to you and
then roll it up away from you to completely enclose it. Place on non-stick parchment paper
well spaced apart so that they don’t get tangled up and cover with clingfilm. Chill until ready
to use.
To make the ravioli, place the salmon in a food processor and blend briefly, then add the egg
yolk and the cream and season to taste. Blend to a smooth consistency. Place in a bowl and
stir in the chives and basil, then fold in the crab.
Lay out the wonton wrappers on a clean work surface. Brush one wrapper with a little of the
egg wash. Place a generous spoonful of the crab mixture in the centre and place another
wonton wrapper on top. Shape and seal well. Using a 6cm (2 1/4in) scone cutter, cut the
ravioli to give a neat finish. Blanch in a pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then
remove with a slotted spoon and quickly refresh in a bowl of iced water. Arrange on a tray in
a single layer and chill until needed.
Scrub the oyster shells then place one, wrapped in a clean tea towel, on a firm surface with
the flattest shell uppermost and the hinge pointing towards you. Gripping the oyster firmly,
insert an oyster knife into the gap in the hinge and twist to snap the shells apart. Slide the
blade of the knife along the inside of the upper shell to sever the muscle that keeps the shells
together. Lift the lid off the top shell and run the knife under the oyster to remove it from the
shell. Repeat until all the oysters are taken out of their shells, but reserve the bottom half of
the shells for presentation.
To prepare the scallops, pat them dry with kitchen paper. Detach the corals (roes) and save
them for another dish. Heat a large frying pan until it’s quite hot. Add a thin film of rapeseed
oil, then add the scallops and sear over a high heat for 1 minute on each side, until richly
browned and crispy. Do this in batches if your frying pan isn’t very large. Transfer them to a
plate and add a squeeze of lemon juice, then season to taste.
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To finish the prawns, heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep-sided pan to 160°C (325°F).
Cook the coated prawns in batches of three for about 3 minutes, turning halfway through,
until crisp and golden brown and the prawns are cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
To finish the crab ravioli, carefully place them in a pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes
to just warm through, then drain briefly on kitchen paper.
To finish the oysters, preheat the grill and grill the bacon for a couple of minutes, until crisp.
Drain on kitchen paper. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the spinach and
a pinch of salt. Cook for a minute or so, stirring occasionally, until just wilted. Drain off any
excess liquid and then spoon a small mound into each reserved oyster shell. Arrange on a
warmed plate and keep warm. Add the raw oysters to the warm lemon grass foam and gently
poach for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the oysters with a slotted spoon and place on top of
the spinach in the oyster shells.
To serve, add the chilli jam and curried mayonnaise onto warmed plates and arrange the
prawn in kataifi on top. Spoon the creamed leeks onto the plates and place the ravioli on top
and garnish with the prawn velouté. Place each oyster shell on flaked sea salt and crumble
over the smoked streaky bacon, then spoon over the lemon grass foam. Add a dollop of the
sauce vierge and place a seared scallop on top.
COOK AHEAD
There is a lot of work to this dish, but it’s worth it. Most of the elements can be prepared
ahead and assembled at the last moment. The scallops can be opened and placed on damp
kitchen roll in the fridge for up to 3–4 days or they can be frozen. The prawns can be
wrapped in the kataifi pastry and chilled for up to 3–4 days until needed or they can be
frozen. The crab ravioli can be made 2–3 days in advance and stored on a tray covered with
clingfilm in the fridge or they can be frozen.
WINE
A crisp, dry, sparkling wine, especially Brut Champagne, would be very good with this
recipe. Otherwise, try a white Burgundy from Côte de Beane or the Macon region. A dry
Riesling from Alsace would also work well.
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CHILLI JAM
Makes about 450ml (3/4 pint)
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2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, roughly diced
2 red peppers, cored, seeded and
roughly diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
50g (2oz) light brown sugar
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4 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan on a medium heat. Add the onions, red peppers and
garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Stir in the chilli and tomato
purée and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar, tomatoes, balsamic
vinegar and soy sauce and pour in 300ml (1/2 pint) of water to just cover. Simmer for 45–50
minutes, until well reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.
Remove the chilli jam from the heat and leave to cool completely, then tip into a food
processor or liquidiser and blend to a purée. Pass through a sieve set over a bowl and season
to taste. Transfer to a rigid plastic container and store in the fridge. Use as required.
COOK AHEAD
This keeps very well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and can be put into a squeezy plastic
bottle if you would like to use it to garnish plates. This can also be frozen.
MAYONNAISE
Makes about 250ml (9fl oz)
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1 egg, at room temperature
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of caster sugar
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100ml (3 1/2fl oz) olive oil
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) rapeseed oil
sea salt and freshly ground white
pepper
Break the egg into a food processor and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the vinegar, mustard, sugar
and half of the olive oil. Secure the lid and whizz for 10 seconds.
Leave to stand for a couple of seconds, then turn on again and pour the remaining olive oil
and rapeseed oil through the feeder tube in a thin, steady stream. This should take 25–30
seconds.
Switch off the machine, take off the lid, scrape down the sides and whizz again for 2–3
seconds, then season to taste. Transfer to a squeezy bottle and chill until needed. Use as
required.
VARIATIONS
Truffle Mayonnaise
Add 1/2 teaspoon black or white truffle paste into the food processor.
Aioli
Add 2 chopped garlic cloves with the egg into the food processor.
Lemon Mayonnaise
Add the juice and rind of 1 small lemon and 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives.
Curried Mayonnaise
Beat in 2 teaspoons mild curry paste with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste,
then cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.
COOK AHEAD
This mayonnaise or any of the variations keeps very well in the fridge for up to 1 week in the
squeezy bottle.
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CREAMED LEEKS
Serves 6
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1 tbsp rapeseed oil
knob of butter
2 leeks, trimmed and finely
chopped (about 150g (5oz) in total)
175ml (6fl oz) cream
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salt and freshly ground black
pepper
Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the oil and butter. Tip in the leeks and sauté for 2–3
minutes, until softened. Pour in the cream and cook for another 4–5 minutes, until the cream
has reduced and the leeks are completely softened. Season to taste and use as required.
COOK AHEAD
This can be made up to 12 hours in advance, then cooled and kept covered with clingfilm in a
bowl in the fridge until needed. Place in a pan and reheat gently, stirring occasionally.
PRAWN VELOUTÉ
Makes about 300ml (1/2 pint)
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1 tbsp rapeseed oil
100g (4oz) Dublin Bay prawn
shells
1 small carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 fresh vine tomato
1/4 fennel bulb, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tbsp tomato purée
150ml (1/4 pint) dry white wine
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2 tbsp Cognac
300ml (1/2 pint) fish stock (page
254)
2 star anise
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh tarragon sprig
1 fresh basil sprig
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) cream
50ml (2fl oz) milk
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1 tsp soya lecithin
Heat a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the prawn shells for
2–3 minutes, until just beginning to colour. Add the carrot, onion, celery, tomato, fennel and
garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes.
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Stir the tomato purée into the vegetable and prawn shell mixture. Deglaze with the wine and
Cognac, then reduce down until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the fish stock,
then add the star anise and herbs. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes, until well
reduced. Finally, stir in the cream and milk and reduce for another 10 minutes. Pass the sauce
through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Season to taste and keep warm.
Add the soya lecithin to the sauce. Place the hand blender in the sauce just before serving and
blitz to lighten by bringing the head of the blender from the very bottom of the pan to the top
of the liquid. Use immediately.
COOK AHEAD
This can be made in advance up to the stage where it is passed through a sieve. Store in the
fridge covered in clingfilm for up to 2 days, then reheat in a pan and add the soya lecithin at
the last minute just before frothing.
For other recipes from the Home Chef Series please go to
Home Chef Series 5 Website
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