Shellfish

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Spaghetti with Bottarga, Prawns, Parsley and Chilli (Serves 4)

Although bottarga (salted and dried grey mullet or tuna roe) isn’t cheap, a little goes a long way. Its creamy, salty flavour makes this pasta dish incredibly delicious! Bottarga can last several months in the fridge so it’s worth having some at hand for this ultra-quick recipe. Thank you to Diana Henry (again!) for this perfect lazy day recipe.

300g spaghetti (gluten-free if required)

1 onion, finely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

500g raw, shelled prawns (defrosted if frozen)

Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped

Juice of ½ lemon

85g bottarga, grated

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft and just turning golden. Add the chilli flakes and prawns. Stir the prawns and onion around until the prawns turn pink and are cooked – it will take about 2 minutes. Add the parsley and lemon juice.
Drain the spaghetti and while still warm season it with salt and pepper, then moisten with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add the prawn mixture and tip into a heated serving bowl. Scatter with the shaved bottarga. Toss lightly and serve.

Fresh Turmeric and Peppercorn Curry with Prawns and Asparagus (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully fresh curry with delicious aromatic flavours. The recipe is from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, ‘Comfort’; whilst I must admit to finding the recipes in this book rather ‘hit or miss’, this one is an absolute winner! The tangy ‘cucumber and ginger relish’ is a very important element to this dish – don’t be tempted to omit it.

145ml tin coconut cream

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

25g palm sugar, roughly chopped (or light soft brown sugar)

20ml fish sauce

500g asparagus, cut into 3cm lengths, keep the tips separate

500g peeled prawns

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Cucumber and Ginger Relish:

125ml rice (or other white) vinegar

80g caster sugar

½ cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced (200g)

20g ginger, peeled and julienned

1 red chilli, halved , deseeded and thinly sliced

10g coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly torn

1 lime cut into wedges, to serve

Salt

Spice Paste:

3-5g dried chillies, more if you like it hot (I used Kashmiri dried chillies)

½ teaspoon whole white peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground

2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

2 shallots (60g), roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

20g coriander stems, roughly chopped

10g fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon coconut cream

First of all make the relish, this can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated. Put the vinegar and sugar into a small pan along with 60ml water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil, the simmer for a minute, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and, once cool, add the cucumber, ginger, chilli and coriander stems (not the leaves), transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge. Just before serving stir through the coriander leaves.
To make the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for a few minutes. Put the ground white peppercorns and coriander seeds into a small bowl of a food processor, along with the shallots, garlic, coriander stems, turmeric, coconut cream, soaked chillies and 1 tablespoon of the chilli soaking liquid. Blend to form a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
Put the 145ml coconut cream into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add the spice paste and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until thick, clotted and oily – it will appear split. Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus stalks, cook for 4 minutes, then add the prawns and asparagus tips. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through.
Serve with jasmine rice, the cucumber and ginger relish (with the coriander leaves stirred through) and a wedge of lime.

Pasta with Clams & Prawns (Serves 4)

This is a super quick recipe from the ‘River Café Cook Book Easy’. It makes a great supper!

320g Penne or Fusilli

1kg clams

250g peeled prawns

3 garlic cloves ,finely chopped

1 fresh red chilli, chopped

100g rocket leaves, roughly chopped

150g white wine

Extra virgin olive oil

Firstly, rinse the clams in cold water, making sure that they are all closed – tap on those that are open and discard them if they do not close, and discard those with cracked or damaged shells.
In a large thick-bottomed pan with a lid heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and add the garlic, cook until soft, then add the clams and wine. Cover and cook until the clams have opened, about 2 minutes. Discard any that remain closed.
Add the prawns, rocket and chilli and cover again to wilt the rocket. Keep warm.
Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente according to the packet instructions. Drain and add to the clams. Heat together for a minute, season and drizzle with olive oil.

Simple Paella (Serves 4)

This recipe is what Donna Hay, in her cookbook ‘Simple Dinners’, calls her ‘cheat’s version of paella’, despite taking next to no time to cook it is extremely tasty and will definitely impress both family and friends!…

1 red onion, sliced

½-1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes (depending on your tastebuds)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

3 chorizo sausages, sliced

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, chopped into bitesize pieces

250g short-grain paella rice

1 litre chicken stock

12 raw king prawns, peeled

25g coriander, leaves picked

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered

Lemon wedges to serve

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion, chilli, paprika and chorizo and cook for 3-5 minutes until golden.
Add the chicken, cook, turning, for 3 minutes or until sealed.
Add the rice and stir until coated with the oil. Add the stock, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Divide between the plates and top with the tomatoes and coriander and serve with a lemon wedge.

Spicy Prawn & Cherry Tomato Spaghetti (Serves 4)

This is one of those easy pasta sauces which is instantly gratifying; its slightly piquant flavour is cut by the sweetness bursting from the cherry tomatoes – sublime!

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

400g peeled raw king prawns, defrosted if frozen

800g cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

100ml dry white wine

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

400g spaghetti (gluten-free if required)

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Pat the prawns dry on kitchen roll and season with salt. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove the prawns to a plate and set aside.
Tip the tomatoes, garlic and chilli into the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until the tomatoes are lightly charred and beginning to burst. Pour in the wine and cook for a further minute.
While the tomatoes are cooking, cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions. Drain, saving a tablespoon or so of the cooking water.
Tip the pasta into the frying pan with the tomatoes. Add the cooked prawns and toss well to combine over the heat. Add a little of the reserved cooking water and continue turning the pasta in the sauce until well coated. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Mussels, Cherry Tomatoes & White Wine (Serves 4)

This is one of those simple dishes which always delivers!…

800g live mussels

150ml dry white wine

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

500g spaghetti (gluten-free if required)

Sea salt and black pepper

Scrub the mussels under cold running water. Ensure that all shells are closed – discard any that remain open or have broken shells.
Place the mussels in a large saucepan with the wine. Cover and cook over a high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the mussels are all open. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard any mussels that remain closed.
In the same pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat, add the garlic and fry for a minute or so. Add the tomatoes and parsley and pour in the reserved cooking liquid. Simmer gently for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes have started to soften. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
Drain the spaghetti and tip into the saucepan with the sauce, add half the mussels and gently stir to combine over a low heat for 30 seconds.
To serve, put the pasta in large bowls with the remaining mussels arranged over the top.

Prawn & Mango Curry (Serves 4)

This is a very mild curry made with coconut milk, I’ve found that it’s popular with adults and children alike. It’s an extremely easy recipe from Angela Hartnett’s cookbook ‘A Taste of Home’. It is certainly home cooking at its best – it will be on the table in less than 30 minutes!

2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk

800g raw prawns, shelled and deveined (defrosted if frozen)

1 mango, flesh diced

1 tablespoon chopped coriander

2 tablespoons chopped Thai basil

For the curry paste:

2 red chillies, seeded, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

2 lemon grass stems, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and boil until it is reduced by half.
Put the curry paste ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
Add the paste and prawns to the pan of reduced coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the prawns are cooked then add the mango, followed by the chopped coriander and Thai basil. Serve with rice.

Pasta with Courgettes, Prawns & Chilli (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Simple’, so the title of the book tells you straightaway that this is a quick and easy recipe. It is also big on flavour! Henry uses trofie pasta, which looks and tastes wonderful with this sauce, but if you can’t get it or are gluten-free, any other short pasta shape, such as penne or casarecce works well. Make sure you cook the courgettes until they are lovely and golden to create as much flavour as possible. You can either use dill or basil, I prefer dill for this recipe.

300g trofie or any other short pasta shape such as penne, casarecce (gluten-free if required)

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

500g courgettes cut into little cubes

2 garlic cloves, crushed

300g raw king prawns, shelled and deveined

2 good pinches of chilli flakes

8 tablespoons dry white vermouth (or white wine)

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons dill fronds (or torn basil leaves)

Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and quickly sauté the courgettes until they’re golden all over and quite soft. Add the garlic, prawns, chilli flakes and seasoning, cook for another minute over a fairly high heat tossing the prawns around. Splash in the vermouth and let it bubble away until almost nothing.
Quickly drain the pasta and add to the frying pan along with the lemon juice (to taste) and either the dill or basil. Check the seasoning and add a final glug of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Asparagus & Crab Linguine with Chilli (Serves 4)

There are many variations of pasta dishes with crab, but this recipe with the addition of asparagus is a firm family favourite, the asparagus complements the crab beautifully without overpowering it. It is a lovely fresh tasting dish which is super quick to make!

400g linguine (or spaghetti)

Large knob of butter

4 tablespoons extra virgin oil

2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

250g asparagus

300g crab meat

4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

1 lemon, zested and juiced

First of all prepare the asparagus by snapping off and discarding the woody ends, then slice the stalks lengthways.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet until al dente.
Meanwhile heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and chilli, then the asparagus. Cook for about 3 minutes until the asparagus starts to soften.
Add the crabmeat to heat through, then remove from the hob.
When the pasta is ready, drain (reserving a little cooking water) and add to the asparagus pan. Place is back on the heat, add the chives, lemon zest and juice and toss well, adding a spoonful of the reserved cooking water to loosen if needed. Season and serve with an extra glug of olive oil.

Prawn Moilee (Serves 4)

This curry is beautifully spiced with mild, warm flavours. It is from the cookbook Dishoom, which shares the recipes from the Dishoom restaurant’s much-loved menu of ‘Bombay comfort food’. This particular recipe is probably one of the simplest in the book, yet it does not forfeit flavour, it’s great for a midweek meal yet equally special enough for a celebratory meal!

You will find fresh curry leaves at most Asian food shops, it’s worth buying more than you need as they freeze well!

6 green chillies

40ml vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

20 fresh curry leaves

300g onions, sliced

15g garlic paste

15g ginger paste

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1¼ teaspoons ground turmeric

25g fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (see tip above)

400ml coconut milk

250ml coconut cream

24 large peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

300g medium tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges

Lemon wedges, to serve

Remove and discard the stalks and seeds of the chillies, then slice each one into 3 or 4 long strips. Set to one side.
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil and let it warm for a few seconds, then add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. Let them crackle for a few minutes.
Add the onions and sauté lightly for 12-14 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes, salt, black pepper and turmeric and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the sliced chillies and ginger matchsticks and cook for 3 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and cream. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Now add the prawns and tomatoes to the sauce and simmer for a further 5-6 minutes until the prawns are just cooked.
Serve with plain steamed rice and the lemon wedges on the side.

Spaghetti alle Vongole (Serves 4)

This dish is one of my all-time favourites – one of ‘my last supper’ dishes. It is extremely simple to cook and ready in minutes! I really do believe that using prosecco or sparkling wine improves the flavour of the sauce – giving it a sweetness. I buy the mini 20cl bottles of prosecco from my supermarket. I like more rather than less clams, so I suggest 1.25kg for 4 people, but you could use 1kg.

400g spaghetti

1.25kg small clams, such as palourdes (see note above)

200ml prosecco or sparkling wine (a 20cl bottle)

40g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, 2 sliced, 2 chopped

¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

Firstly, rinse the clams in cold water, making sure that they are all closed – tap on those that are open and discard them if they do not close, and discard those with cracked or damaged shells.
Put the clams in a saucepan over a medium to high heat, add 150ml of the prosecco. Cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes, occasionally shaking the pan. You will be able to hear the clams popping open as they cook. Remove the lid to check if the clams have opened, if there are still some unopened continue to cook for a minute or two.
Drain the clams in a sieve over a bowl – you need to keep the cooking liquid.
There maybe a couple of clams that will not open – discard these. Put 12 clams with their shells to one side, these will serve as decoration. Remove the remaining clams from their shells(discard the shells). You will be left with a small bowl of clams and the 12 with their shells.
Start cooking the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet until al dente.
Meanwhile cook the vongole sauce. Melt 30g of the butter and the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic, lemon zest and chilli flakes, fry for a minute or so until the garlic is just beginning to colour.
Add 150ml of the reserved cooking liquid, the remaining 50ml of prosecco and the lemon juice. Cook over a medium to high heat, allowing it to bubble and reduce by about half.
Add the remaining 10g of butter which will slightly thicken the sauce, and all of the clams including those with their shells plus the chopped parsley, cook for a further minute. Check seasoning.
Finally, drain the cooked spaghetti, add to the frying pan and mix well with the clams.
Serve, placing four clam shells on each of the plates.

*Visit my Instagram Page to see a video of this recipe being cooked!

Prawn Stir Fry with Basil, Chilli & Lime served with Rice and a Spiced Cucumber Salad (Serves 4)

This recipe is taken from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘How to Eat a Peach’, it is a beautiful book (the cover is textured like a peach skin!), the recipes are grouped into menus according to the season. This recipe is super easy to cook, just prepare all the ingredients so they can be quickly thrown in the pan, ready to cook in minutes. The cucumber salad is an important accompaniment as its subtle spice gives the whole dish more depth. Start by preparing the rice, I like long grain or sticky white rice with this stir fry. Whilst the rice is cooking prepare the cucumber salad and all of the ingredients for the stir fry, then start cooking it just as the rice is cooked. If you are gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce for the cucumber salad. *For a vegetarian option I would replace the prawns with a large handful of cashew nuts and some baby corn or cauliflower florets!

*You can see the video of this dish being made by clicking on this link to my instagram page

Prawn Stir Fry with Basil, Chilli & Lime

350g raw, shelled king prawns (defrosted if frozen)

200g sugar snap peas

1 tablespoon groundnut oil

2 red chillies and 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced (use less according to taste)

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Juice of lime

20g basil leaves, picked

unsalted peanuts, chopped, to serve (optional)

Dry the prawns on kitchen roll – the drier they are, the better they fry.
Halve the sugar snap peas along their lengths, so that the peas peep out.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, when hot, add the sugar snaps, fry for about 30 seconds.
Add the prawns, chillies and garlic, reduce the heat a little and cook until the prawns turn pink.
Add the fish sauce, sugar and lime, stir it all around until the sugar has dissolved, finally throw in the basil leaves.
Serve straight away with rice and the spiced cucumber salad (sprinkle with chopped peanuts if using).

Spiced Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon of caster sugar

1-2 teaspoons mild chilli powder (according to your taste)

4 spring onions, finely sliced

2 teaspoons of sesame oil (optional)

Black sesame seeds (optional)

Cut the cucumber into wafer thin slices
Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chilli powder in a bowl (depending on how spicy you would like it, you can add more or less chilli)
Toss the cucumber into the bowl along with the spring onions, and if using, also add the sesame oil and seeds.

Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder (Serves 4)

I must admit to cooking this recipe more than once during lockdown, as not only is it a delicious family favourite but it is also super easy to cook and deceptively filling! A definite winner in my humble opinion. I suggest you serve it with some fresh crusty bread (and butter), as I am gluten free I can’t eat the bread so instead I make a gluten free oatmeal bread – you can find the recipe on my Recipe Pa ges. This recipe is from Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Recipes from My Mother’ – as the name suggests, this is a book with lots of comforting recipes.

I used to buy the fresh crabmeat from my fishmonger but I have since discovered a fresh brand available in supermarkets called ‘Seafood & Eat it’ (great name!), which is very good, they sell it in 100g packs, one is pure white crab meat and the other is ‘fifty-fifty’ – half white, half brown, I find mixing these two packs gives the soup a fuller flavour. I actually use tinned, unsweetened corn for this recipe as opposed to frozen corn kernels, as I find that they have a softer texture and are sweeter, which I think works well with this particular recipe. I use fresh stock bought from the supermarket, ‘TRUEfoods’ chicken stock is very good if you can get it.

30g butter

200g onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

300g potatoes, diced

600ml chicken stock (see note above)

200ml milk

200g sweetcorn kernels (see note above)

200g fresh crabmeat (I usually use 150g white/ 50g brown – see note above)

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of chopped tarragon

50ml of double cream

sea salt and black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, add the onions and garlic with the salt and pepper. Cover and allow to sweat until soft but not coloured.
Add the potatoes and cook for a further 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally so that they don’t brown.
Add the stock, sweetcorn and milk, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and are just beginning to thicken the soup.
Finally, add the crabmeat, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, chopped herbs and cream. Check the seasoning and bring back to a gentle simmer, to heat through.
Serve with lots of bread or the oatmeal bread (the recipe can be found on my Recipe Pages)

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