FOOD: All recipes serve four.
GRILLED SALT-CRUSTED TIGER PRAWNS
4-6 shell-on tiger prawns, depending on size, per person,
lemons to serve
Gently rinse the prawns and drain them in a colander. Lay the prawns out on a plate or board and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. A griddle pan is by far the best to cook the prawns on, or fire up your conventional grill. Whatever method you choose, it must be piping hot. Grill them for two to three minutes on each side or until lightly charred and serve with finger bowls and lemons. Although not to everyone's taste, the meat just behind the head is delicious. Break the body away and suck the head section, a sweet briny delight before you get on with the tail.
CRAB SALAD, SALTED CUCUMBER AND RADISHES
half a cucumber
4 cardamom pods
2 dressed crab
4 handfuls salad leaves
olive oil
bunch radishes, washed and trimmed
2 lemons
Trim the end from the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice thinly and place in a sieve with a tablespoon of salt. Toss it, so the cucumber is well coated, then leave aside for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Set it aside to drain.
Briefly toss the cardamom pods in a hot, dry frying pan until their aroma is rounded rather than raw - about two minutes. With a sharp knife, crack open the cardamom pods and ease out the seeds. Grind them in a pestle and mortar, or with a wooden spoon, until fine, and mix in with the crab meat. I tend to mix the white and dark meat together, but keep them separate if you want a grander display later on, and add the cardamom to the dark meat.
Combine the salad leaves with four tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half-a-lemon and salt and pepper. Toss well. Spoon the crab meat into the centre of four plates. If you have kept the meats separate, put the brown on the bottom and the white on top. Squeeze any excess moisture from the cucumber and make a neat pile at the side of the plate. Ditto with the radishes. Put the salad leaves round the edge and drizzle the plate with more olive oil. Check the seasoning and serve with half-a-lemon.
SALT COD BRANDADE WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS, TOAST AND TAPENADE
500g salt cod soaked overnight in several changes of water
250ml full cream milk
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife
500g floury potatoes
150ml olive oil
1 jar roasted red peppers
4 slices good bread
1 jar good quality tapenade
1 lemon, trimmed and quartered
Combine the fish, milk, bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic in a saucepan, slowly bring this to the boil and then remove from the heat. Allow it to cool and then remove the fish from the milk and roughly flake it. Strain the milk, discarding the garlic and bay leaves.
Peel and cook the potatoes, drain and mash, but don't salt them, you can adjust that at the end. Combine the milk and olive oil and whisk into the potatoes over a low heat (you may not need all the milk, it depends rather a lot on your potatoes). Whisk in the cod and check the seasoning. Brandade can be served cold, at room temperature or, as I like it, slightly warm. To serve, toast the bread, cut it into triangles and spread with the tapenade. Lay these against a mound of brandade and scatter a pepper or two about the plate. Add a lemon wedge.
SALTING FISH
You can salt your own cod if buying it proves difficult. Sprinkle a 1.5kg fillet of cod (skin on) with 50g rough salt. Wrap this in cling film and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Rinse for two hours in cold water before using, changing the water several times. If in doubt, taste a little before using it. The de-salting can be speeded up by cutting the fish into chunks and leaving the water gently running into the bowl. And remember, you can de-salt and keep the fish in the fridge.