Seafood with A Crunch
by Lynn Bain

IN THIS month's Cooking Corner I’ll show you how to give your seafood a tasty topcoat and treat yourself to some delicious new flavours!

OYSTERS WITH A NUTTY CRUNCH

This recipe couldn't be simpler, and the taste is just so good!

Ingredients

• 12 oysters in the half shell
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 clove chopped garlic
• 100g unsalted pistachio nuts

Preparation

• Preheat your grill.

• Pop the butter, parsley, garlic, and pistachios into a food processor and blend for a few seconds until the pistachios are slightly crushed.

• Add about half a teaspoon of the pistachio mixture on the top of each oyster and place them under the preheated grill for a few seconds until the butter melts.

• Serve immediately. Be ready to repeat this recipe many times - it's absolutely delicious.

CHEESY CRUSTED FISH

This easy-to-prepare recipe takes advantage of some of the bottled tomato-based pasta sauces available.

Ingredients

• 4 fish fillets or steaks
• 1/4 cup tomato-based pasta sauce
• 100g grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs

Preparation

• Preheat your grill.

• Grill the fish on both sides until nearly cooked and remove the grill tray from under the grill.

• Combine the cheeses and breadcrumbs. Using a pastry brush, brush a little of the pasta sauce over one side of the fish before sprinkling with a generous amount of the cheese and breadcrumb mixture.

• Place the grill tray back under the grill and continue to cook until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

CRUMBLE-TOPPED FISH

Fillets or steaks of fish topped with a cheesy potato mash and baked in the oven are a taste sensation! If you’re in a hurry you can use instant mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 fish fillets or steaks
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, chopped

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 375F/180C.

• Place the fish fillets into a baking dish.

• Combine the mashed potatoes, onion, garlic, curry powder and grated cheese in a bowl and mix well. Spread the potato mixture over the top of the fish fillets to form an even covering. Sprinkle the potato mixture with the fresh breadcrumbs and top with small dots of butter.

• Place the baking dish into the oven and bake until the fillets are cooked and the topping is golden brown. The amount of cooking time required depends on the thickness of your fillets or steaks.

Problem solver - if your fish is just about cooked but the topping is still not golden, pop the baking dish under a hot grill for a few moments to brown the topping.

The seafood used in these recipes was supplied by Sam’s Seafood, Hamilton (ph. 3633 4700).