Recipe by Nick Hodges, head chef at St Michael’s Hotel and Spa

St Michael’s Hotel and Spa, Gyllyngvase Beach Falmouth Cornwall TR11 4NB www.stmichaelshotel.co.uk

Grilled seafood platter for 2

With charred lemon, bouillabaisse puree and pan-seared samphire

Ingredients

Seafood

• 2 langoustine
• 2 Cornish oysters, opened and cleaned
• 2 razor clams
• 100g fillet of hake or similar white fish
• 50g prepared fresh squid
• Or any mix of fresh fish from your fishmonger

Bouillabaisse puree

• Handful of crab/lobster/shrimp bones (or shellfish stock cube)
• 25g/1oz finely shredded fennel
• 25g/1oz finely shredded shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• Stick of celery
• Bay leaf/pinch of saffron
• Zest of 1 small orange and juice
• 1 chopped fresh tomato
• Teaspoon of tomato puree
• Pinch sea salt and twist of cracked black pepper
• Small glass of white wine

Extras

• 1 fresh lemon
• 100g samphire or a mix of fresh summer green vegetables

Recipe

Bouillabaisse puree

NB. This will take some time and is best done the day before; kept in a Kilner jar, it will last for some time.

• Place a thick-bottomed pan on a fairly high heat and add a touch of olive oil. When hot, add the bones (if you have them). Toss them around to brown, then add all the rest of the fresh dry ingredients. Lightly colour, but be careful not to burn the vegetables - turn the heat down if you need to.
• Add the tomato puree and again toss all ingredients around. Add the white wine, orange juice and then cover the bone and vegetable mix with cold water (and the stock cube if using).
• Slowly bring to a simmer and cook for around 15 to 20 minutes. After this time, taste the stock - it should be a light and fragrant taste of the shellfish, tomatoes and saffron. Remove from the heat and strain into another saucepan, then reduce to the consistency of tomato ketchup. (This is a puree; if you prefer, don’t reduce and you will have a great traditional Bouillabaisse sauce).

The Seafood

• Fresh fish can be easy or complicated as you wish to make it. Pan-fry, grill or oven bake – it’s really up to you.
• Cut all the seafood to similar sizes for consistent cooking times. Drizzle on a little olive oil and season, pop in a medium oven at 180 C for approximately 10 minutes, and you will have all ingredients perfectly cooked with no mess or fuss.
• At the end of the cooking add two halves of lemon to the tray. Roasted lemon is sweeter and far tastier than just squeezing a fresh lemon out of the fridge.
• Finally, add the samphire into a hot pan with a little oil and butter, the same applies if you are using fresh greens, keep the greens nice and crisp.

Plating up

Warm a few spoonfuls of the Bouillabaisse puree in the microwave. Place a pool on the plate, and drag the back of a dessertspoon through, carrying it across the plate. Arrange the seafood around the puree, add the greens and lemon. Serve.