Crispy Coconut Prawns With Roasted Red Pepper & Chilli Dip

Here’s something a bit different, great party food or even a sharing starter served with the dip in the middle.

Crispy Coconut Prawns

With Roasted Red Pepper & Chilli Dip

You will need;

120 Gm – Raw King Prawns

30 Gm – Fresh Breadcrumbs

30 Gm – freshly grated Coconut

1 – Egg (beaten)

Plain Flour

Oil for deep frying

For the Dip;

2 - Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)

60 ml – White Wine Vinegar (distilled white vinegar will do)

1 teaspoon – Muscovado Sugar

100 ml – Water

1/2 tablespoon - Corn Flour

30 ml - Water (for the corn flour paste)

1 tablespoon – Hoisin Sauce

2 - Large Red Chilli’s (roughly chopped)

4 – small to medium Red Peppers (quartered)

A little Olive Oil

The Dip

Place the peppers in a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and roast at 180° for 20 minutes.

Put the peppers, chillies and garlic in a food processor along with the vinegar and water (100 ml) then process them as smooth as you can.

Transfer your mixture to a saucepan, add the sugar and hoisin then bring to the boil. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Now pass through a sieve into another pan.

Mix the corn flour and 30 ml of water into a paste, add it to the mixture and stir it in. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

That is it you are done.

The dip will be hot and runny, let it cool down and when it is cold it will become thick and sticky just right for dipping.

So put the dip in the fridge when it has cooled a little then you can get on with the prawns.

Although I’ve used fresh coconut you can use desiccated coconut but fresh is best for taste.

Mix the breadcrumbs and the coconut together in a container.

Now set yourself up a little production line of flour, egg and breadcrumb/coconut mix and heat up your oil for deep frying. Don’t have the oil too hot because you don’t want to burn the coconut, 150° will be about right.

Coat each prawn in the flour then the egg and then the breadcrumb mix, then into the oil and deep fry for a few minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Cook a few at a time so that you can keep them separate and don’t overcook them because they will become tough.

Serve immediately with the dip on the side.

Rainbow Trout in Mushroom and Madeira Sauce

Firstly I’d like to say to all my healthy food loving followers something my lovely old gran used to say

 “a little of what you fancy does you good”.

This sauce has plenty of cream and butter but as long as you don’t eat like this every day then occasionally this is a lovely thing.

I've used baby chestnut mushrooms for this but any mushrooms of your choice will do.

Of course any fish of your choice will do, but I’ve used my all time favourite Rainbow Trout,

Rainbow Trout in Mushroom and Madeira Sauce

Serves 2 Time 45 Minutes

You will need

1 – Whole Rainbow Trout (cleaned)

70 Gm – Butter

100 Ml – Madeira

100 Ml – Double Cream

100 ML – Chicken Stock

150 Gm – Baby Chestnut Mushrooms

A little olive oil

Gently pan fry the trout on each side in a little oil until cooked through, if you haven’t a pan big enough then cut it in half or you can cook it in the oven.

Quarter the mushrooms but save some whole just for presentation.

Melt the butter in a pan with a little olive oil.

Keeping the pan on a fairly high heat put the quartered mushrooms in, you will get maximum flavour out of them if you don’t touch them so just place them into the butter and leave them to cook for about 5 minutes.

Then add the Madeira and cook until it has reduced by half, also you can add the whole mushrooms that you kept back.

After it has reduced take the pan off the heat for a minute then add the cream, mix well then back on the heat and add the stock.

Season to taste then keep on a fairly high heat until it has reduced by half.

Take the skin off the trout, carefully remove the fillets and serve with the sauce over.

Chinese Style Spicy Cod Fillets on Beansprouts

I've used my Chinese Curry Paste to make this curry; it’s not to overpowering so that you still keep the flavour of the cod.

The beansprouts add a great texture and the coconut milk creates a great Thai style flavour.

Chinese Style Spicy Cod Fillets on Beansprouts

Serves 2 Time 50 Minutes

You will need

1 – Small Onion (very finely chopped)

80 Gm – Chinese Curry Paste

300 Ml – Chicken Stock

200 Ml – Coconut Milk

2 fillets – Cod

30 Gm – Butter

1 teaspoon – Corn Flour (mixed with a little water)

200 Gm – Beansprouts

Start by melting the butter in a frying pan and gently cook the fish skin down for about 10 minutes, it’s important not to overcook the fish because you want it to stay together throughout.

While the fish is cooking soften the onions in a little olive oil, use a wok or large pan.

Add the curry paste to the onions and mix well.

Now add a little of the stock and mix into a loose paste.

Add the rest of the stock and mix well.

Then add the corn flour and coconut milk and mix well.

After the fish has been cooking for 10 minutes turn it over and gently remove the skin.

Add the fish to the curry and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Stir fry the beansprouts for 3 or 4 minutes in a little olive oil.

Plaice each fillet on a bed of beansprouts  with some curry sauce and serve.