Super Easy Crab Cakes

Similar to my tuna cake recipe, this is a fast way to make Crab cakes. You can serve with a salad, baked potato or any other side dish you prefer.

Thanks to Lisa in Bournemouth for this recipe!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 slice of bread - about a day old is the best.

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1/2teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 pound cooked white crab meat, flaked

Butter and oil for frying

Lemon or lime wedges

Method

Put bread in a food processor and pulse to make breadcrumbs.

Put into a bowl and mix with the chopped parsley.

In another bowl, mix the Worcestershire sauce and egg.

Add the crab meat, lemon juice and about 6tbsp of the crumb mix to the egg mix.

Season with salt and pepper and combine well but don’t mush up the crab meat too much!

Put the rest of the crumbs into a saucer.

Divide the mixture into 4 portions; flatten gently into thick patties.

Coat each patty lightly with the remaining crumbs.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before sautéing.

Heat butter and a little oil, enough to generously cover the bottom, in the frying pan.

(You can also bake them or gill them if you don't like the idea of frying)

Add the crab patties, in batches if necessary, and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve with the lemon or lime wedges for squeezing.

Healthy Fish Dish

After all the fattening food in my last posts, here is something healthy, tasty and easy to make!

Recipe courtesy of my dear old mama....

Ingredients

1 catfish fillet or two if small. can use any other type of white fish fillets.
1 spring onion
1 large tomato
few leaves fresh basil
1 lemon slice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
olive oil, extra virgin, cold pressed.

Method:
Wrap fish in pouch of parchment paper and top with white part of spring onion,and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Lightly steam fish in microwave for two minutes.

Slice two rounds from tomato for decoration use and chop the rest roughly, add salt and pepper and chopped basil leaves.
Serve fish decorated with the tomato rounds, the chopped tomatoes the lemon round cut in half, decorate with sprig of basil, check seasoning and sprinkle with a thin stream of olive oil.
Enjoy!

Grilled Swordfish

Swordfish is one of the most popular fish eaten in Malta. Cooked fresh on the barbie or grill they make a great summer meal!

Ingredients:
4 swordfish steaks, 3/4" thick
6 scallions, ends trimmed
I tbs honey
1 tbs vinegar
1 tbs fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbs teriyaki sauce
1 lemon, sliced, for garnish.

Method:
Mix all ingredients except the swordfish, lemons and scallions. Put in a zip lock bag and add the fish to coat completely. Put in fridge for an hour.


Light BBQ or grill.
Coat grill with oil or cooking spray
Grill fish for about 5 mins each side, basting with marinade.
Brush scallions with marinade and grill for the last 4 mins of cooking.
Serve with lemon slices and a drizzle of marinade

Lampuki Pie - Fish Pie

Torta Tal-Lampuki
Lampuka, a close runner-up to rabbit as Malta's favorite food, is often turned into "torta tal-lampuki" (lampuki Pie), in which the fish is fried, deboned, mixed with onions, spinach, tomatoes, olives, and baked in a pastry shell.
It is not unusual for Maltese living overseas to time their visits home to coincide with lampuka season, which runs approximately from late August through November.
I have never eaten this pie anywhere else and I think even if it is made elsewhere, the taste of the Lampuka makes it a truly Maltese dish!

Ingredients:

Pastry:-
500g plain flour
250g butter chilled and diced
3 -4 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 teaspoon salt

Fish Filling:
500gm lampuki / dolphin fish (you can also use mahi mahi or dorado)
4 large tomatoes chopped
2 large onions chopped
250gm spinach, par boiled
100gm peas
4 black olives, chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon zest
1 egg beaten
sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Method:
Dough Preparation:
Sift the flour. Add the salt. Rub in unsalted butter until mixture texture is crumbly. Gradually the cold water to the mixture and knead into dough. Roll to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Filling Preparation:
Clean the fish and remove all bones. Cut into small portions. Dip each piece in flour and fry until just cooked through. Set aside. Fry the onion and garlic until done. Add the spinach, olives, peas and tomatoes. Blend in the lemon zest. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft. Add the fish to the vegetables and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the pastry into two parts, 1/3 and 2/3. Roll out both portions to a desired thickness. With the larger portion line the bottom and sides of a baking dish. Fill in with the lampuki mix. Cover all with the smaller pastry portion. Seal the upper and lower pastry portions together along the edges of the baking dish. Cut some slits in the upper pastry layer. Glaze the top with a beaten egg. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake in a moderate (250c) preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes till pastry is golden in colour.

Aljotta - Fish Soup Maltese Style

Maltese Fish Soup (Aljotta) SERVES 6

Malta is - or was - a devoutly Catholic country, and this soup was very popular during Lent, when one could not eat meat. Using the whole fish—head and tail included—will add flavor to the soup, and is also a reflection of the frugal Maltese housewife! I have seen several recipes on line that omit one important thing - the rice which was added to turn the soup into a whole meal.

INGREDIENTS

800g small fish (traditionally rock fish, substitutes include halibut, flounder and snapper) cleaned and cut into 4 pieces

8 cups water (and a fish stock cube if available)

pepper & salt

1 medium onion

bay leaf

3 cloves of garlic

mint, fresh if available

2 tablespoons oil

2 lemons (one for juice one for decoration)

100 gms. white rice

6 tomatoes

Use a pot large enough to add enough water to cover the mixture

METHOD

chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil until soft.

Chop tomatoes and add to the onions.

Add the herbs and enough water (with or without fish stock cube) to make the soup

Wait until the mixture boils and then add the fish.

Cook slowly until the fish is cooked.

Take fish from pot with a slotted spoon, allow to cool a bit, and remove head, tail, skin, and bones.

Strain the remaining mixture

Put the strained liquid back on the stove and add the rice.

Cook until the rice is soft.

Put the fish pieces back

Add a squeeze of lemon and serve hot with lemon wedges and parsley as garnish

Baked Tuna - Maltese Style

Fish and seafood play a key role in the regular meals of the island of Malta. Until recently, fish was eaten on Fridays in observance of the catholic tradition of "no meat on a Friday".

This recipe, although called Baked Tuna is actually more of a briased dish as the liquid let out by the tomatoes lets the fish remain very moist.

This is a very different way of cooking tuna compared to the quick, high heat, "seared on the outside, rare on the inside" style. It is also almost impossible to botch it up as I have tried frozen tuna (not even bothering to defrost the steaks) and as long as you check that the water has not been completely absorbed you will be fine!

I would serve this with a salad and lots of crispy bread..ah yes..and a glass of vino!

Ingredients
About 2 lbs of tuna as steaks about half an inch thick ( 4 steaks aprox)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 chopped onions
1 lb potatoes coarsely sliced
1 lb tomatoes, halved
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt to taste (the coarse type) and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Brush the sides and bottom of a baking dish with some of the olive oil
Spread the onions on the bottom of the baking dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover onions with the sliced potatoes
Put the tuna steaks on top, then cover with the tomato halves, cut side down.
Add the garlic cloves, then pour in the water.
Pour the remaining olive oil and wine over the tomatoes, then sprinkle the mint and parsley over the entire top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover the baking dish with foil
Bake until the potatoes are fork tender (usually around 45-60 minutes). Let rest for 10 minutes, serve hot.