i Lead Recipes

A wonderful dish to serve with lemon wedges and a salad on the side.

550g new potatoes

3 sprigs of rosemary and 5ml chopped rosemary

45ml olive oil

75d breadcrumbs

4 skinless hake fillets

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Slice the potatoes thinly and cook in boiling, salted water for 6-8 minutes. Spread out in a baking tray. Scatter rosemary sprigs over and drizzle with 30ml olive oil.
3. Mix breadcrumbs, chopped rosemary and remaining olive oil and sprinkle this mixture on top of each fish fillet.
4. Remove potatoes from the oven and place the fish on top.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the fish is baked through.

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Caviar is eggs taken from female sturgeon fish. Ninety percent of the world’s caviar comes from countries like Iran which are in the Caspain sea. The packaging of caviar is very labour intensive due to the delicateness of the product. Harvesting the eggs is a sterile process in which the fish are well-washed, gutted and the roe extracted manually. The eggs are weighed and strained before it is preserved by salting. This is a very technical process as the type of salt that is used should be in accordance with the customers preference and different countries’ customs regulations. The containers are sealed by pulling a rubber band over it. During storage an oily liquid seeps out the container which is an indicator of the freshness of the product. 

Caviar is an exclusive and specialised food and renowned chef’s schools like Prue Leith Chef’s Academy train their Graduates in the art of preparing and presenting it as true masterpieces.

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Duxelles is the word used to describe finely chopped mushrooms and onion (or shallots) that are sautéed in butter until soft. The mixture, which should be quite dry, is used to flavour poached fish or shellfish, or to dress a fillet of beef or leg of baby lamb before they are wrapped in pastry, or to garnich a papillote.

Cooking en papillote is to enclose an ingredient, usually already half cooked or sealed, in an envelope of strong paper or aluminium foil. The foil or paper is cut into an oval the size of an A4 piece of paper, greased with butter or oil on the inside, and then folded to enclose the ingredient to be cooked. Herbs may also be added. This is an excellent way to cook trout, sole, salmon, turbot or veal.

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This is a favourite dish served at Highland hunting lodges and in many an Officers’ Mess – breakfast or brunch, it’s filling and delicious. You’ll need:

• 60gm butter
• 240gm Cooked, flaked smoked haddock
• 180gm boiled rice, drained
• 2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
• 1 raw egg
• 2 – 3 tablespoons cream
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan, add the haddock and shake over the heat until thoroughly hot. Add the rice and hard-boiled eggs and seasoning. Shake and stir over the heat then add the raw egg and cream – enough to moisten the whole mixture. Reheat and turn out into a serving dish.

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This is a delicious Tuna Dip for a Cocktail Party. Serve with crackers or crisps. Blend together in a liquidizer the following:

• 1 Tin Tuna
• 3 Capers – finely chopped
• 1 small onion – finely chopped
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pour into serving bowl and decorate the top with chopped parsley and paprika.

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