Maximum Flavour, Minimum Fuss
Resident latitude chef Samantha Parish knows what it is like to be busy, and in her new cookbook Cook Me she takes 30 dishes and presents each one three ways to create 90 lip-smacking recipes designed to carry you through those days when you need to slap it together, as well as those where you have the time to play the long game. Here is a sneak peek into two of her chapters … enjoy!!
Recipes extracted from Cook Me – 30 dishes/3 ways by Sam Parish,
RRP $49.99, published by Koa Press.
Available from koapress.co.nz and all good bookstores.
Beer-batter fish burgers with tartare iceberg slaw
effort 4/5 | serves 4–6 | prep 15 min | cook 10 min
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
2 tbsp rice flour, plus ½ cup (75g) extra for dusting
1½ cups (375ml) beer*
1 tsp celery salt*
400g firm white fish (I used gurnard fillets, but flathead would also work well)
1 tsp chicken salt
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 ciabatta buns
vegetable oil for deep frying
Tartare iceberg slaw
1 small red onion, finely sliced
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp capers, chopped
8 cornichons (or any pickle), finely chopped, plus extra to serve
¼ iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 tbsp chopped dill
½ cup (150g) mayo
*Specialty ingredients
I used hazy pale ale, which is a nice fruity beer, but you can use whatever beer you like. Celery salt is a handy seasoning that adds savoury flavours to a dish.
For the slaw, combine all ingredients except the mayo.
Line a baking tray with paper towel. Heat 5cm of oil in a wide saucepan or wok over medium-high heat until it reaches 180°C on a thermometer. (If you don’t have a thermometer, a cube of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds when the oil is hot enough.)
For the batter, whisk together flours, beer and celery salt in a bowl. Put extra rice flour in a separate bowl and, working in batches, toss fish in rice flour, dredge through the batter, then add to hot oil. Cook for 3–4 minutes or until fish is cooked through and batter is golden and puffed. Transfer to prepared tray and scatter with some chicken salt. Continue with remaining fish fillets.
To assemble burgers, add mayo to slaw and mix to coat and combine. Divide among burger buns and top with fish and tomato slices. Skewer burgers, with an extra cornichon on top, to hold together, and serve.
Ultimate potato salad
effort 3/5 | gluten free
serves 6–8 as a side | cook 20 min
1 small red onion, finely chopped
8 cornichons (or any pickle), finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp pickling liquid
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1kg small clean potatoes, halved
1 tbsp chicken salt
2 bay leaves
8 eggs
150g bacon, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup (250g) mayo
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
½ bunch dill, finely chopped, with some sprigs reserved
Place onion, cornichons, pickling liquid, lemon zest and juice in a bowl and let stand to pickle.
Meanwhile, place potatoes, chicken salt and bay leaves in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil over medium heat then cook for 10 minutes. Wash eggs then add to saucepan and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl.
Cool eggs under a cold tap, then peel and halve.
Place bacon and oil in a frypan over medium-high heat and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Combine potatoes, mayo, mustard, eggs and most of the cornichon mixture and dill. Carefully fold to combine then transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining cornichon mixture, dill and bacon, and serve.
Samantha Parish has a wealth of knowledge and experience, with over eight years of
working as a freelance chef and recipe writer in Australia and New Zealand. Sam’s food ethos is MOF MOF: Maximum of Flavour, Minimum of Fuss, producing beautiful recipes that show off how smart you can cook when you cook simply.
