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Crayfish and Avocado salad with chilled Gazpacho

So, fancy towers of food in the middle of a plate is not really my thing, but James Martin made a fantastic looking Chilled melon soup with langoustines and mint on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen this week. I must say I was inspired. Today it was 36 degrees, and I am really, really hot. A cold soup could really hit the spot.

Now on the way to the local supermarket, I had ‘cold soup with sea food’ in mind, but not remembering what James had made on Saturday I bought the following:

Supplementing this with some olive oil, sour cream, salt and pepper, fresh basil, chives, a chili, a lime, and the stainless steel ring I bought on the market, I came up with one of the best starters that have been served from my kitchen.

1 packet of pre-made Gazpacho soup
1 ripe avocado
1 packet of cooked and peeled crayfish tails
1 long red pepper

I grilled the pepper until it was soft, and slightly blackened on the skin side and cut out two circles of its red flesh. Mixing half an avocado with some fresh basil, seasoning, chives, olive oil, chives, some lime juice, and a piece of chili produced a zesty guacamole type sauce/mush.

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DIY Rub (that’s a seasoning thing)

During my weekly veg-out in front of Saturday Morning Kitchen on BBC, Jamie Oliver was waffling on about rubs for meat vs. marinates. Now I can’t remember what he said, but I felt inspired to dig out the pestle and mortar to make my own for my Sunday lunch of Beer can chicken.

Grind it all up, and rub on the meat of choice. It seems that this will keep for a few months in a Tupperware, but it is fun to make, and I like the way it is a bit different each time.

1 x teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 x teaspoon of cumin seeds
½ x teaspoon of paprika
½ x teaspoon of mustard seeds
½ x teaspoon of coarse sea salt

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Grilled Red Mullet with Basil and Pernod

There is something about small grilled whole fish that just conjures up memories of Mediterranean holidays. It is those moments that have inspired my cooking. If I could eat seafood, with a warm Greek sea breeze brushing my sun kissed cheeks every night, I would be a truly happy man.

Saturday morning at the Albert Cuypstraat market in Amsterdam, is a fish lovers dream. This morning I found some lovely red mullet.

To marinate the mullet, cut to slice in each side, and sprinkle generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, shredded basil leaves, and a dribble of Pernod. Cover and leave for an hour or 2.

Grill on a medium heat for about 3 minutes each side.