Alex MacKay

Salmon with Saffron and Shellfish

Ingredients for four

Four 5 ounce (150g) fillets of salmon, each cut in half
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
¾ cup white wine
24 clams
24 mussels
6 tiger prawns, shell on
4 plum tomatoes, seeded
A pinch of saffron
½ cup cream
1 small bunch of fennel or dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat grill to it's highest setting.

Clean and scrub the clams and mussels, next sweat the garlic in the butter for a couple of minutes and add the white wine. Toss in the clams, mussels, tiger prawns, tomatoes and saffron and boil until the calms and mussels open, discard any that don't.

While these are cooking, brush the salmon filets with the olive oil season them well and grill them for about 5 minutes. Add the cream to the seafood mixture, boil it, add the fennel and serve in big bowls with the salmon.

Lemon Curd with Figs and Raspberries

Ingredients for four

The Lemon Curd
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
Zest and juice of 3 lemons
10 tbsp. unsalted butter


The Figs and Raspberries
1¼ sweet red wine or port
2 tbsp. Lavender honey
6 Large ripe figs, halved
2 cups raspberries
4 whopping tablespoons of creme fraiche or mascarpone

Method

Mix the eggs and sugar together and add the lemon zest, juice and butter whisk over the heat until it thickens then put in a bowl and leave it to cool.

Bring the red wine to the boil with the honey and reduce by half.

Add the figs and bring the lot back to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes then add the raspberries. Serve either hot or cold with the lemon curd.