Simple Pan Fried Prawns

Ingredients:
1. Prawns - quantity of your choice
2. Good quality sea salt according to taste
3. Oil depending on amount of prawns to be cooked
4. Squeeze of lime - optional

Cooking time: 3 minutes

1. Choose a pan/wok big enough to contain amount of prawns to be pan fried.
2. When pan/wok is hot, add oil, when oil is smoking, add prawns, spread them out in pan/wok. Leave it to cook for about a minute. Add extra oil if necessary.
3. Flip prawns over and continue cooking for about another minute or depending on sizes of prawns.
4. Do not overcook prawns. Prawns are cooked when they turned pink/red or depending on the species.
5. Remove on serving dish, sprinkle good quality sea salt and serve immediately. It's finger licking good and enjoy it as is. No dip no other seasoning required.

Note: If you do not appreciate sucking on the prawn heads and shells, do not discard. They can be used to make a stock to be used at a later date. Freeze them and use as and when required.

Fried Eggs with Prawns

Serves: 4
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1. 4 eggs
2. 10 medium sized prawns or more, peeled, cleaned and patted dry.
3. One teaspoon of warm water
4. Pinch of salt and white pepper according to taste
5. Oil for cooking according to taste

Method:

1. Break the eggs into a bowl with a pinch of salt, white pepper and a teaspoon of warm water but do not mix yet.

2. Heat a small pan/wok until almost smoking. Add three tablespoon of oil, when smoking, add a pinch of salt in work, swirl oil around, add prawns in a single layer. Do not overlap. When slightly pink, flip prawns over and remove from heat. Prawns should still be slightly raw.
Add prawns including any juice into egg mixtures.
3. Wipe wok very clean with kitchen paper towel or rinse wok.

4. When pan is smoking, add remaining oil or more according to taste. Whisk egg mixture gently with a fork. When oil is smoking, add egg mixture. Spread prawns around. Cook for about a minute or when the bottom is slightly brown. Flip eggs over and cook till eggs are just about set.

Remove and serve immediately.

Variations:

Replace the prawns with scallops, barbecued pork or onions, coriander/spring onions according to taste. For this recipe, I just want to taste the prawns and eggs.


Tip: If there is insufficient oil when frying the eggs, drizzle some oil around the edges. Turn eggs only once.

Prawns with Garlic

The best way of cooking prawns for HBH is shelled, de-veined and easy to eat.


Ingredients:
1. Ten large fresh prawns, shelled and de-veined, washed and patted dry.
Mix one teaspoon of corn flour on prawns just before cooking.
2. One stalk of spring onion, sliced
3. Three or four cloves garlic, skinned but kept whole
4. Dash of sesame oil

Method:
1. In two tablespoons of oil, brown whole garlic cloves on medium heat, set aside.
2. Using the same pan, on medium heat, spread prawns out, give them a few seconds before flipping them over. Turn over to cook on all sides.
3. Add spring onions, browned garlic cloves and dash of sesame oil.
Mix well and serve immediately.
It takes less than two minutes to cook this dish. Do not overcook prawns.

Note:
1. I didn't add any seasonings as the prawns were very fresh. Enjoy their natural taste.
2. Freeze prawn shells and heads for future use.

Fried Fish With Ginger

Sauce for fish



I used fish fillet to cook for Dad when he was hospitalised and his eyes never failed to light up when he saw the dish. I was sad and happy to see him chuffed so quickly too.

Whenever I have the opportunity to cook at my sister's house, she will remind me of this dish as both she and my brother-in-law love it too.

This is my style and hope you will enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

1. One medium sized whole fish about one and a half lbs, scaled, gutted and washed.
2. Sprinkle some salt in cavity and inside the fish head. Leave for about five minutes, rinse and pat dry.
3. Dash of sesame oil

For garnishing
1. One spring onion, sliced including the white part.
2. One or more thumbs of ginger according to taste, sliced into very thin strips.
3. One fresh sliced red chillies or more (optional).

Sauce:
1. Two tablespoons of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew.
2. Three tablespoons of light soya sauce or more depending on your taste.
3. Two tablespoons of warm water and a very small pinch of castor sugar. Mix together with item '2'.

Method:
1. In a medium hot frying pan, fry ginger till crispy, set aside.
2. Fry fish and set aside in a warm serving plate.
3. Drain oil but leave about one tablespoon, reheat pan till high, add in spring onion and chillies, quick stir for a very few seconds. Top fish with garnish.
4. Reheat same pan to high heat, splash Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew, stir in sauce and dash of sesame oil. Quick stir and pour over fish. Top with crispy ginger.
5. Serve hot.

Steamed Fish

Mum loved fish and I must have learnt from her in how to appreciate the whole fish.
Mum and dad absolutely loved this dish whenever I had the opportunity to cook it.
It was a privilege and joy to cook for them and seeing the satisfaction on their faces made me extremely happy indeed.
My favourite parts of the fish are the stomach, cheeks and fins etc. I love fish of any variety and there are a myriad ways of steaming a fish. One of my indulgences is steamed fish topped with crispy ginger slivers.











This is my style and hope you will appreciate them as much as my parents.

Ingredients:
1. One medium sized whole fish about one and a half lbs, scaled, gutted and patted dry.
2. Three tablespoons of onion oil or oil of your choice. (http://hungrybear-hungrybear.blogspot.com/search/label/Chinese%20Miscellaneous)

For steaming (A)
1. Two spring onions or bunch of parsley/coriander, sliced into halves and three ginger slices to stack loosely to form a bed for the fish.
2. Stuff loosely a few pieces of each herb into fish's stomach.

For garnishing (B)
1. One spring onion, sliced including the white part.
2. Thumb of ginger or more, sliced into very thin strips.
3. ¼ freshly sliced red chillies or more (optional).

Sauce:
1. Two tablespoons of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew.
2. Three tablespoon of light soya sauce or more depending on your taste.
3. Four tablespoons of warm water and a very small pinch of rock sugar. Mix well to dissolve.

Method:
1. Bring steamer to a rapid boil.
2. Pat fish dry, this is important so that the fish steams immediately.
3. Rub lightly with few drops of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew over fish including stomach cavity (you can skip this part if you `prefer)
4. Adopt step under 'For steaming (A)'
5. When water is boiling rapidly, lower to medium and steam fish gently for between eight to nine minutes depending on size of fish.
6. When fish is steaming, heat up a small pot. When pot is very hot, add light soya sauce followed by a splash of Hua Tiao Chew. Quick swirl, lower flame, add water solution with rock sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your taste. Keep sauce simmering on lowest heat possible or microwave to heat up later.
7. In a separate small pot, heat onion oil and gently fry the strips of ginger till crispy. Dish ginger, set aside and strain oil. Pour oil back into pot and heat oil up till smoking point. Do this only when you are about to serve.

Serving:
1. Discard herbs, juices from steamed fish and place it on warm serving plate.
2. Drizzle sauce around fish and inside stomach cavity.
3. Garnish fish with sliced spring onions and chillies if used and spoon over with smoking hot oil.
4. Top with crispy ginger and serve hot.

Faster Method:
1. Skip steps under Method for (3), (6) and (7).
2. Splash some light soya sauce on cooked fish and garnish with spring onions, fresh ginger slivers and fresh chillies if used.
3. Heat three tablespoons oil of your choice till smoking and drizzle over vegetables and fish.
Serve immediately. The sizzling sound of oil when in contact will whet your appetite.
4. If using fillet, choose white fish with thick cuts. Skip For Steaming (A) and reduce steaming time.
Enjoy!

Braised Salmon Fish Head

Braised Salmon Fish Head

Ingredients
1. One fish head
2. Enough corn flour to lightly dust fish head
3. 6 tablespoon light soya sauce and ½ bowl of water (Mix together)
4. Fresh ginger sliced
5. One red onion sliced
6. Sprig of coriander or stalk of spring onion, light bruised on the white part. Set aside some for garnishing.
7. A drop of sesame oil

Method
1. When pot is hot, lightly brown fish head, ginger and onions on the side.
2. Turn fish to lightly brown on all sides. Takes about five minutes.
3. Not necessary to cook fish thoroughly, add coriander or spring onion, lightly stir in without breaking fish head.
4. Pour stock, bring to a boil, lower fire and braise gently for about ten minutes on each side.
Periodically spoon gravy over fish.
5. Remove fish, set aside. Discard onions and ginger but reserve the gravy.
6. After adjusting seasoning, increase fire to reduce gravy further, add drop of sesame oil, stir in coriander, and pour over fish head.
Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Fins

Good simple meals need not be expensive. I paid about £3 for two freshly gutted salmon fish heads.

I have used up a head for soup and saving another for a different day.

The fins are reserved for cooking two different dishes. All in all for £3 it will yield four meals.

What more can I ask for except to cook it for myself.

Fins and the belly are my favourite parts of a fish.

Without much ado, this is how I cook for myself to enjoy.

Ingredients

1. Two pieces of salmon fins

2. Salt

3. Pepper

Method

1. Wash and pat dry fish. It is important to ensure crispier skin.

2. Rub with good quality salt if possible. For this dish, the only type I have in the larder was ordinary table salt. It tasted just as yummy.

3. Season with freshly ground pepper or white pepper.

4. It is important fish is cooked at room temperature.

5. Crumble aluminium oil and place on a rack. It makes cleaning up easier.

Place fins on top of aluminium foil without overlapping.

6. Switch grill to medium. You may need to turn the fins around during the cooking process.

7. Grill till desired liking. It took me about six minutes.

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Salmon is an oily fish thus IMO, it is not necessary to brush over with oil.

You can literally hear the skin 'popping' as it's grilling.

I want to taste real fish thus find it unnecessary to complicate on the seasoning.

Thinking about mum and my best friend back in Singapore as I am enjoying it.

........................

I do pan fry sometimes when the grill is not available.

Salmon Fish Head with Chinese Mustard And Tofu Soup

Couldn't believe it when I saw it on sale. Bought a pack in preparation to cook the above.
I love stir frying Chinese Mustard with abalone mushrooms too.

Nonetheless, was feeling teary when I prepared the salmon head earlier as I thought of mum. The fins are one of my favourite parts of the fish. I am going to reserve it to grill on another day.

Am feeling a tad lazy after a hearty lunch with the pan fried skate.

To be continued .......

I better pan fried the fish parts first before the tenant got home.

The cleaver we have is pathetic thus I am leaving the fish whole minus the fins and another fish head for another day. Yipppeeeeeeeeeee two more meals for other days.

....................

Wash and pat dry fish head. Season lightly with white pepper and salt.

Pan fry fish head in pot used for the soup. After the fish head had been turned over once, add in two slices of ginger, when they are golden brown, add in Chinese mustard and water, just enough to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least one and a half hour with lid on. Do not be tempted to uncover lid during simmering. Just leave it alone. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Garnish with fresh coriander and spring onions.

Soup is simmering now and I couldn't wait to enjoy it.

...............

A piece of fresh chilli (slit in the centre) was added during the last ten minutes of cooking .

The silken tofu added in during the last five minutes of cooking were left in big blocks lest they broke up into smaller pieces.

Extremely satisfied with the soup. The fish head was very fresh thus ginger wasn't necessary for the next lot.

I will still continue using ginger if purchased at the supermarket but the fish bought this morning was freshly prepared.

Pan Fried Skate

Skates are a kite shaped fish that have a flat body and two wings. The wings are the only part of the fish that is consumed.
Have you tried it?
It’s taste a bit like stingray but oh my goodness, the flaky white, sweet meat running along the line of the bone is so yummy.
Oooooooooo my heart was racing when I saw it today and it was a must buy beside the salmon fish head.
I am so hungry now and waiting for the rice to be cooked.
To be continued ….

My dearest friends in Spain, Isabella and Mary Margaret, lunch would be more satisfying if it was shared.

I know how much both of you love it too and what an excellent time we have had sharing it previously.

Enjoy the photographs.