Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (16 page)

Serves 4–6

A day ahead, place the chickpeas in a large bowl with water to cover and leave to soak overnight.

The next day, drain the chickpeas and place them in a saucepan with fresh water to cover. Bring to the boil, skimming the surface as necessary. Reduce the heat to very low and
leave them to simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the chickpeas to cool in the water in the uncovered pan. They will expand in
size.

Meanwhile, mix together the sea salt flakes and saffron. Place of piece of clingfilm large enough to wrap around the pollock on the work surface. Sprinkle half the salt mix on to
the clingfilm and place the pollock on top, then sprinkle the remaining salt mix over the fish and wrap in the clingfilm tightly. Place this parcel into the fridge for 1½ hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add garlic, red chillies and onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until the onion
has softened.

Add the chorizo to the pot and continue frying for a further 5 minutes so the red paprika-soaked oil comes out from the sausage. Stir in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cumin and
paprika and fry, stirring, for a further 3–4 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the pot, then add the canned tomatoes and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and put it in the
oven for 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and taste the chickpeas. The sauce should have reduced a little and thickened. Add salt, if necessary.

Rinse the pollock thoroughly in running cold water. Pat it dry and place on top of the chickpeas. Place the pot back into the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the fish is
cooked through and the flesh flakes easily.

Remove the pot from the oven. Gently take the fish from the pot and place it onto a large serving plate. Stir the spinach into the hot chickpeas until it just wilts. Spoon this
mix over and around the fish and serve immediately. Remember to take out the bay leaves and the cinnamon.

Pot-roasted pollock, chickpeas and chorizo

Here’s an all-in-one dinner, wrapped in puff pastry, a bit like a giant fish pasty. This is a perfect Sunday lunch dish, served whole in the centre of the table. When I
serve it at home, I just let everyone cut their own slice.

There is a bit of work to get to the final point, but it is so worth it – you get lots of flavours, textures and smells all wrapped up in pastry. To avoid a last-minute
rush, quite a bit of the work can be done in advance and the final dish can be assembled up to two hours before baking.

Serves 4

For the lime cream

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and fry, stirring occasionally, for at least 5 minutes until softened, but not coloured. Add
the mushrooms and fry for a further 2–3 minutes until they are just softened.

Stir in the wild rice, then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes until the rice is
tender and all the stock has been absorbed.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and season. Leave the wild rice mix to cool completely. When it’s cool, add the mozzarella and dill and gently stir
them though the wild rice, then leave to one side until needed.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and place a bowl of iced water in the sink. Put the spinach and the sorrel into the boiling water and blanch for about 2
seconds to just soften. Drain them well, then immediately plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking and set the colour. Drain again. Lay the spinach and sorrel leaves out on a dry clean
tea towel to soak up any water.

Place a large sheet of clingfilm over your work surface and arrange a layer of the dry spinach and sorrel on top, then season. Put a large spoonful or two of the rice mix on top
of the spinach, then place the fish on top of the rice. Cover the fish with the remaining rice mix, then wrap over the remaining spinach and sorrel. You are looking for a green parcel. Wrap this
parcel in the clingfilm tightly and leave to rest for 1–2 hours in the fridge.

After the halibut has rested, roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle ½cm thick. Cut out the corners to make it look like a cross. Remove
the clingfilm from the halibut parcel and place the parcel in the centre of the cross. Wrap the fish up in the puff pastry and use the egg glaze to seal the edges. Place it seam-side down on a
piece of baking parchment on a thick baking sheet and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the lime cream. Pour the double cream into a bowl. Grate the zest of the lime on top and then squeeze the juice through a fine sieve into
the cream. Whisk until the cream thickens. Add the cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Cover and chill until needed.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and glaze the pastry with the egg wash. Put the baking sheet in the oven and roast the halibut parcel for
25–30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave the parcel to rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the lime cream.

Halibut, wild rice and sorrel baked in puff pastry with lime cream

Try these as a great alternative to the classic beef burger. The trick to this recipe is salting the fish and prawns first to remove the excess moisture, which then helps them to
bind together. Once you shape these they will keep in the fridge for up to two days before cooking, and they are robust enough to cook on a barbecue.

Makes 4

For the herb mayonnaise

Place the fish fillets and prawns on a rimmed, non-metallic plate. Sprinkle over the sea salt flakes, then place the fish in the fridge for 1½–2 hours until the
textures become firm.

After the fish has become firm, rinse it thoroughly under running cold water, drain well on a tea towel and pat dry.

If you have a mincer, mince the fish into a bowl. If not, very finely chop the fish with a sharp knife. Add the garlic, capers, bicarbonate of soda, dill and mustard powder and
mix together. Shape into 4 large burgers, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cooking.

Meanwhile, make the herb mayonnaise. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and place a bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the chervil, parsley and tarragon into the
boiling water and blanch for about 2 minutes until the herbs are soft. Drain well, then immediately plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking and set the colours. Leave to cool
completely, then squeeze them to remove any excess liquid.

Place the herbs, egg yolks, white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard into a food processor and blend. With the motor still running, slowly add the oil until it emulsifies and
thickens. Season, cover and keep in the fridge until needed.

Place the tomato and onion slices on a plate and season. Leave for about 10 minutes to draw out some moisture.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill to high and toast the buns. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish burgers and fry for
2–3 minutes on each side until cooked through and lightly coloured. Remove them from the pan and cover with foil to keep hot.

Add the pancetta to the pan and fry for about 4 minutes on each side until they are crispy and browned. Divide the tomato slices between the buns and then add the fish burgers,
wilted onion and lettuce. Top with the pancetta and finish with the herb mayonnaise. Serve immediately.

Fish burgers with herb mayonnaise

There are so many versions of paella, and I’m not going to claim this is the definitive one, but it does taste great and can be cooked outside over hot coals, which makes it
very cool and authentic!

Serves 4–6