Condiment — ADAGIO’s Heinz Chili Sauce

When we left the US, there was basically no place to buy Heinz Chili Sauce, which has a special taste and texture. There are numerous recipes on the Internet, written by cooks who live in France, Brazil and other countries. This sauce has always been the basis for our Red Sauce for Seafood, primarily Prawns and Crab. It took us a few days of experimentation to come up with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium white or red Onion, roughly chopped
• 1 heaping Tablespoon of chopped Garlic
• 1 can (400 gm) chopped Tomatoes, drained
• 1 small can (130 gm) Tomato Paste
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• A little Salt

Instructions

Put all ingredients into a Food Processor and whiz until a thick sauce has formed.

To make a Red Sauce for Prawns or Crab, add the following ingredients:

• Worcestershire Sauce
• Lemon or Lime juice
• Horseradish to taste

Enjoy!

 

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Fish — Home Made Tom Douglas Salmon Rub

When we were aboard ADAGIO in Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA, we were introduced to the numerous “rubs” sold under the brand name of Tom Douglas. Our favorite was the Salmon Rub. We are unable to buy this rub in New Zealand and Australia, so we reverse-engineered the recipe. Here is is. Be sure to use Sweet Smoked Paprika, NOT HOT Smoked Paprika.

Mix together the Salmon Rub:

• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Sweet Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Instructions For Cooking the Fish:

1. Heat a Wok on High heat.
2. Add 3 Tb Olive Oil and stir to coat the pan
3. Place fillets of Salmon into the hot oil, first one side then the other to coat both sides with oil.
4. Sprinkle Salmon Rub onto the fish.
5. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Turn the heat down to Medium.
7. Turn the fish over, and add more Olive Oil to the pan if necessary.
8. Sprinkle the Salmon Rub onto the second side of the fish.
9. Cook for another minute, testing for doneness.
10. When the fish is just flaky but still a little soft in the center, remove it to a heated plate and cover.
11. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine, and pour over the fish.
12. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

 

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Dukkah

During our first visit to Nelson, New Zealand in 2003, on our way to Alaska, our friend Eva Brown introduced us to Dukkah at a Nelson restaurant. I discovered that I could buy it in New Zealand grocery stores, and we liked the “Egyptian” almond Dukkah the best. When I decided to make my own Dukkah, we tried many combinations of nuts and spices and the following recipe is our favorite. We have also used Macadamia nuts and Cashew nuts, with different results.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shelled Almonds
• 2 tablespoons whole Coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole Fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole Cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole Black Peppercorns
• 1/4 cup toasted Sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Sweet (not hot) Spanish Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Salt

Instructions:

1. Toast the nuts in a hot (250 C or 450F) oven for 4 or 5 minutes, being careful not to burn them, stirring after 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. In the same hot oven, toast the seeds of Coriander, Fennel, Cumin and the black Peppercorns, for approximately 2 minutes, being careful that they do not burn. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Toast the Sesame seeds separately for 2 minutes.
4. In a food processor, or with a rolling pin and a strong plastic bag, chop and crush the toasted nuts until the mixture is in chunks of many sizes. Do not over process, or you will have almond butter.
5. In a motar and pestle, or in a spice grinder, grind the toasted seeds and peppercorns (not the Sesame seeds which you will leave whole).
6. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the crushed nuts, ground seeds and peppercorns, whole Sesame seeds, Smoked Spanish Paprika and salt. Store Dukkah in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

To Serve:

For an appetizer, place Dukkah in a small bowl and extra-virgin olive oil in a second bowl. Dip cubes of fresh crusty bread first into the oil, then into the Dukkah. Or you can dribble the oil onto the bread, then sprinkle Dukkah onto the oiled bread.

Another appetizer can be bite-sized cubes of soft white cheese on toothpicks, dipped into the Dukkah. Or spread the cheese onto a cracker and sprinkle with Dukkah.

As a main dish, our favorite way to pan fry fresh fish fillets is to coat the fish with oil and sprinkle liberally with Dukkah on the top side, after you have placed it in a hot pan. Cook the fish on one side; turn it over; sprinkle with more Dukkah, and cook quickly until just not quite done. Add a little more oil around the edges of the pan if the fish begins to stick to the pan. The fish will finish cooking on your heated plate. Scrape all of the nuts and spices from the pan onto the top of the fish on the plates.

Enjoy!

 

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