Salmon sushi in a glass

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Bring 100g sushi rice to the boil with 140 ml water. Simmer for 10 mins, then turn down the heat, keep the lid on, for 15 mins. Cool and mix with 1 tbsp sushi vinegar

Put 1/2 leaf of nori in the hot oven for 5 mins

Slice 125g very fresh salmon in 15x 15 mm cubes

Peel a ripe avocado, scoop out the meat and cut into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice to stay green

Once the niro is crispy, use scissors to cut into 15x15 mm pieces

Serve a shown with sesame seeds, a heaped tsp caviar and soy sauce in a pipette

(Here Francine's original recipe in Dutch)

Chicken and mushroom vol-au-vent

Slice a chicken breast lengthwise in 3 parts, poach in 350 ml chicken stock for 15 min. Cool and pull apart with two forks

Pre heat the oven to 180°C

Clean 100g champignons and cut into small cubes, panfry them in 10g butter

Melt 30g butter in a saucepan, add 30g flour and stir well. Let it simmer for 1 mins to cook the flour. Then, bit by bit, add chicken stock. Stirring all the time, till you have a nice thick sauce

Add 1,5 tsp Dyon mustard, 2/3 tbsp Worcester, 1 tsp curry powder and 30 ml double cream and stir.

Slice 1,5 spring onion into thin rings and hack 1,5 tbsp parsley before stirring them into the ragoût

Taste and eventually season with salt and pepper

<Now put 2 store bought puff pastry shells (mine were from De Roset) in the hot oven for 7 mins

Add the pulled chicken and the mushrooms to the ragoût and warm trough, before spooning it into the hot puff pastry shells

Finish with some chervil

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Shrimp and sole vol-au-vent

Peel 500g brown shrimps. Roughly hack 2 shallots, Sweat them, with the heads and peel from the shrimps in a glug of olive oil.

Fillet 2 small soles

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Transfer the shallot and shrimp mix to a large pan, add the bones and heads of the soles and 700 ml water, a big peeled and hacked carrot and celery stick.

Softly boil for 15 mins. Cool a bit, then blend (1/4 at the time) into a pulp.

Put the pulp trough a sieve and press well with a spoon to get all the delicious liquid out

Poach the strips of sole in the stock, take out and keep warm

< Put 2 store bought puff pastry shells (mine were from De Roset) in the hot oven for 7 mins

Melt 30g butter in a sauce pan add 30g flour, stir well and softly cook for a minute or two.

Then laddle in 350 ml shrimp stock, bit by bit and stirring all the time, to create a nice thick ragoût.

Add 150g shrimps, the strips of sole and the juice of 1/2 lime.

Serve a shown, with some chervil on top. Freeze the rest of the stock

(Here Peter Goossens' original recipe in Flemish)

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Asparagus 3 ways, smoked eel and egg

Peel 2 asparagus and use a potato peeler to slice them very thinly. Mix 20g olive oil, 2,5 g hazelnut oil and 10g white balsamic vinegar. Marinate the asparagus slices in it for half an hour

Peel 4 more asparagus, cover them in cold, salted water, bring to the boil and boil 7 minutes. Then cut the heat and keep for another 9 minutes. Take out and cool.

Half 2 of them lengthwise and cut into cubes. Mix with chives and white pepper

Blend the last 2 asparagus with 1 tbsp cooking liquid en a glug of double cream into a thick mousse. Transfer to a piping bag.

Boil an egg 8 mins, hack and season with olive oil, salt and pepper

Slice white bread into croutons and panfry them in olive oil

Cut 2 filets of smoked eel lengthwise and then in 3 parts

Serve as shown, finish with cress

(Here Peter Goossens original recipe in Flemish)

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Tuna tataki with wasabi nuts

Brush 300g tuna with olive oil, then roll trough a plate with white and black sesame seeds and furikake to cover all sides

Then panfry the tuna in a dry but very hot pan, about 40 sec per side. Cool and reserve

Puree an avocado with 1 tsp wasabi and the juice of 1/2 lime in the blender. Transfer to a piping bag

Once cool put the tuna in the freezer for 1 hour

After that the fish is much easier to slice. Let the slices get back to room temperature before serving

Halve a handful wasabi nuts. 

Start plating with the tuna. Add dollops of the avocado mousse, add some soy beans and hacked wasabi nuts. Crush a papadum and stick some pieces between the tuna to add something crunchy.

Finish with the shiracha mayonnaise

(Here homechef Huibers' original recipe in Dutch)

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Crispy basil leaves, crème fraîche and caviar

Deepfry p.p. 2 big basil leaves about 20 seconds in 125° arachide oil

Drain on kichenpaper

Serve with a small dollop  of crème fraîche and caviar

(Here Nadia Aidi's original recipe)

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Asian prawn cocktail

Peel and clean 4 Giant Tiger prawns and marinate them in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp Tabasco sriracha, 1/2 tbsp grated ginger and 1/2 grated clove of garlic

Make a dressing from 1 tbsp mayonaise, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Tabasco sriracha

Start filling 2 nice glasses with pieces of iceberg lettuce, cubes of mango and avocado

Panfry the marinated prawns and cut them in small pieces, the add to the glasses.

Finish with a few drops of lime juice, the mayonaise, some sesame seeds and a few leaves of coriander

(Here Stephanie Bex' original recipe in Flemish)

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Steak tartare on double fried potato

Peel a very big potato and cut out 2  90x33x20 mm rectangles, boil them about 8 to 9 mins. in salted water. Drain and cool 

Make a kosho from the zest of 1/4 lime, 1/4 lemon, 1/4 orange and 1/2 finely hacked red chili. Weigh and add 20% salt

Deep fry the potatoes in 150°C fat, 3 to 4 mins. 

Slice 125g bavette as thin as possible, then cut in tiny cubes, then hack

Mix the meat with 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tbsp Worcester, 1/2 egg yolk, the brunoise of 1/4 shallot and 1/4 sweet gurking, 1/4 tbsp Dyon mustard, 1/4 tbsp hacked capers. Season with salt and pepper.

Deepfry the potatoes a 2nd time, but now in 180°C fat, again 3-4 mins

Cover the French fries with the kosho, then with the steak tartare.

Finish with chives and chervil

(Here Loĩc van Impe's original recipe in Flemish)

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Tuna tataki, Osietra caviar

Brush 150g sashimi grade tuna with olive oil, then roll trough black and white sesame seeds, then panfry in a dry pan, 1 min per side

Make  a dressing from1,5 tbsp soy sauce, 1,5 tbsp rice vinegar, 2,5 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp runny honey

Start plating with a tbsp wasabi mayonaise and use a fork to create ridges

Add slices of the tuna tataki and spoonfuls of Osiertra caviar

Finish with edamame and mustard cress

(Here Stephanie Bex' original recipe in Flemish)

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Crispy pancetta, creamy salsify and zesty salsa verde

Pre heat the oven to 180°C

Put 6 slices of pancetta (1 mm thick) on a, with baking paper covered, baking dish.

Cover with another sheet of baking paper, then put another baking dish on top to keep them nice and flat

Bake them golden and crispy in about 20 mins

In the meantime peel 375g salsify, cut in 5 cm pieces and keep in cold water with some lemon juice to prevent colouring

Reserve 3 pieces, then boil the rest 20 mins in salted water with some lemon juice

Whisk a marinade from 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp lemon zeste, 1,5 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper.

Cut the 3 reserved pieces of salsify in very thin slices and mix them with the marinade

Make a salsa verde from the leaves of 15g parsley and from 2 sprigs of oregano, 1/2 clove of garlic, 1/2 tbsp rinsed capers, 1 anchovy, 1/2 tbsp Dyon mustard, the juice and zest  from 1/4 lemon and 60 ml olive oil

Puree 250g boiled salsify with 13g butter, 37 ml double cream, 1//2 tsp Dyon mustard, salt and pepper

Cut the rest of the boiled salsify into thin slices

Start plating with a crispy slice of pancetta, cover it with the salsify cream and the slices of salsify, then spoon some salsa verde on top.

Repeat this and finish with the last slice of pancetta with some salsa verde on top

(A Dosia Brewer recipe in Delicious Magazine)

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"Stoofpeer' with Gorgonzola and cranberry compôte

'Stoofperen' are a typical Dutch winter fare. Rockhard pear made edible by cooking them for up to 3 hours in red wine, with brown sugar, a cinnamon stick and a star anise

Panfry (in a dry pan) 2 slices of pancetta till crispy, drain on kitchen paper

Use a fork to mix 40g Gorgonzola and 1 tbsp double cream, then warm the mix 20 sec in the microwave to melt the cheese

Cut 1 stewed pear in small cubes

Start plating with the cheese, spoon the pear on top, then some cranberry compôte. Finish with crumbled pancetta

(Here Francine's orinal recipe in Dutch)

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Lobster tail, asparagus, mayonaise blanc

Preheat the oven to 195°C

Whisk a mayonaise from 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp Dyon mustard, 1 tsp warm water, 1 tsp sushi vinegar and about 75 ml grapeseed oil

Whisk the remaining egg white in a second bowl till you can turn the bowl over while the beaten egg white stays firmly in place

Then, bit by bit, carefully spoon your mayonaise into the beaten egg white. This way you can double the amount of mayonaise without having to use more oil, which is much healthier.  Taste and season with pepper and salt. 

Peel 4 white asparagus

Butterfly 2 lobster tails. Using kitchen shears cut down the center of top of 2 defrosted lobster tails down to the base. Next grab each side of the shell and gently pry the shell away from the meat- leaving the meat at the base of the tail attached.  Lay the meat back in the shell, season with salt and pepper 

Sweat 1 minced clove of garlic in 25g butter, add1 tsp thyme leaves and 1/2 tbsp hacked parsley and a knifepoint smoked paprika.

Place the tails in an oven safe pan and brush the top of each tail with herb butter

Boil some salted water, enough to cover the asparagus, once it boils put in the asparagus. Keep on the lid. 

After 5 mins put out the heat, at that moment put the lobster in the hot oven, 8 mins per 100g

Drain the asparagus after 7 mins

Serve as shown, with some lemon pearls 

(Here the original recipe by Bo in Dutch, mayonaise blanc recipe by Janneke Muileboom)

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Cocoa dusted tuna tataki, crispy vegetables

Dust 200g sashimi grade tuna on 4 sides with cocoa powder, brush with olive oil then roll through white and black sesame seeds to cover all 4 sides

Panfry the tuna quickly in olive oil, the inside should stay raw

Mix 15 ml tamari (or soy sauce), 1/3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp chili oil, 1/4 tsp hacked lemongrass (white part), 1/4 grated garlic, 1/2 tbsp palm sugar, 1 shredded lime leaf

Slice 6 sugar snaps lengthwise, 

Snip the brown bottoms from 30g beansprouts 

Bring water to the boil, add the peas and the taugé, take them out after 45 sec and cool in ice water. Dry and season with olive oil and chardonnay vinegar.

Serve as shown, with a tsp soy sauce pearls 

(Original recipe by Marjan van der Veer-Lugthart)

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Scallop, tamari, lemongrass, red chili, soy pearls

Mix 15 ml tamari (or soy sauce), 1/3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp chili oil, 1/4 tsp hacked lemongrass (white part), 1/4 grated garlic, 1/2 tbsp palm sugar, 1 shredded lime leaf

Panfry 2 scallops

Serve with hacked chili pepper, lime leaf and soy sauce pearls

(Here Luke Nguyen's original recipe in Delicious Magazine)

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Scallops al nage, vongole, fennel and celery oil

Put 500g vongole in lots of cold salted water for a few hours, then rinse them under the tap and bring to the boil with 50 ml Noilly Prat vermouth, pepper, a few sprigs of thyme and a laurel leaf in a lidded pand. Drain as soon as they are all open (about 4-5 mins) but keep the cooking liquids to make a sauce.

Put 15g celery leaves in boiling water for a few minutes to soften. Rinse under cold water and squeeze till dry.

Put in the blender with 40 ml sunflower oil, season with salt and pepper and blend well. Press through a sieve to get the green oil, discard the pulp

Peel 1/2 celery stick, 1/2 shallot, 1/2 clove of garlic and 1/4 fennel bulb, then cut them in very small cubes. Season with salt and pepper and sweat them softly  in a tbsp butter and a glug of Noilly Prat

Get the vongole from their shells

Bring their cooking liquid to the boil with 50 ml double cream and reduce till you have a nice thick sauce

Cut a very thin slice of fennel into strips and marinate in a glug of tarragon vinegar, salt and pepper

Panfry 6 scallops in and oiled pan on high temperature, turn around and add a tbsp butter.

Also add some butter and a few drops of lemon juice to the sauce and whisk briefly with the stick blender 

Plate as shown, starting with the cubed veggies, then the sauce, the scallops and the vongole

Finish with the green oil. And the marinated fennel, which I forgot :)

(Here Jeroen Meus' original recipe and a video in Flemish)

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Vegetarian oyster

Mix the flesh of 1/2 avocado with 1 tsp Greek yoghurt, 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper

Crush 1 prawn cracker and mix with equal parts black sesame seeds and pulverised nori

Dip oyster leaves a second in boiling water.

Serve a shown. The avocado crème imitates the structure of oyster, the oyster leaf really tastes like oyster.

(Here Tim Cornille's original recipe in Flemish)

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Maryland Crab Cakes

“This is the best crab cake recipe I’ve ever tried! Absolutely delicious and loaded with all crab, hardly any fillers.”

To start, whisk together 1 egg, 1,25 tbsp mayonnaise, 3/4 tsp Dyon mustard, 3/4 tsp Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp Old Bay (a mix of celery salt, hot paprika, smoked paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg), 1/8 tsp salt, 30g celery in very small cubes and 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley in a large bowl until well combined.

Then add 225g crab meat (double-checking for any bits of shell or cartilage) and the panko. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined. Be careful not to break up the delicate crab meat too much—the lumps are the best part!

Form the mixture into 4 cakes. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to help them firm up. Don’t skip this step—it makes a big difference in helping the crab cakes hold their shape when cooking.

Make the tartar sauce. In a small bowl, mix together 120g mayonnaise, 1/2 tsp mustard, 3/4 tbsp finely hacked gurkin, 1/2 tbsp minced red onion, 3/4 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth, then cover and chill until ready to serve.

Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a thin layer of oil. Once hot, add the crab cakes and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown.

Carefully flip the crab cakes and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until both sides are golden and the centers are hot. Watch out for oil splatter!

Serve the crab cakes on 2 plates, with a bimi and the tartar sauce on the side. Enjoy!

(Here Jennifer Segal's original recipe)

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Lobster tail, celeriac beurre blanc

Hack 50g celeriac, 1/2 shallot and 1/2 fennel bulb and quarter a bulb of garlic. Panfry the veggies in some soy oil, with 3 sprigs of thyme

After 3 mins deglaze with 1 dl Noilly Prat vermouth and reduce.

Add 1 dl fish stock and 1 dl cream and boil softly for 15 mins.

Crush some black pepper corns with your knife and add to the beurre blanc

Strain the beurre blanc in a sieve 

Preheat the oven to 195°C

Butterfly the lobsters. Using kitchen shears cut down the center of top of 2 defrosted lobster tails down to the base. Next grab each side of the shell and gently pry the shell away from the meat- leaving the meat at the base of the tail attached.  Lay the meat back in the shell, season with salt and pepper 

Sweat 1 minced clove of garlic in 25g butter, add1 tsp thyme leaves and 1/2 tbsp hacked parsley and a knifepoint smoked paprika.

Place the tails in an oven safe pan and brush the top of each tail with herb butter

Put in the hot oven, 7 mins per 100g

Serve with the beurre blanc. I added some left over shrimps

(Here the original recipe by Bo in Dutch 

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Fish Fest

Quarter 400g small red-skinned potatoes, boil them in chicken stock 

Make an aioli from 4 tbsp mayonaise, 1 tbsp orange juice, 1 minced clove of garlic and a pinch of salt

Cut 2/3 fennel in small cubes.

Sweat 1 minced shallot in 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 mins. Add the fennel cubes and 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds and fry another 5 mins.

Deglaze with 60 ml Noilly Prat and let the alcohol evaporate 

Add 200 ml chicken stock and boil 5 mins, cool a bit, add 2 tbsp aioli, blend into a smooth sauce and keep warm

Cut the other 1/3 of the fennel in mini cubes, mix with 2 tbsp hacked parsley, the zest of 1/2 orange, 1/2 minced shallot and 2 tbsp orange juice. season with salt and pepper

Panfry 200g salmon, skinside down in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 mins, then turn and do the other side 3 mins. The inside should stay nice and pink

At the same time put 500g vongole or clams in a saucepan, close with the lid and boil on a high heat till all the shells are open

Start plating with the potatoes, then spoon over the sauce. Add flakes of salmon and finish with the vongole. Sprinkle with the crunchy fennel/parsley mix

(Recipe by Hester de Goede in Delicious Magazine)

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