Fish soup

The trick here is to come prepared. Each time I buy a whole fish I keep the head and the bones in the freezer for a while. And when we eat nice fat grilled gamba's, with garlic, parsley and olive-oil I keep the heads. 

When I think there is enough, i take the frozen fish bits from the freezer. Bring 2 liters of water to the boil and add the fish and gamba bits, with some onions, celery stalks, carrots, bay leaf, thyme and crushed peppercorns. An hour later I take everything out and strain the fishstock trough a sieve and reduce it till only a 1/2 liter is left. Which gets in the freezer.

The moment we expect guests I buy 12 big juicy Spanish mussels, a handful of vongole, some salmon and 4 juicy gamba's. Plus my secret ingredient: a jar of 'Soupe de Homard a la Bretagne'.

Readymade lobstersoup, yes. But which still need my concentrated fish stock from the freezer to become perfect. So I combine the two an heat them up slowly. I steam the mussels and vongole. Fry the gamba's and cut the fresh salmon.

The salmon cubes go raw in the plates and will be

slightly cooked when I pour over the soup.

The mussels and vongole follow as do the prawns.

Served with bread and a very garlicky rouille

(which comes for free with de soupe).

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle

Gambas a la plancha

Don't try to save a few quid, go for the juicy big ones, 13/15 in a 800 gram box. With lots of garlic, olive oil and parsley. 

Use French bread to sop up the juices and just use your fingers, of course

Keep the heads and peel in the freezer to make stock later on.

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle

Melon, strawberries, raspberries, grape, mint

Scrambled eggs in a pocket of ham.

Scramble eggs. Serve on a thick slice of ham. Fold the ham as shown. Decorate with chive. Serve with toast and butter.  

Good morning!

Seafood

Mango salad and red snapper

Mix cubes of fresh mango and avocado plus some red onion, red chili, a couple of shrimps and coriander Sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil. 

Fry the fillets of red snapper, skin side down, for about 5 mins. 
Then the other side for a minute or 2.

For decoration I added some cubes of beetroot.

Inspired by good old Rick Stein

Our version of Pytt i Panna

Apart from Macaroni Ketjap I once in a while I crave this dish from Sweden, discovered when we visited an IKEA for the very first time. In Goteborg. But then with their famous meatballs and without the mayo. 

Here we go. The beetroot takes the longest : boil for 50 mins.

In the meantime peel a big potato and cut into small cubes. Boil water and cook the cubes for just over 4 mins. 

Fry the sausages. 

Chop an onion. 

Fry the potato cubes in duckfat, but add some butter to get a better colour. 

Fry 2 eggs. 

Peel and dice the beetroot.
Plate and add a nice dollop of Hellman's mayonaise.

Not shown: at the table I cut the sausage in small pieces, then mix everything thoroughly, so everything is covered in eggyolk, mayo or both. Disgusting but... delicious!  

Here with fennel and a crispy potato pancake from the oven.....

Follow me on Instagram: peterschoenmaker7. And have a look at my Kindle book 'Breakfast in Gascony'.