The Tropical Treat

Archives for February 2021

Prawn, coriander and cod cakes

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Prawn, coriander and cod cakes

A very easy king prawn starter. These prawn, coriander and cod cakes with mango chutney make a very flavoursome lunch with salad, starter for a dinner party or just a great snack.

Not only that but it’s really easy to put together – just blitz large king prawns, fresh cod, breadcrumbs, ginger, coriander, spring onions and chilli in a food processor. Shape the mixture into small patties, chill in the fridge overnight (or for a few hours) and then shallow fry in sunflower oil.

Prawn, coriander and cod cakes

With warmer weather fast approaching these prawn and cod cakes would be ideal for barbecues and picnics, for instance. Pair it with a watermelon salad, sweetcorn fritters and plantain tacos. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Prep 15 mins
Cook 15 mins
Total 30 mins + chilling overnight

Ingredients

160g large king prawns 
160g cod fillets, cut into chunks
150g soft white breadcrumbs
30g fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced, plus extra to serve
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lime, zest and juice
Sunflower oil, to fry 
Mango chutney, to serve 

Method

First season the prawns and cod with salt and pepper, place half in a food processor. Put in the remainder of the ingredients except the oil and chutney.

Pulse until the mixture comes together, then add the rest of the prawns and cod. Blitz until mixed through but still in chunks. 

Shape the mixture into 12 small patties. Put on a plate and chill overnight (or for a few hours).

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and pour sunflower oil until 1cm deep. Once hot, fry the cakes for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown and any chunks of prawn are pink.

Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper. Serve the prawn cakes with the extra spring onions and chutney for dipping.

Vanilla passion fruit panna cotta

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Vanilla passion fruit panna cotta

Panna cotta is deliciously good. I made this easy vanilla panna cotta with passion fruit for Valentine’s Day this year and it proved to be the perfect pudding.

It’s sweet, silky smooth and fruity and so simple to make – just prepare the day before so it sets overnight. 

Marks and Spencer also have an incredible panna cotta dessert with raspberries and prosecco that we order every single year. It’s definitely a lovely dessert for a special occasion.

Vanilla passion fruit panna cotta

The original recipe is from Olive magazine which I have adapted slightly by adding vanilla bean paste. Vanilla and passion fruit is a gorgeous tropical flavour combination and makes the ideal dessert for a romantic meal.

To make this easy vanilla panna cotta, simply heat whole milk and double cream together, mix in fresh passion fruit, vanilla and caster sugar. Strain the mixture and place in the fridge for a few hours until set.

And if panna cotta isn’t your thing, try this foolproof mango and passion fruit traybake with a mascarpone topping – absolutely delicious!

Vanilla passion fruit panna cotta

Serves 4
Prep 10 mins
Cook 15 mins
Total 25 mins + chilling overnight

Ingredients

2 1/2 gelatine leaves
6 passion fruits
200ml whole milk 
300ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
80g caster sugar
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Place the gelatine leaves in a  bowl of cold water. Meanwhile, halve 3 of the passion fruits and scoop out the seeds and pulp.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the milk and cream in a bowl, then pour half into a pan and warm over a low heat. Add the caster sugar, vanilla bean paste and passion fruit seeds and pulp. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat.

Remove the gelatine leaves from the water, squeezing out any excess liquid, then add them to the pan and stir until the gelatine has dissolved.

Strain the liquid through a sieve into a jug and stir in the rest of the milk mixture. Pour into moulds and chill for a few hours or overnight until set.

Slice the remaining passion fruits and mix the seeds and pulp with the icing sugar. Push through a sieve then add 1 tbsp of the seeds from the sieve.

Turn out the panna cottas by briefly dipping the base and top in hot water. Spoon over the passion fruit sauce to serve. 

Oven baked chicken wings with burnt lime butter

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Oven baked chicken wings with burnt lime butter

The best oven baked chicken wings. First things first – these sweet, sticky salty chicken wings are the ultimate comfort food.

To make the seasoning is fairly simple – sprinkle over dried rosemary, sea salt and black pepper (I like to use this Cornish Sea Salt blend for the latter) and then coat with cornflour.

Oven baked chicken wings with burnt lime butter

Place the chicken wings onto a very hot baking tray and then an equally hot oven to get lovely crispy – all without frying.

If you dislike deep frying then this recipe for oven baked chicken wings is perfect for you.

Oven baked chicken wings with burnt lime butter

Now the burnt lime butter sauce is flavoursome, fresh and zesty. Immediately after the wings come out of the oven brush over the sauce (don’t skip this step!) and then use any extra for dipping.

When barbecue season hits they will be absolutely perfect, I’m thinking you could serve this up with my watermelon salad and some crispy corn ribs.

Serves 4
Prep 10 mins
Cook 40 mins
Total 50 mins

Ingredients

1kg chicken wings, cut into two and wing tips removed
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 tbsp cornflour
1-2 tbsp sunflower oil, for brushing

For the sauce

3 limes, halved
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp demerara sugar 
1 tbsp clear honey 
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20g unsalted butter

Method

First, preheat the oven to 230C / gas mark 8 / 450F. Put a large baking tray in the oven to heat up. Put the chicken wings in a bowl and season with the dried rosemary, salt and pepper, then coat in the cornflour.

Carefully line the hot baking tray with greaseproof paper. Put the chicken wings on the top; brush with sunflower oil. 

Reduce the heat to 220C / gas mark 7 and cook for 40 minutes ensuring to turn the chicken halfway through and until the skin is golden and crispy (the meat is cooked through when the juices run clear). 

Meanwhile, scorch the lime halves by placing them on a hot griddle pan, cut-side down, for 2-3 minutes. Take off the heat and juice two halves.

When the chicken wings are almost cooked, put the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, honey and crushed garlic in a saucepan with 100 ml. Bring to the boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly (5-6 minutes). 

Add the lime juice then take off the heat and stir in the butter. Brush the soy and lime butter all over the crispy chicken wings and serve with the remaining scorched lime halves on the side. Enjoy!

Jerk salmon with avocado quinoa

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Jerk salmon with avocado quinoa

A very easy jerk salmon with avocado quinoa – a pretty healthy dish that’s full of so much flavour.

Jerk really needs no introduction as one of Jamaica’s greatest exports.

Firstly, have you ever made jerk from scratch? It’s game changing. I found a jerk paste recipe by Levi Roots, ‘reggae reggae sauce anyone’? on the BBC food website and it worked a treat.

So after blitzing all the ingredients (see below) and making the paste, I let it marinate over the salmon fillets for about an hour (would be even better overnight) and pan fried it in a little butter.

Jerk salmon with avocado quinoa

Another thing to note is that this easy jerk salmon is very versatile, it can be served with some rice and peas, roasted veggies or perhaps even a Buddha bowl for instance.

However, for this recipe, I’ve made the pan-fried jerk salmon with a fresh avocado quinoa salad which is from The Avocado Cookbook by Heather Thomas. To make it, just dice some avocado, spring onions, chives, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon and little sea salt and pepper.

To sum up, it’s something super bright and summery perfect for a quick lunch and make sure to take a look at my Tik Tok video to see how I made it!

Serves 2
Prep 15 mins
Cook 25 mins
Total 40 mins

Ingredients

For the jerk salmon

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2cm/1 inch piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
1 yellow scotch bonnet chilli, chopped 
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 cloves
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
480g salmon fillets (2x 240g )
25g butter
Lemon wedge, to serve

For the avocado quinoa 
 
100g quinoa
240ml vegetable stock
1 large ripe avocado, diced
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 spring onions, diced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
A few chives, snipped
Salt and freshly black pepper

Method

Make the jerk marinade – put all the ingredients in the blender and blitz to a paste. Place the salmon on a plate and cover with the jerk paste ensuring it is evenly coated. Cover and chill for at least 30 mins (overnight is best if you can).

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa under cold water, then drain. Bring the stock to the boil in a pan and add the quinoa. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 mins until tender and most of the stock is absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave to steam in the pan, drain off any excess liquid. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, spring onions, lemon juice and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large pan, heat butter and pan fry the salmon for roughly 10 mins or until golden and crisp, occasionally spooning the butter over the fish. 

Divide the avocado quinoa between two plates and place the salmon on top. Enjoy!