Kevin Dundon - Great Family Food

Shallots, a sprinkling of paprika, a dash of Tabasco and brandy add a real twist to this classic starter.

16 Dublin Bay prawns (langoustines)

1 bay leaf

5 lemon wedges

1 small head of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

freshly snipped chives, to garnish

Marie-Rose Sauce:

150ml/5fl oz/ 2/ 3cup mayonnaise

4 tsp tomato ketchup

pinch of paprika, plus extra for dusting

dash of Tabasco sauce

30ml/1fl oz brandy

1To prepare the sauce, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and paprika together until well combined. Stir in the Tabasco and brandy to suit your own taste. Proceed with caution with the Tabasco, as it can give excessive heat to the dish. Cover the bowl and store the sauce in the refrigerator until required—it will sit there happily for a couple of days.

2Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Prepare the prawns by cracking them at the base and pulling off the tail and the shell as far as the head. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the middle of the outside vein and pull out the dark coloured vein. Alternatively, ask your friendly fishmonger to do this for you. I like to leave the head on, as it gives a nice finished look to the cocktail.

3Add the bay leaf and a wedge of lemon to the boiling water and plunge in the prawns. The water will immediately cool down, so you must allow it to come back to the boil again. Once it reboils, cook the prawns for 60-90 seconds, or until they are firm to the touch.

4Have a large bowl of iced water standing by. When the prawns are cooked, plunge them into the iced water for 4-5 minutes to cool them rapidly and prevent them overcooking. The boiled water in which you cooked the prawns can be chilled and/or frozen and used as a simple fish stock for other recipes.

5Serve in large martini glasses for a bit of fun. Mix the shredded lettuce with the thinly sliced shallots and arrange it at the bottom of the bowl or glasses. Put four of the prawns on top of the lettuce (hanging slightly overboard) and add a large dollop of the chilled sauce on top. Dust with a little additional paprika and garnish with the remaining lemon wedges and fresh chives.

Coconut milk, peppers and red curry paste turn this simple monkfish dish into a mouth-watering treat. Use the tender monkfish tail for this quick and easy recipe and serve with plain basmati rice.

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and chopped

7-8 mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp red curry paste

800ml/28fl oz/generous 3 cups coconut milk (2 tins)

1 monkfish tail (about 1kg/2 1/ 44lb) cut into six pieces

450g/llb 2oz boiled basmati rice, to serve

fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)

1Heat a deep wide-based pan with the sunflower oil. Quickly fry the vegetables over a high heat until just beginning to soften. Add the red curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are all fully coated with the paste.

2Pour the coconut milk into the pan, making sure you scrape every last bit out of the cans. I usually rinse them out with a little water and add this to the pan as well to make sure I get all the goodness. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and place the pieces of monkfish in the broth. Cover the pan and gently simmer for 8-10 minutes over a very low heat, or until the fish is cooked. Baste the fish with the broth during cooking.

3Remove the fish from the pan and place on top of softly boiled basmati rice and divide the remaining sauce among the plates. If the sauce has become too thick, add a little water, vegetable stock or even white wine if you are feeling indulgent and return to the boil. Freshly torn basil is also good mixed into the sauce.

Serving this fish still in its wrapper means that each member of the family gets a full facial from all the steam escaping and it works very well as a quick meal. En papillotte is a French term that translates as ‘cooked in paper’.

1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

110g/4oz/ 3/ 4cup green beans, thinly sliced

50g/2oz/scant 1 cup fresh basil

4 halibut steaks (about 150g/5oz each)

1 lemon, thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cut four sheets of parchment paper, A4 size, 297 × 210cm/12 × 8in.

2Mix the vegetables together in a bowl. Divide the basil leaves between the four pieces of parchment paper, placing the basil in the centre of the paper. Neatly arrange the vegetables on top of the basil.

3Gently place the fish steaks on top of the vegetable mixture. Season the fish with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a slice or two of lemon on top of each fish.

4Fold the parchment paper over from each side and twist both ends, much like a Christmas cracker, making sure that the fish is completely enclosed and sealed in.

5Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve immediately, placing each paper parcel on the plates.

Tip:

It is important to cut the vegetables into thin slices, as the fish will cook quite quickly and you don’t want the vegetables to remain too hard.

Pasta is an obvious choice when you have one eye on the clock. This delicious recipe is laden with seafood—just pick and choose your favourite types. Firm fish gives the best result. Most good fishmongers and supermarkets now sell bags of ready-prepared frozen mixed seafood.

400g/14oz dry linguine olive oil

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

110g/4oz mixed wild mushrooms (porcini and/or ceps)

350ml/12fl oz/1 1/ 2cups double cream

150ml/5fl oz/ 2/ 3cup fish stock

2 tsp basil pesto (optional) (see page 11)

450g/1lb mixed seafood such as mussels, cockles, prawns, salmon, haddock and mackerel

3 large plum tomatoes, cut into small dice

75g/3oz/ 3/ 4cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. When cooked, drain and toss in a little olive oil to prevent the strands from sticking together.

2Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced fennel, crushed garlic and wild mushrooms. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until they are gently cooked but not browned. Add the cream, fish stock and pesto (if using) and allow the mixture to come to the boil.

3Once it has reached boiling point, reduce the heat a little and add the seafood and shellfish. Cook very gently for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish is just beginning to flake and the shellfish are fully opened. Discard any which do not open.

4Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta and stir gently to coat the pasta in the sauce, avoiding breaking up the pieces of fish. Just before serving, sprinkle the diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese on top of the dish.