Mediterra
Ben Tish
Bloomsbury, £26 Hardback
Photography © Kris Kirkham
Three Mediterranean Dishes to Make Your Mouth Water
Taking inspiration from Italy to Tunisia and Croatia to Morocco, this new book from Ben Tish is perfect for anyone who loves simple, seasonal and heartfelt dishes
Mediterra captures the very heart of Mediterranean cooking, and you can transport yourself straight to the Med with these three mouthwatering recipes.
Sea Bream Crudo with Blood Orange and Cumin Seeds
Islands – Sicily
This beautiful, vibrant crudo will brighten up colder months when blood oranges are at their best. The bittersweet, ruby-red juices lightly cure the fish, and the cumin-infused dressing adds an earthy, aromatic punch. Always choose the freshest possible fish for crudo, so the just-caught sweetness and texture of the flesh stand out among the accompanying flavours. I like to serve a platter of this in the centre of the table to share, accompanied with really good bread to mop up the citrusy, oily juices.
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 2 sea bream fillets, skinned and cut into 1cm slices
- 1 small blood orange (or a bitter orange, such as Seville), skin and pith removed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar
- 2 tbsp sweet white wine vinegar, such as chardonnay
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- a handful of mint leaves, to garnish
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the sea bream slices in a non-metallic bowl and season well.
Segment the blood orange with a sharp knife, working over the bowl that the fish is in – you want the juices to marinate the fish. Give the sea bream a stir, then leave for 10 minutes to cure.
Heat the olive oil and cumin seeds in a small saucepan over a low heat. When the seeds start to slowly fizzle, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vinegar with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, pile the crudo and blood orange onto a serving platter, drizzle over a little of the cumin vinaigrette and top with the mint leaves. Serve the remaining vinaigrette alongside in case anyone wants extra.
Kerkennah-style Grilled Prawns
Southern Shores – Tunisia
On the Kerkennah islands just off the coast of Tunisia, seafood is often paired with kerkennaise, a spiced tomato sauce with subtle chilli heat, pungent spicing and lots of spring onions, olives and capers. It is a sublime mix of Moorish and Mediterranean flavours. Use this sauce for any grilled fish, squid or octopus.
Serves
4; the sauce makes about 200ml
Ingredients
- 16 large Atlantic prawns, heads removed and the tail shells peeled off
- olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce
- 10 spring onions, white parts chopped and green ends thinly sliced
- 2 plum vine tomatoes, cut into large chunks
- 1 large green chilli, trimmed, quartered lengthways and deseeded
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp caraway seeds, lightly ground
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly ground
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon
- a handful of pitted green olives, chopped
- a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
First make the sauce. Blitz the spring onion whites, tomatoes, green chilli, garlic, ground coriander, caraway and cumin seeds and vinegar together in a blender. Transfer this mixture to a bowl, stir in the spring onion greens, olives, parsley, tomato purée and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest while you heat the barbecue.
Light the barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to cook so the coals turn ashen grey and are at the optimum grilling temperature. Position the grill above the coals so it gets very hot. Alternatively, heat a large ridged, cast-iron griddle pan to maximum.
When you’re ready to grill, pat the prawns dry, then rub them with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill for three minutes on each side until the prawns change colour and are cooked through – a little charring adds a smoky flavour.
Transfer the prawns to a serving platter or individual plates and spoon over some of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for everyone to help themselves.
Tuscan-style Steak with Rosemary, Garlic and Grape Molasses
Northern Shores – Italy
A culinary hymn of praise to simplicity, this is my favourite way to cook steak. Fiorentina is traditionally a T-bone or a porterhouse steak – a steak on the bone has more flavour than a boneless one – but a good-quality rib-eye or sirloin steak will work well. The steak must be cut thick as you want the meat beautifully crisp and caramelised on the outside and medium-rare and pink within. This recipe is perfect for cooking on the barbecue, and fried potatoes and a salad are ideal accompaniments.
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 2 x 1kg T-bone or porterhouse steaks, or 2 x 600g sirloin or rump steaks, at room temperature
- olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- needles from 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
- grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 2 tbsp grape or date molasses (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Light a barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to cook so the coals turn ashen grey and are at the optimum grilling temperature. Position the grill above the coals so it gets very hot. Alternatively, heat a large ridged, cast-iron griddle pan to maximum.
Rub the steaks with oil, then season well and place them on the grill or griddle pan. Cook for three minutes on each side, or until nicely caramelised and charred. Now move either the steaks to a cooler spot on the barbecue or turn the heat under the griddle down to medium, and continue cooking for a further six to seven minutes, turning every minute or so for medium-rare. Add another three to four minutes for medium-well.
Remove the steaks from the grill and transfer to a tray or rimmed platter and sprinkle over the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and juice and the molasses, if using. Leave to rest for 10 minutes like this before serving either whole or in the traditional style with the meat cut from the bone, sliced and arranged back against the bone for serving with the resting juices spooned over. Sprinkle with extra salt, if you want.
