RICK & JACK STEIN

Make fish the star of the show with this fabulous menu from the Steins

A feast of fish for Good Friday,

Cantabrian prawn cocktail

Rick: Cantabria is the area of the north coast of Spain where every tapas bar (or pintxos bar, as they’re known there) has some sort of seafood and mayonnaise dish on offer. I tried this one in the fishing village of Santoña. I’ve described it as a ‘cocktail’, because, flavour-wise, that’s the easiest way to explain it. But unlike the retro classic, it’s served like a salad on a plate rather than in a glass, and is made all the more luxurious with the addition of white crabmeat.

SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins NO COOK EASY

2 Little Gem lettuce, outer leaves discarded

1 small carrot, coarsely grated 200g large prawns, cooked and peeled

140g white crabmeat 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced aged balsamic vinegar, Spanish smoked paprika and 4 halved, pitted green olives, to serve For the dressing

140g mayonnaise

11/2 tbsp tomato ketchup

3 tbsp double cream

3/4 tsp lemon juice

1 For the cocktail dressing, put the mayonnaise, ketchup, cream, lemon juice and a tiny splash of water into a bowl and mix together well until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

2 Finely shred the lettuce, mix with the grated carrot and divide between four plates.

3 Set aside 12 of the prawns and cut the remainder into thick slices. Stir them into the cocktail dressing with the crabmeat and diced tomato, and spoon into the centre of the salad leaves.

4 Arrange the whole prawns on top of the salad. To serve, drizzle each salad with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with a tiny pinch of paprika and top with a green olive.

GOOD TO KNOW folate • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 445 kcals • fat 39g • saturates 8g • carbs 7g • sugars 6g • fibre 3g • protein 17g • salt 2g

Grilled miso salmon with rice noodles

Rick: It’s best if the fish is grilled medium-rare, which is 50C in the centre if you’re using a temperature probe.

SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20-25 mins EASY

4 salmon fillets, about 140g each sunflower oil, for the tin

For the miso glaze

2 tsp brown miso paste

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika For the noodles

200g dried rice noodles

3 tbsp sunflower oil

3 garlic cloves, finely grated 25g ginger, finely grated

8 spring onions, sliced

2 medium red chillies, thinly sliced 100g beansprouts small pack of coriander, chopped 1 tbsp fish sauce

1 Boil the noodles for 3 mins in a large pan, drain and rinse under cold water through a sieve and set aside to drain completely.

2 Heat the grill to high. Mix together the miso paste, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and paprika to make the miso glaze and brush over the salmon fillets with a pastry brush. Lay the salmon skin side down on an oiled baking sheet and grill for 6-8 mins until just cooked through.

3 Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic, ginger, spring onions and chillies for a couple of mins until soft, then add the noodles, beansprouts and coriander. Toss everything together until well combined and turn off the heat. To finish, stir the fish sauce into the stir-fried vegetables and noodles, then pile onto plates and top with the salmon.

GOOD TO KNOW omega-3

PER SERVING 566 kcals • fat 28g • saturates 4g • carbs 43g • sugars 2g • fibre 1g • protein 33g • salt 1.6g

Floating islands with caramel sauce

SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins COOK 15 mins MORE EFFORT V

For the caramel sauce 50g caster sugar

For the floating islands

2 egg whites drop of vanilla essence 50g caster sugar sunflower oil, for the moulds For the crème anglaise 500ml full-fat milk 200ml single cream

1 vanilla pod

4 large egg yolks

75g caster sugar, plus 4 tbsp 2 tbsp cornflour

1 To make the caramel sauce, put the sugar in a small, heavy-based pan over a high heat and cook for a few mins until it has melted to an amber colour. Remove from the heat and carefully add 3 tbsp water – watch out as it will spit quite violently. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool completely.

2 Whisk the egg whites and vanilla essence together to soft peaks, add the caster sugar and whisk until you have a stiff, glossy mix. Oil four ramekins or small pudding moulds, then gently spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag and pipe out the mixture to half fill the ramekins. Put them in a large shallow pan or roasting tin and pour boiling water from a kettle into the pan around the ramekins, stopping when the water comes halfway up the ramekins or before it fills the pan. Cover with a lid or foil and place over a medium heat so that the water is just simmering. Cook for 4-6 mins, then take the ramekins out of the water and, while still warm, run a palette knife all the way around the edge of the meringue to release it and carefully turn out onto a sheet of baking parchment. Set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hrs until serving.

3 To make the crème anglaise, put the milk and cream into a large pan. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the pan and bring to the boil, then take off the heat to cool slightly. Whisk together the egg yolks and 75g of sugar until pale and creamy, then whisk in the cornflour and 4 tbsp sugar.

4 Discard the vanilla pod, then add the egg mixture to the warm milk and cream, and heat gently for 4-5 mins, stirring continuously until it starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve into a large jug and cover with cling film. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge until serving.

5 To serve, pour a pool of chilled custard into each bowl then carefully top with a meringue. Drizzle over the caramel syrup and serve immediately.

GOOD TO KNOW gluten free

PER SERVING 534 kcals • fat 21g • saturates 11g • carbs 77g • sugars 70g • fibre none • protein 10g • salt 0.3g