A quick seafood salad after a late night at work. Calamari, Atlantic salmon and prawns marinated in olive oil, parsley, garlic and cracked pepper. Pan-fried on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Served with green coral lettuce, watercress, bean sprouts, red onion (soaked in lime juice, à la Nigella) and pomegranate seeds, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.
1/21 Broughton St
Seafood restaurant
02 9922 4322 (No reservations for after 6:30pm)
As a very thoughtful gesture, my boyfriend Dan made a reservation at Garfish Kirribilli for Valentine's Day. That made the day exciting for two reasons - I got to put on a nice dress and visit a restaurant whose objective is to serve 'the freshest fish available'. Even after a little dress drama with the drycleaners, I was still psyched about dining here because I love, love, love seafood. We ate from the Valentine's Day menu - 3 courses and a glass of wine for $85pp.
Sydney rock oysters, fresh with mignonette dressing
Sydney rock oysters, grilled with bacon and worcestshire sauce
Roast barramundi with colcannon and sauce nantua
Grilled snapper with sweet corn risotto
Mango crème brûlée with spiced tuile
The seafood was amazing. The oysters were fresh and seasoned perfectly. The snapper and barramundi were tender and juicy and their natural flavours were brought out beautifully. I did have tiny gripes with the food though - the colcannon (Irish mashed potato) and risotto were too much like the texture of baby food to be served with tender fillets of fish and the crème brûlée didn't crack and was served half lukewarm, half cold. All in all, Garfish know their fish. Whether you've loved fish long time or you want to get into fish, Garfish offers variety and freshness.
Nice restaurants aside, love is staying up late to watch the food channel together. Hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day.
As much as I love poached salmon in restaurants with fancy creamy sauces, my favourite way to eat salmon is with fresh herbs and crispy skin. Don't be afraid to buy salmon with the skin on, even if it means having to scale it yourself. After that messy affair, you've truly earned that delicious fillet of fish.
You'll need:
Salmon, preferably tail portion
Spring onion
Coriander
1 small chili
Bok choy
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
Make deep scores along the salmon. Rub spring onion, chili and half a teaspoon each of garlic and ginger on the fillet and into the scores.
Marinate in soy sauce, fish sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice in the fridge for half an hour.
Pan-fry for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
I like to serve this with some gently smoked bok choy and a wedge of lemon. The crunchiness and freshness of the bok choy goes beautifully with the tender and salty flakes of the salmon.
Enjoy!
