Seabass with Icelandic Kelp Salt

(…or with whatever other exciting herbs and spices you have picked up on your travels)

Hi! I am a geologising cook who used to work with the lovely Sarah in the mining town of Mt. Isa. I could tell you a few good food-related Mt-Isa stories, including inadvertently causing someone to drive around town for over an hour searching for a fictional new restaurant called ‘The ‘Mo’… which was actually my fabulous kitchen. However, I hate to waffle so I will move on to the task in hand…

When I was asked if I would share a recipe with you I was given the following remit; ‘a quick easy recipe for the busy female STEM professional when they’re asked to bring in goodies for morning tea’. However, as is typical I ignored that and went my own way (sorry Sarah!) because I really want to share a recipe for a lovely evening meal with you instead; it does tick the ‘quick and easy’ box but I do not think that your colleagues would appreciate you bringing fish into the office! Maybe if you like any of them enough you could invite them for supper, or even better put the radio on and cook an easy fancy meal just for yourself, pour yourself a nice glass of wine and relax. I know which I would prefer after a long day at work!

I make quite a habit of picking up spice mixes on my travels to liven up my cooking and to make it a little more ‘unique’; the ‘kelp garlic salt’ seasoning used for this meal was brought back from a geologising trip to Iceland. Depending on my mood I substitute in different spice mixtures; a particular favourite being ‘Mojo’ from the Canary Islands (you may have spotted a volcano theme!).

I am sure that a number of you lovely STEM ladies go abroad in the course of your work, and I would love it if I could inspire you to venture to the local shops and markets and bring some local spices home.

Ingredients

• Sea bass fillets – one piece per person
• A tablespoon of spice mix per person

• Couscous (~ ½ cup per person)
• Saffron
• Vegetable stock

• ¼ red cabbage
• Approx 5 carrots
• Lemon juice
• Good olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Put the couscous into a bowl with a pinch of saffron and the vegetable stock, cover and set to one side. If you don’t make couscous very often check the instructions on the packet for the proportion of couscous to liquid (I tend to make it up which isn’t very helpful, sorry).
2. For the salad; chop the red cabbage into small-ish pieces, then use the biggest bit of your cheese grater (mind your knuckles!) or a potato peeler to finely slice the carrot. Put into a dish with a generous slosh of olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice, a good few grinds of pepper and a couple of pinches of sea salt. Taste. Add more lemon, salt and pepper if you think it would improve it.
3.  For the fish; put a tablespoon of your spice mix of choice onto a plate, adding a teaspoon of salt if there isn’t already some in the mix. Rub a small amount of oil onto the fish and then coat it with the spice and salt. Shallow fry for a couple of minutes on each side until just cooked through; be careful not cook it for too long or it will dry out.

Enjoy with a well-earned glass of white wine and a little reminisce about the international travel which enabled you to cook such a delightful meal.

Just in case you actually did need more cake this week, check out my recipe for sponge cake with chocolate and coffee here.

More cake!

Kitty loves cooking, baking, tea, reading and a very special spotty dog (and lovely cat). After living in Melbourne and Mt Isa, Kitty returned to her native England and settled down in the Cotswolds where she spends her time geologising and sharing her love of food and drink with friends, family and the local community.  She blogs at kittysstorecupboard.wordpress.com and you can find her on Instagram @kitty_allcock