Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan

Bord Bia, Donal Skehan and Delicious Fish Recipe’s

Last month Patrick and I were invited along to a Bord Bia Event with Donal Skehan. The highlight being Donal’s delicious cooking with fresh fish being the star attraction. Fish lovers stay tuned. Non fish lovers, stick around because you never know what might tickle your fancy to give fish another try. Followers of The Life of Stuff on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google + may remember these photo’s …

Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan 1

Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan 3

Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan 2

Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan 4

Bord Bia Fish Recipes with Donal Skehan 5

… Well here are a few more from the event minus the Instagram filtering …

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening watching Donal in person cooking up a storm in the kitchen was a great experience and I don’t think it was the heat of the cooking making him glow as he’d just gotten engaged so I’m thinking it was love. Awww. The demonstration was interactive too as us guests had the opportunity to ask questions about the dishes and more importantly were able to witness the divine smells and aromas of the different dishes coming to life – nothing like when you’re watching Donal cooking on T.V. or your PC and wishing you had smellovision to go with that drool coming from your mouth and rumbling belly … and I know I’m not alone with this … Anyhoo, moving swiftly on … After watching Donal prepare three fish dishes; Fish Cakes with Chilli and Coriander Sauce, Risotto with Hake and Basil and Mexican Fish Taco’s we got to try them and I don’t mean a nibble, I mean a fine helping of whichever dish you fancied or in Patrick and my case, a little of each. We also enjoyed a cool glass of white wine to compliment our choices. Delicious and it was decided there and then that Patrick or I, or both of us, would try our hand at the recipes some weekend.

Well we did, and although when it comes to recipes in the kitchen, I am always the one to experiment, (Patrick is the king of simple dishes and deliciously cooked meats), Patrick decided he would try his hand at the Fish Cakes with Chilli and Coriander Sauce and Risotto with Hake and Basil. I’d be there for back-up should he need it he didn’t and he did a great job, so well in fact I’ve asked him to cook the dishes again this weekend. Here are the recipe’s on handy cards you can print or save. Photo’s are click to zoom and haven’t been filtered so you can see the natural colours of the ingredients … enjoy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’8′]

Risotto with Hake and Basil Recipe from Bord Bia

Ingredients

700g hake, skinned, boned and cut into chunks
A knob of butter
½ tablesp. olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
300g carnaroli or arborio risotto rice
100ml white wine
800ml stock, heated to simmering point
A little salt and black pepper
200g of vegetables – a mixture of frozen peas and broad beans works well
Handful basil leaves, lightly torn

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180°C (150°F).
Melt a knob of butter with a dash of olive oil in a wide, shallow ovenproof saucepan over a gentle heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned. This will take about 5 minutes. Add in the rice and stir for 1-2 minutes until it starts to look translucent. Add the wine and stir until it evaporates.
Pour in enough of the heated stock to just cover the rice and simmer gently, stirring now and again. Season with a little salt and pepper. As the stock evaporates add more and stir intermittently until all the stock is used. This will take about 15 minutes. Taste regularly and add a little more salt if necessary. Stir in the frozen vegetables and basil leaves. Then season the fish and place it in a single layer on top of the risotto. Cover and place in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with a side salad.