Easy and sophisticated, nothing says Easter like pickled fish. Swap the bread with hot-cross buns, if you are feeling adventurous. 

Pickled fish toast

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients

8 slices bread of your choice
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup mixed sesame seeds

1 tub (500g) store-bought pickled fish
1 avocado
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Salt and milled pepper
1 spring onion, peeled into ribbons (see cook’s Tip).
Coriander or micro leaves, to garnish 

Method

1. Cut each slice of bread into 4 squares.
2. Spread the butter on both sides of the bread. Press only the buttered side of the bread into the sesame seeds, ensuring it sticks well. 
3. Heat a pan over medium heat and toast the bread on both sides. 
4. Top the toast with pickled fish (don’t skimp on the onions and sauce in the tub). 
5. Cut the avo into blocks, add lemon zest and juice. Season. 
6. Top the toast with avo cubes, spring onion curls and herbs. Season with milled pepper. 

Cook’s tip: Use a sharp vegetable peeler to shave the spring onion into ribbons, down the length. Place the ribbons into ice water for 15-20 minutes for them to curl up.

Recipes & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons

The post Pickled fish toast appeared first on MyKitchen.

This pasta is a quick, mid-week summer meal that’s filled with flavour. 

Garlicky basil & mussel pasta

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 box (500g) crumbed garlic half shell West Coast mussels
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 packet (400g) red lentil pasta, linguine or spaghetti
1 tub (120g) basil pesto
1 Tbsp butter
1 packet (125g) mangetout
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 radishes, sliced
Salt and milled pepper
Lemon or lime juice, to finish
Basil leaves, to garnish 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C.
2. Place mussels on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and roast for 15-20 minutes. 
3. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
4. Drain, rinse and toss pasta with pesto.
5. Heat a pan with butter on a medium-high heat, fry garlic and mangetout for about 3-4 minutes. 
6. Divide pasta, mussels and radishes between 4 plates. 
7. Season and drizzle with lemon or lime juice and garnish with fresh basil. 

Recipe & photos courtesy of Fresh Living magazine

Also read: Creamy lemon pasta

The post Garlicky basil & mussel pasta appeared first on MyKitchen.

Instead of deep-frying, air-fry or bake tuna cakes at 180°C for 10-12 minutes.

Crispy tuna cakes

Makes 8

Ingredients

For the fish cakes 

1 large potato (150g), peeled
2 cans (170g each) tuna in brine
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 egg
2 tsp rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp chilli powder
1 (60g) small carrot, grated
Milled pepper
Oil, for deep frying

2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sriracha or hot sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp lime juice
Chopped spring onion and sesame seeds, for serving 

Method

1. Evenly slice the potato into chunks and cook in salted, boiling water until fork- tender, about 10 minutes. 
2. Drain and mash until smooth.
3. Thoroughly drain tuna from water, squeezing outas much liquid as possible. 
4. Combine tuna, potato and remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Season. 
5. Divide mixture into 8-10 round patties. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up. 
6. To coat, add egg to one plate, flour and paprika to a second, and panko to a third. 
7. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying.
8. Coat one patty in flour, followed by egg wash, then finish with panko before placing in the pan to fry. 
9. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden. Remove and drain on paper towel. 
10. Repeat with remaining patties, cooking in batches of two to three to avoid overcrowding. 
11. Combine mayo, sriracha or hot sauce, sesame oil and lime juice. 
12. Drizzle mayo over tuna cakes, followedby a scattering of spring onion and sesame seeds. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Tuna Niçoise salad sarmies 

The post Crispy tuna cakes appeared first on MyKitchen.

In many Mediterranean and East Asian cultures, fish symbolises wealth and good fortune due to its abundance and the wordplay on “surplus” in Chinese. In this recipe the flaky hake makes for a bold, Italian-inspired pasta.

Hake puttanesca

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1½ Tbsp (22.5ml) olive oil, + extra for drizzling
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp (15ml) dried origanum
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 Tbsp (30ml) caper berries
2 Tbsp (30ml) tomato paste
1 can (410g) chopped and peeled tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) water
1 Tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15ml) brown sugar
70g pitted green olives
Salt and milled pepper
2 (150-200g each) hake fillets
250g spaghetti, cooked according to packet instructions
Handful Italian parsley, chopped 

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Sauté onion for about 8 minutes. 
2. Add garlic, origanum, anchovies, capers and tomato paste and sauté another 2-3 minutes. 
3. Add canned tomatoes, water, soy sauce, sugar and olives. Season. Cook the sauce for about 10-12 minutes on a high heat until slightly thickened. 
4. Lower the heat and add the hake fillets, cover with a lid and steam in the sauce until the fish is cooked, about 10 minutes. Gently flake fish in the pan. 
5. Toss cooked pasta through the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and milled black pepper to garnish. 

Recipe & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Steamed Asian hake & cabbage parcel 

The post Hake puttanesca appeared first on MyKitchen.

Swap olives for sliced figs, crumbled feta or sliced peppers.

Sardine pizza with caramelised onions

Makes 2 x 25cm pizzas 

Ingredients

For the caramelised onions 

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1kg store-bought bread dough
Olive oil, for brushing
70g tomato paste
250g mozzarella, torn
4-6 black olives, quartered
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
2 sardine fillets, drained
Salt and milled pepper 

Method

1. Place onions in a pan over medium-low heat along with the oil and butter. 
2. Stir and sauté for 10minutes until translucent.
3. Without stirring, sprinkle over the sugar and simmer for another 10 minutes. 
4. Stir onions for a final mix, then remove from the heat.
5. Preheat oven to 200°C.
6. Divide dough into two portions. Roll out into flat circles, pressing from the centre outward to create a risen rounded outer edge. 
7. Brush surfaces with oil, then lather tomato paste over the bases. 
8. Bake for 5 minutes to par-cook. Remove.
9. Dot pizzas with mozzarella, onions, olives and thyme. 
10. Halve sardines and remove bony spine. Flake fish over pizzas. 
11. Drizzle pizzas with extra olive oil, season and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until puffed, charred and gooey. 

Recipe & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Sicilian sardine pasta

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