Day 3 - Monkfish with a salsa verde.

Stepping up a notch on day 3 for a true celebration of the sea, we started with some ginger and coriander tinged crab cakes served with some excellent chilli jam bought locally in St. Ives. As with crab linguine, crab cakes are another perfect way to eat such a wonderful produce – the ginger and coriander compliments the crab beautifully, without overpowering any of the delicate flavours.

Serve with a dollop of chilli jam and some salad leaves for a perfect starter

Monkfish was a necessary addition to the week. Although not much of a looker, it is a very unique white fish and with its firm-textured flesh, monkfish makes for a meaty meal. Salsa verde, the Italian green sauce which is an irresistible combination of fresh herbs and garlic is a classic accompaniment to fish, and was served alongside our pan-fried monkfish (you could also grill or roast).

A fish that tastes much better than it looks...

To serve 6 people, crush a garlic clove in a pestle and mortar, add 4 anchovy fillets and pound again into a rough paste. Finely chop a shallot and add it into the mix, alongside the zest of one lemon and mix again. Stir in a chopped bunch of parsley and a bunch of basil, as well as the juice of a lemon. Finally, season the sauce and add enough olive oil to get the desired consistency.

This sauce really does pack a punch, and went wonderfully with the monkfish. You could also serve it alongside any grilled fish of your choice (mackerel would be a great), or even chicken. To be quite honest, it has everything going for it and would be just as delicious spread on a slice of toast!

Day 2 - Crab linguine.

Day 2 in St. Ives and time for some crab. Angela Hartnett recently championed the British crab on ‘Great British Food Revival’ and claimed that it has been 'unloved' by the Great British public, as the majority is shipped abroad where they are highly prized.

Angela Hartnett champions the cause of the British Brown crab.

Crab is such a sweet and succulent meat which shouldn’t be overpowered by too many complex flavours – it certainly doesn’t need any help in the taste department! This pasta dish is ridiculously simple to prepare and lets the natural flavours of the crab sing.

The only cooking involved in this dish is the linguine (told you it was simple!). The rest just involves light chopping and some stress relieving pestle and mortar action. Chilli and garlic is pulverized to give a red-tinged paste, this is then mixed into the crab meat followed by lemon zest and juice. Toss the crab mixture into your linguine and serve with some rocket or a handful of peppery watercress. Shellfish perfection!

On an extra note – don’t be put off by the crab! You can buy tubs of readily prepared (and cooked) white and brown meat, so you don’t have to grapple with a scary looking crustacean if you don’t want to!

Surely the British crab is just too good to export....?

A week of Cornish fish.

You can’t beat good fish, especially when you know it’s as fresh as a daisy. Unfortunately this can be somewhat of an impossible dream when you don’t live anywhere near the sea. However, after having spent a week in the picturesque Cornish holiday town of St. Ives, every opportunity was taken to indulge in the fruits of the sea Cornwall had to offer.

St. Ives Harbour

Day 1 - Megrim Sole

We started the week with a mental list of different fish that we wanted to cook (and more importantly, eat!). Lemon sole was firmly on this list, being one of my favourites. However, availability obviously had to be taken into account and so after asking for the fishmonger's advice, we came away with fillets of Megrim Sole, a fish that is abundant off the Cornish coast all year round.

In my mind, pea purée is a great accompaniment to fish; try a (very) generous dollop with salmon, or scallops for a perfect starter. Forget about mushy peas; this is a far more sophisticated version, blended with cream and mint (a perfect partner to peas). The delicate flesh of the sole went perfectly with the sweetness of the peas, and the accompaniment of crispy bacon provided the dish with texture and saltiness. 

The sole had a very fine texture and clean flavour, delicious in its own right. However, the jury is out as to whether it can measure up to lemon sole. In my personal opinion - lemon sole wins every time.

A great start to the week!