Cockles and Mussels Welsh Style

Serves 4

 A luxurious but economical dish with a lovely Welsh flavour. This is perfect over Christmas as it is a celebration of all the wonderful flavours that we have in this part of the world, and isn’t that what Christmas should be about – luxury and celebration. Swansea market is the best place to get the ingredients as there a 3 excellent fishmongers and wonderful bacon from Abraham’s. We had this on the big day itself but without the cockles and served with frites.

 

What you need

1kg mussels, cleaned and de – bearded

250g cockles in the shell, cleaned under running cold water to remove grit

100ml Welsh cider

125ml double cream

2 rashers Welsh streaky bacon, diced

½ onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Handful of chopped parsley

Knob of butter

How to do it

1)    With cockles and mussels, ensure that any that are open, and don’t shut with a sharp tap, are discarded as they are dead and unsafe to eat.

2)    In a very large pan with a lid, heat the butter and fry the bacon and onions until the bacon is coloured and the onions soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute being careful not to burn it.

3)    Add the cockles and mussels and then the cider. Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on until the cockles and mussels open, discarding any that don’t. Lift out the cockles and mussels with a slotted spoon and set aside while you add the cream and boil until it is thick. Taste and when you are happy put the cockles and mussels back in for a minute. Add the chopped parsley and serve in large bowls with crusty bread and a glass of white wine.

Pan fried salmon with crushed new potatoes, broad beans and hollandaise sauce

I was up keen and early yesterday morning to get the best of the produce at Swansea market. I returned home with salmon, lovely new potatoes, sausages, bacon, welsh cakes, great brie de maux and other bits and bobs. I am going to start my very own campaign to promote this tresure trove of wonderful suppliers and their great produce. I have no connections with any of the suppliers or any ulterior motive to support the market. All I know is we are very lucky indeed and I had a recent conversation with someone from France who wishes they had a market like ours out where she lived. I am going to write a separate piece about the market but for now this is what we had for lunch today. I promise it is stunning although it is easy to do and you can make it look cheffy!

Pan fried salmon with crushed new potatoes, broad beans and hollandaise sauce

Salmon

If you are going to make this you will find that it is far more economical to buy a whole salmon and have the fishmonger fillet it for you. A whole salmon will yield 8 - 10 portions and mine cost around £10 so you can see that it is cheaper to buy than pre portioned fillets. Just pop what you don't use in the freezer. The key to making this great salmon to eat is to make sure you get the skin nice and crisp. All you do is pat the fillets dry with kitchen towel and season the skin. Get a non stick frying pan on a medium to high heat, add a drizzle of oil and when it is ready place the salmon in skin side down and leave for 3 minutes, make sure it doesn't burn but don't be tempted to move it until that skin is crisp. Then turn over and depending on how thick the fillets are cook for around 4 - 6 minutes. You are aiming for moist juicy fillets with a crisp skin so don't overcook it as dry salmon isn't great.





Crushed new potatoes with broad beans

Nice and easy but full of flavour. All you do is cook some nice late new potatoes in boiling salted water - mine were the charlotte variety - and when they are done lift them out into a bowl and pop some broad beans into the potato water and cook for 3 minutes. While they are cooking gently crush the potatoes then add the broad beans. Season with salt, pepper, a drizzle of nice olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and gently mix through.



Hollandaise sauce

To be honest this can be a little tricky. But once you know how to rescue a curdled or split attempt then you'll be fine. Take a finely chopped shallot and 6 crushed peppercorns and cook in 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar and juice of 1/2 a lemon until reduced to about 2 tspn of liquid. Pop the strained liquid into a food processor and add 2 egg yolks and whizz up. Add 125g of melted butter a little at a time until you have a shiney thick yellow sauce. This has to be warmed through by placing the bowl of hollandaise over simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) and heat it through whilst you stir it. If it curdles or splits add a teaspoon of boiling water and stir vigorously until it goes back to being a nice shiney yellow sauce.