Scallops in the bay, fennel in the field

Photo: Rob Corlett


Scallops are a rich and delicious shellfish that are sought after as a menu item when they are in season. They are culinary regulars in both Asian and Western cuisine and are prized in many cultures around the world. We regard them as quite commonplace in New Zealand, but in parts of Europe they are more scarce and expensive treasures.

They are remarkably versatile, combine extremely well with a range of flavours and can be enjoyed in many ways - raw on the shell (preferably on the side of a boat out in the bay), in sashimi, lightly sauteed with very little to adorn them, to more complex recipes involving wine and cheeses in classic recipes such as Scallops Mornay.

The key to cooking, as with any fish, is to not overcook them. A perfectly cooked scallop should still be slightly translucent in the centre.

A scallop is a bivalve (two shells) with one flat shell and one concave shell. The adductor muscle (the white meat) is used to open and close the shell. This white meat is the part that is called the scallop in culinary terms, along with the orange roe. (A great cooking hint about roe is that it can be used to thicken a sauce - just crush the roe into the poaching liquid and whisk, and the sauce will thicken). Interestingly, in North America the roe is taken from the scallop muscle and only the white part of the scallop is sold.

Scallops, like all shellfish, are an excellent source of Omega 3, an essential fatty acid that lowers cholesterol and aids circulation.

Scallops can be sourced all around New Zealand. Locally, the situation is a bit grim, with availability of scallops in Tasman Bay at dramatically low levels. People may not be aware that our scallop beds are dying and that there has been no commercial fishing in the bay for five years. Commercial supply is still viable in both Golden Bay and the Marlborough Sounds, and recreational fishers can still find some scallops in Tasman Bay, with adjacent areas still producing a good supply in the season from November to July. A recent article in The Nelson Mail featured recreational fishermen in Golden Bay who talked about the abundance of scallops there and the ease of catching them.

As mentioned earlier, scallops mix very well with a variety of flavours, and they taste particularly fabulous combined with the mild anise flavour of fennel.

Florence fennel or finocchio is an essential Italian herb (and vegetable) that has been grown and eaten in Italy forever but has only recently become available in New Zealand. It is similar to celery in many ways but has a wonderful anise flavour that adds so much to dishes. It can be found at Nelson City Fresh Choice and sometimes at New World. It can also be bought direct from Finocchio Farms (www.finocchifarm.co.nz). Fennel can be eaten raw in salads (sliced finely) or braised or sauteed (chopped into four pieces or more, depending on the size) and it is delicious chargrilled on the barbecue. Normally, it comes with some of the wispy herb on top, which can be chopped and added to whatever you are cooking. It has a delicious anise flavour, and this can be enhanced by adding some fennel seeds or a splash or two of pernod to the dish to give a more dramatic anise flavour. It is a great vegetable to experiment with if you haven't done so.

Three recipes follow that give you the opportunity to try this great combination of flavours and textures.

Seared Scallops with Fennel Puree and Citrus
Serves 5
250g fennel bulb
100g white onion
25 scallops
2 1/2 lemons
2 oranges in segments
2 limes in segments
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Trim the fennel bulb and finely slice. Saute diced white onion and fennel bulb. Add lemon juice and a little water, cover and cook over a low heat until soft. Cool and puree in a blender or food processor with a little olive oil. The mixture should not be too runny; it needs to be able to be mounded on the plate when served.
Cut the limes, lemons and oranges into segments.
Make a dressing with equal parts olive oil and lemon juice; add salt and pepper to taste.
Sear the scallops in a hot pan with a little oil. The scallops should be golden on the outside and slightly translucent in the middle this will depend on the size of the scallop (generally about 1-2 minutes each side).
Warm the puree and place five spoonfuls of it on each plate. Top each mound with a scallop. Arrange segments neatly around the plate. Dress with the citrus dressing and garnish with some of the whispy fennel leaves from the top of the bulb.

Grilled Scallops and Fennel with Lime Pernod Dressing
Serves 3

1 large fennel bulb (or 2 smaller bulbs)
Slice the fennel bulb lengthwise into four portions. Lightly brush with olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill on the barbecue until it softens slightly and is well marked by the charcoal but is still slightly crisp.

15 scallops
Grill the scallops on the barbecue or in a pan for 1-2 minutes on each side.

Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp pernod
1 tsp chilli flakes
Sea salt
Combine the ingredients and mix well.
Put the fennel on the plate first, add the scallops on top and pour the dressing over the top. Garnish with either fresh tarragon or parsley.

Lil's Pasta with Fennel, Prawn and Scallop Sauce
Serves 4
2 cloves garlic
2 medium-sized fennel bulbs
1 red onion
3 cans of Italian tomatoes
1 cup white wine
3 tbsp each fresh basil and oregano
1 tbsp toasted fennel seeds
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper
2 tsp raw sugar
20 scallops, 12 raw prawns (either in the shell or shelled)
400g fresh linguini pasta
Saute finely sliced fennel, onion and garlic in the olive oil until softened and turning slightly golden. Add the tomatoes, fennel seed, oregano and basil, mustard, sugar and salt and pepper. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the ingredients are well incorporated.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Add the prawns to the sauce and cook through. Add the scallops and cook until done just a few minutes, depending on the size of the scallops. Drain the pasta and serve with the seafood sauce. Add parmesan cheese to taste.

Crab 'em and eat 'em

photo Nelson Mail

Some things you may not know about crabs are that they walk sideways and can be found everywhere in the world. There are somewhere between 5000 to 7000 species of them, depending on which authority on the subject you read. They can be found in all the oceans of the world, as well as in fresh water and even on the land, particularly in tropical regions.

Crab make up 20 per cent of all marine crustaceans caught and farmed worldwide, with well over 1 million tonnes consumed annually.

As a result of their occurrence in so many places, they feature in the cuisine of many countries. Some crab is eaten whole, shell and all, such as soft-shell crab, while for other crab it is the claws and legs that are mainly eaten, along with as much meat as can be extracted under the shell.

Paddle crab is the species found in New Zealand on sandy beaches, estuaries and harbours. They are mostly active at night, when they move to tidal areas to feed. Females moult (hence soft-shell crab) and can mate only when in this state.

Local crab fishermen know how to avoid the moulting crab, as they are soft shelled in different areas at different times.

The crab fishery is managed in New Zealand by strict quotas and, normally, paddle crab is caught using baited traps or pots.

If you love the taste of crab or want to experiment, here is a daring method for catching them without a pot or trap.

Go to a beach such as Rabbit Island, or Torrent Bay or Awaroa in the Abel Tasman, at low tide, especially at a spring tide. Take a bucket and a rake and, with bare feet, walk out in the tide to the point where the sand becomes soft and squelchy under your feet (this may mean being up to the top of your legs in water - you need to have bare feet because you need to be able to feel the texture of the sand).

On reaching sand of the right texture, start raking in front of you. The crab will grab a hold of the rake with its claws. Swiftly lift the rake with crab attached and toss the crab into your bucket. Voila!

Other than this method, you need to rely on Guytons or supermarkets to stock crab for you.

Crab is caught commercially in the Nelson bays area throughout the year. Aqua Fresh (a local company) catches between 18 and 23 tonnes of crab a year and supplies supermarkets throughout New Zealand.

This means that crab could be available to us all in Nelson via our local supermarkets pretty much constantly, except when bad weather affects the catch. So it is up to us as consumers to let our supermarkets know that we want crab - it is there for the taking.

Currently, Nelson suppliers are requesting only limited orders, so our local crab travels around the country.

Other than in the whole, fresh, living form, you can obtain them whole, fresh and cooked, as fresh diced meat, as frozen diced meat and canned.

A crab worth eating will have its legs intact and will feel heavy. When you buy fresh crab, the legs should be moving, and if it is cooked, the legs should not be limp.

Crab is a great source of protein and has lots of omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and minerals. So it is well worth mastering the art of extracting the flesh from the shells.

To prepare crab meat, follow these steps. Learning how to do this will make your experience of crab much easier.

• First, kill the crab by either forcing a sharp knife through the indented spot just above the tail flap on its underside - this kills the crab instantly -
  
  or by putting it in boiling water.
• Cook it by boiling it for 10 minutes in a small amount of water. Rinse in cold water.
• Hold the back legs and with the crab facing you, lift the shell off. Then remove the gills.
• To extract the flesh, cut the crab in half with a sharp knife. Separate out the legs, claws and body and carefully extract the meat from each part of the body.

The flesh of the paddle crab is white, crisp, moist and delicious. It combines brilliantly with chilli and there are many recipes for chilli crab.
A recipe follows, along with another peppery version, salt and pepper crab. Crab cakes are also delicious and can be made using either fresh or canned crab.

Crab cakes
Ingredients:
500g of crab meat
1 red or green pepper
1 small red chilli
zest of 1 lime
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup of coconut, freshly grated or dried
1 tbsp of chickpea flour
a handful of chopped coriander or Italian parsley Combine the crab meat, diced peppers, lime zest, coconut, egg, flour and herbs, season with salt and shape into cakes. Chill for an hour to help them keep their shape.

Fry in a little hot oil until they are golden brown. Serve with a sauce made of 200ml of good-quality coconut milk, 3-4 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce, 1 kaffir lime leaf finely chopped, juice from a lime, two tsp of fish sauce and fresh coriander or parsley. Combine all the ingredients and gently simmer until well combined.

Salt and pepper crab
Ingredients:
1 crab per person, for up to six
50g of sea salt
50g of black peppercorns
6 spring onions
1 litre of oil

Pound the salt and pepper together in a mortar until fine.

Kill the crab and then remove the shell and wash thoroughly. Cut into quarters. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot and add the quartered crab. Fry for at least 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Remove the oil from the wok except for a little to refry the crab pieces along with a good spoonful of the salt and pepper mixture and the spring onions chopped finely. Fry until the crab is golden brown. Drain again. Serve with lots of fresh lime juice.

Chilli crab
Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic
4 hot chillies with the seeds (try using one chipotle chilli in this mix for an extra smoky flavour)
1 red onion
3-4 sprigs of mint
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 crab per person, for up to six

120g of coconut milkIn a food processor, blend the first five ingredients to make a paste. Heat a wok and add 2 tbsp of olive oil, add the paste and stir for a few minutes. Add quartered crab meat (as per the recipe for salt and pepper crab) and stir fry until the crab has turned orange. This will take 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of the crab. Stir in the coconut milk and serve immediately the milk has warmed through.