The seafood fotos

Here's the dish I used for the starter

it measures 18.5 x 11.5cms - 7”x 4½” in old money!

The black bean sauce – a definite addition

to your pantry or store cupboard

The scallops in clock face formation!

The scallops, turned and sealed one side

The scallops and king prawns in the sauce

ready to serve

How good was it? I was asked for the recipe, which I had never committed to print, until now so I think it was a hit!

For the fish lovers … or strictly speaking seafood lovers!

I know that my salad menu is a long one – what can I say, I love what I call a creaking table!

I said at the beginning that we had two fish lovers. I want to make sure that I don't finish up meeting myself coming back when the guests arrive but by the same token want to serve food that everyone will enjoy.

The recipe/dish that follows I've served before and it went well then, so time for another appearance. If you're interested in dishes that can be prepped and served in minutes then I think you'll like this.

Scallops and king prawns in black bean sauce

Serves 2 as a starter

7 scallops per person (from frozen –

frozen scallops are usually smaller than fresh)

7 cooked king prawns (from frozen)

drop of rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

Waitrose Cooks' Ingredients

black bean sauce

This is a dish that you pull from your freezer – the scallops and the king prawns and from your pantry/store cupboard - the black bean sauce.

As a guide I sourced the king prawns (200g) and the black bean sauce (220g) from Waitrose - £4.80 and £2.49 respectively. The scallops came from Marks and Spencer (300g) £9.00. Prices will vary.

You need to remember to take the scallops and king prawns out of the freezer the night before and fridge them. Make sure you drain any liquid and pat dry with kitchen roll before cooking.

I always use the clock face method when cooking scallops – heating the rapeseed oil until hot and beginning at 12 o'clock and forming an outer circle in your pan, sealing and seasoning with salt and black pepper. When you return to where you began turn each scallop again to seal on the other side. Add the king prawns, season and then toss together for 2 minutes to warm the prawns through. Add 100ml of the black bean sauce tossing to cover thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Some helpful photos on their way.

Resourceful and creative – home-made bread

I'm a sucker for home-made bread and so for the holidays I would definitely recommend the two fast breads I make all the time. For those of you who read my blog regularly – thank you – you'll know that I'm always banging on about soda bread – the fast version. More recently the beer bread has been very popular too.

Essentials for your shopping list - for the soda bread a pot of buttermilk 290/300ml – the “use by” dates are generally kind but check! For the beer bread add a 330ml bottle of IPA – India Pale Ale.

Here's an idea for either bread, once again keeping it simple.

Soda bread, toasted and topped with bazzin' beetroot

relish and goats cheese

Keep it simple – three elements – I made my soda bread the day before and the beetroot relish too. I used small discs of goats cheese so pretty on the plate.

I pre-heated my oven to warm – 150fan/170c/Gas 3 Fill a foil container with enough beetroot relish for the number of servings. Place your cheese discs on a double sheet of foil. Toast your soda bread and place on a serving plate, add the relish and top with goats cheese. To complete your dish add a generous drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or, if you really want to push the boat out, make your own Balsamic Glaze.

Balsamic Glaze

50g/2oz demerara sugar

250ml/9 fluid oz balsamic vinegar

Place the sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan (19cms or 7½” in diameter) and heat slowly, stirring allowing the sugar to dissolve. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes – until the glaze is reduce by half. It should coat the back of a spoon. Decant into a clean jar with a lid – fridge it.

The best 20 minutes you've ever spent in your kitchen – you'll never buy it again!

For both bread recipes check out the Bread label on the blog