Cheesy Crumbed Mussels
Serves 4

Delicious as a starter or as part of an outdoor fish buffet.

1kg fresh or 500 g frozen black mussels on the half shell
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman's Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
2-3 T (30-45 ml) olive oil
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 cup (250 ml) fresh white breadcrumbs
Ina Paarman's Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning
finely sliced chives or chopped parsley to garnish

If using fresh mussels, steam them open in their own juices in a large saucepan with a light fitting lid. Shake the pan over high heat for 5 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Remove the top shell-half. No need to steam if using frozen mussels - just thaw. Snip a small hole in the top corner of the Cheese Sauce doypack and squeeze generously over each mussel. Place in a single layer in an oven pan.

Sauté the garlic in the oil for a few seconds and then add the crumbs to the pan, season and toss until lightly coated and just beginning to turn golden. Cover the mussels with the crumbs.* Flash the mussels under a hot grill for a few minutes or warm them on the braai. Garnish with chives or parsley.

 Chef's Tip:

* Can be pre-prepared up to this point.

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Fish wrapped in wet newspaper and cooked under coals, in a weber or in a pizza oven is a delicacy to rave about.

1 whole fish (about 2,5 kg) Cape Salmon, Kabeljou (Cob) or Stockfish (Hake)
Ina Paarman's Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning
1 t (5 ml) sugar
2 T (30 ml) Ina Paarman's Tomato Pesto
4 T (60 ml) butter, softened
2 T (30 ml) lemon juice
4-6 cloves of crushed garlic
3 ripe red tomatoes, sliced
Ina Paarman's Garlic and Herb Seasoning
fresh basil, origanum or marjoram
1 medium onion, sliced and loosened into rings

Scale the fish first, 'vlek' it open along the belly and remove the backbone. Leave the head and tail intact. Season the fish with Lemon and Black Pepper seasoning and sugar on the inside. Leave it in the fridge with an ice brick on top, to firm for 30 minutes. Mix the tomato pesto, butter, lemon juice and garlic together. Spread a generous layer over the inside of the fish. Add the tomato slices and season with Garlic and Herb seasoning. Add the fresh herbs and onion rings.

Fold the fish to cover the filling. Place the whole fish on a large sheet of greaseproof or baking paper and fold like a parcel. Wrap the fish in 5 sheets of newspaper and tie with string. Wet the paper thoroughly with cold tap water. Make a hollow in the coals of the braai fire and bury the fish among the warm coals. Also cover the fish with a few coals. Bake slowly. Allow 45 minutes - 1 hour for a 2.5 kg kabeljou. When the fish is done, the outer layers of the newspaper will be scorched.

Slide two sturdy lifters under the fish and carefully remove from the coals. Place on a clean sheet of newspaper and cut open the charred newspaper. You will find that the skin easily comes away from the tender, aromatic fish as you pull away the greaseproof paper.

Delicious served with hot garlic bread, a crisp green salad dressed with our Lite Greek dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette.

 Chef's Tip:

If cooking the fish on a kettle braai, it is not necessary to bury it in the coals. Cook on top of the grid with the lid closed.

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With the exorbitant price of crayfish, one feels guilty to indulge in this delicacy. All the more reason to make sure you use the best possible preparation and cooking techniques. Keeping it simple is the best policy.

2 whole crayfish or 4 tails
2-4 salmon steaks
Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
or Chilli & Garlic Seasoning
olive oil

Splitting Crayfish or Lobster

1. Grip back firmly. Pierce sharply at central point where head meets body. Halve head.

2. Split in half lengthways and remove the vein. Rinse under cold running water.

Season the cut crayfish halves and salmon steaks with the seasoning of your choice. Brush with a generous amount of olive oil.

Prepare a medium/hot fire and place the crayfish, meaty side down, for 5-7 minutes. When nicely marked, turn the tails over and cook on the shell side for about 7-10 minutes. Cook the salmon steaks for the same length of time.

Serve as is - a sauce is really not needed.

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This is the best way to prepare prawns in my book!

16-20 large black tiger prawns (± 1 kg)
Ina Paarman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
olive oil
1 lime or lemon
kebab sticks

If frozen, leave the prawns in a sink half filled with cold tap water until beginning to thaw. Separate from each other and remove the heads. Cut through the hard shell, along the backs, with a pair of kitchen scissors and then slice each prawn almost completely through the flesh, with a sharp knife, to butterfly them open. Remove the black vein and rinse in clean water.

Skewer the prawns on wooden kebab sticks to keep them flat, as illustrated. Season each prawn on both sides and brush generously with olive oil. Leave covered in the fridge with an ice brick on top until ready to cook. Prepare a hot griddle pan or braai fire and cook the prawns, meaty side down, until well marked. Turn over and cook on the shell side for 3 minutes. Squeeze lime or lemon juice over and serve with a chilli and garlic dipping sauce if desired.

Chilli and Garlic Dipping Sauce
½ red chilli, finely sliced
1 T (15 ml) lime or lemon juice
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli and Garlic Seasoning
½ cup (60 ml) olive oil
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic

Place all the ingredients into a screw-top jar and shake vigorously. Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to develop. Shake again and pour a little into individual dipping bowls for each guest. The sauce will keep in the fridge for a week.

 Chef's Tip:

Sosatie Sticks are sturdy wooden sticks best suited to larger cuts.

Kebab Sticks are made out of bamboo and are thinner and more fragile than sosatie sticks. Best suited to smaller portions such as prawns and cubes of fish.

Both can be made less flammable by soaking them in warm water for 20-30 minutes, before use.

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1 x 250 g punnet portobellini mushrooms
1 x 250 g button mushrooms
1 cup (250 ml) water
½ cup (125 ml) white vinegar
10 cloves of garlic, sliced into long slivers
handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 cup (250 ml) Ina Paarman's Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Wipe and quarter the mushrooms. Bring water and vinegar to the boil. Add mushrooms and cook for 30 seconds only, with the lid on. Drain immediately. Toss with garlic, parsley, seasoning and dressing to coat well. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.

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1 French loaf
1 roll (150 g) of garlic butter
1 x 125 ml Ina Paarman's Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
150 g Emmenthaler cheese
foil
basil leaves

Slice a French loaf at 2cm intervals, but do not cut all the way through. Open each alternate gap and fill with a generous pat of garlic butter. Spread Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto between the remaining slices. Place a generous slice of cheese between slices spread with pesto. Wrap the bread snugly in foil and heat through at 180°C for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh basil leaves.

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Chill a ripe watermelon until serving time. Split open and cut the flesh into wedges. Pile into the prepared ice bowl and serve with fresh berries.

ICE BOWL
An ice bowl makes an impressive serving dish for fresh fruit, ice cream or sorbet. Make the bowl well in advance and store it in the freezer. We used bougainvillea flowers set in the ice because of the wonderful colour match with watermelon.

Select two bowls, one about 5cm smaller than the other. Choose plastic or stainless steel bowls, as we found that a glass bowl can shatter when frozen. Put ice cubes in the bottom of the larger bowl and place the smaller bowl on top. Tape the bowls at intervals at the edges to keep them an even distance apart. Place flowers between the bowls and pour in cold water to fill the gap.

Freeze the bowls. Use a skewer to push the flowers down between the bowls if they float during freezing. To release the ice bowl, remove the tape and pour a little hot water into the small bowl and stand the bottom bowl in hot water. As soon as the ice bowl is released place it in the freezer, on a double layer of greaseproof paper, until you are ready to use it.

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