Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Meat
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos

Baked rolled fish fillets with a mustard cream sauce

by Jeanne Horak on June 30, 2004 5 Comments in Fish, Gluten-free

Baked fish in mustard sauce with brussels sprouts

Well, the heady excitement of Is My Blog Burning 5 is now, sadly, a thing of the past. But with my recent visit home to South Africa and all the fish I saw on the menu there (post still to follow, I promise), I can’t seem to get the fishy theme out of my head.

When I was growing up, fish was really simple. When I was a toddler, fish came in 2 types: fingers or cakes, both liberally doused with tomato sauce and possibly mayonnaise. Then as I graduated to “adult” food, the fish we ate at home was either kingklip or, if we were being fancy or having company, sole. So if it was firm, white and filleted, it was kingklip & if it was flat & usually crumbed, it was sole. Easy peasy. But sometime in the 1980s/1990s, the prices of both these fish went through the roof and my mother quite smartly switched to hake as our family’s fish of choice. I was never that mad about hake. I mean, it’s OK – like cod (to which it is related), it’s very flaky when cooked so pan-frying is tricky unless you batter it to death first (and I don’t mean batter as in assault…) and then deep-fry it. Or you can oven-bake it, but generally it is not the world’s most exciting fish. Once I had moved out of home and had to learn to forage for myself in the supermarket, I decided that even hake at ZAR 15/kg sounded expensive, so I asked the fishmonger for a substitute and thus stumbled on butter bream (well that’s what the fishmonger’s pimply assistant called it…). What a lovely fish! The fillets are about the size of kingklip fillets but have a lovely pinkish tinge to the flesh when raw. When cooked, it’s a firm fish, not as flaky as hake and (I think) tastier, and if you get small fillets you can dip them in seasoned flour and pan-fry them – yum!

But then in about 2001, South Africa decided that it was much more profitable (what with our lousy exchange rate) to sell the hake (and, apparently, butter bream) we caught off our coast to other countries, and consequently the price of hake shot up to almost ZAR 30/kg, and butter bream which was ZAR12/kg shot up to about ZAR 25/kg. At this time I decided that if I was going to have to pay this much for fish which weren’t exactly the height of culinary excitement, I may as well start buying more expensive “premium” fish and at least get some bang for my buck, so to speak…

And so began my foray into the world of poached salmon fillets, seared tuna steaks, grilled butterfish (this is the closest I could get to what this actually is – apparently this is what the Namibians call butterfish which is my best guess I’m afraid. I know it isn’t the dollarfish that Americans refer to as butterfish as I have had salmon-sized butterfish steaks…) and my favourite fishy dinner party standby, gurnard – not gorgeous to look at but delicious to eat. Of course, now that I am in London, I have had to learn a whole new fishy lexicon – cod, haddock, mackerel, plaice, sea bass, bream… the list goes on. And I am learning that there is no greater naming confusion as when one tries to talk about fish in different countries – what you regard as Cape Salmon may be called something entirely different in another country – and of course, what was local and/or sustainable in South Africa is very different in the UK.

So slowly I am building up a new supply of recipes to suit new fish species. But I still hanker after my beloved butter bream and gurnard.  Gurnard, in particular, is perfect for dinner parties – not too expensive, delicious, and fillets of a size that lend themselves to a good portion for one person. The recipe below was always one of my dinner party standbys in South Africa and is specifically written for gurnard fillets, but seeing as they are not often available in the UK, outside of specialist fishmongers, I have discovered that you can make this with other small, white fish fillets as well.  Ideally, the fish should be skinless but if, like me, you don’t mind fish skin, you can also cook them skin-on. The main criterion is that they have to be fillets (not loins or steaks) and have to be thin enough that you can roll them up.  Other than that, the recipe is simplicity itself, but looks pleasingly cheffy.  Enjoy!

 

Baked dish in mustard sauce with brussels sprouts

If you enjoyed this fish recipe, you will also like:

  • pan-fried salmon on kale with sweet potato and pomegranate
  • easy mustard-crusted fish fillets
  • pan-fried fish fillets with capers on pesto mash
  • pizza fish

OVEN-BAKED ROLLED FISH FILLETS WITH MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 gurnard/haddock fillets (about 1kg) – preferably skinless
lemon juice
whole chives (for securing)
4 heaped tsp chopped chives (plus extra for garnish)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fish or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream
4 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt and milled black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190C.

Rinse and pat dry the fish fillets. Season and moisten with lemon juice. Roll up and tie up with chives (leave some for garnishing). You may have to tie 2 chives together to get them long enough.

Arrange the tied fish in a single layer in an oiled baking dish. Pour over the wine and stock and cover with a sheet of oiled greaseproof paper or aluminium foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the flesh is opaque and just cooked. Remove the fish from the baking dish and keep warm.

Pour the cream into a saucepan over low heat and whisk in the mustard and chopped chives, then the cooking liquid from the fish – do this slowly, spoonful by spoonful so the cream doesn’t separate. Once all incorporated, turn the heat up to high to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle with the reserved chives before serving.

More deliciousness for you!

  • Chicken, sun-dried tomato & mustard pasta sauceChicken, sun-dried tomato & mustard pasta sauce
  • Prawn and lemon pepper risottoPrawn and lemon pepper risotto
  • Quick creamy mustard and caper pork chopsQuick creamy mustard and caper pork chops
  • Salmon tagliatelle and a Cirio product reviewSalmon tagliatelle and a Cirio product review

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Mmmm… Cholesterol!
Biltong – it’s what makes us South African! »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. redsaid says

    July 2, 2004 at 1:40 am

    You’d think I would’ve learned by now not to read your blog when I’m STARVING!!!!!! (With no more exciting prospects than a piece of toast beckoning… and not even a drop of Bovril in sight… sigh.) Yes, I know, it’s scandalous and I should really, really learn how to cook.
    Keep up these cookin’, smokin’ scribblings of yours, ‘kay?
    R.

    Reply
  2. anthony says

    July 2, 2004 at 9:21 am

    Hey cheers. I’ll have to head out again with my fishing mate. I almost chucked the first Gurnard I caught back in, as it’s an ugly spikey bugger. But my friend told me it was good eating and it was.
    Will be trying to reach double figures on fish I’ve caught in my life – more a shabby excuse to sit outside near the water and drink beer type fisherman.

    Reply
  3. Jeanne says

    July 2, 2004 at 10:35 am

    Hey Red! Long time no hear… Thanks for the compliment – don’t you worry, I have no intention of stopping any time soon! Look out for my homesickness-inducing SA trip posts soon (hope to get time this weekend!)
    No worries Anthony! I also didn’t know how nasty-looking gurnard are when still alive, but man they sure taste good! In fact, I realised when doing this post that I have no idea what most fish I eat look like when still alive… Makes identification of fish by their common names rather difficult when these names vary from place to place (plaice to plaice? ho ho ho!) and the internet only shows pics of them when still whole! But we persevere…

    Reply
  4. Les Appleby says

    November 26, 2004 at 4:45 am

    Please help an ancient expat who is longing for the taste of plaice. Where can I buy this in South Africa. We live in Hout Bay!! Love Gurnard and Elf even more than Hake and Kingklip and Kabeljou.
    Any help would be appreciated. Love your website.
    Regards,
    Les Appleby

    Reply
  5. Rob says

    March 16, 2005 at 9:29 pm

    Hi there – I recently spent time in S Africa – and my girlfriend and I really loved the fish out there…Kingklip, Cape Salmon, Yellowtail etc… now we are back in the UK and are looking to try new fish and our local fishmonger has some gurnard. So I’m going to try your recipe! Thanks for posting it….

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit
  • The Melusine
  • Potted smoked salmon with quick pickle apple slaw
  • Discovering the wines of Pays d’Oc
  • Cranberry pistachio Bircher muesli – a Pret-a-Manger fakeaway
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
  • Myristica Grenadian supperclub
  • 8 favourite Singapore food experiences

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
If life gives you leftover roast lamb, make lamb Stroganoff!
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Chickpea salad with basil, olives, red onion & feta

Featured on

Also available on

"Spring fever, my heart's beating fast. Get up, ge "Spring fever, my heart's beating fast. Get up, get out, Spring is everywhere" - Elvis Presley

What better way to celebrate the day when the clocks go forward to British Summer Time than with  a glorious photo of St Paul's Cathedral shyly peeping out from a cloud of pink cherry blossoms against a perfect blue sky! 🌸🌞

London is awash in glorious blossoms at the moment, from Greenwich Park in the east to Kew Gardens in the west, and the fun part is trying to catch each type of tree just when the blossoms are at their best.

The cherry plums have been exploding into clouds of small white blossoms and sweet fragrance for a few weeks already; and the early flowering cherry trees, camellias and magnolias are coming into their own right now. Plus we still have the late-flowering cherries, rhododendrons and wisteria to look forward to!

Do you have a favourite Spring tree or park for blossoms in London? Let me know in the comments 🌺

And please remember to share, save or like my posts if you want to see more of me in your feed 🙏
"The essence of being human is that one does not s "The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection" 

I wonder what the author if those words would have made of the age of Instagram? We are fed an endless stream of perfect images of perfect bodies and perfect lives. In the back of our minds we KNOW this is not reality, but still the subconscious yearning for this imaginary world of perfection persists. Humans are funny that way.

But so often in life, things fall short of the perfection we imagined - seemingly perfect relationships fail, cakes look nothing like the picture in the book, clothes that looked good on the internet look ridiculous on our bodies, the wrong turn we took meant we never got to our planned destination.

Falling short of perfection is part of life. The big question is how you deal with it. Do you throw your hands up in despair and berate yourself for failure? Or do you find the positives in the imperfect outcomes of your plans? 

This photo taken almost exactly 4 years ago was meant to be a "perfect" Instagram shot of me in my signature pose, on a perfect sunny day on snowy ski slopes. Instead, as @explorista snapped the photo, our ski instructor decided to throw handfuls of snow at me - but as it turns out, this "imperfect" shot turned out to be my favourite of the day 😍

Do you find joy in life's imperfections?
What's your favourite way to eat cauliflower? Up What's your favourite way to eat cauliflower? 

Up until about a week ago I would have said cauliflower cheese... but all that changed when I made this low-carb cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit... I first made cauliflower steaks years ago, before cauliflower started enjoying its 15 minutes of fame, as a main course for vegetarian friends. But it wasn't till last week when I wanted to make Welsh rarebit for St David's day and discovered I had no bread that it struck me that cauli steaks would make the perfect base for Welsh rarebit! It's totally indulgent - like pouring a beery cheese fondue over your cauliflower - and totally addictive. You can find the full recipe in the link in my profile,  or SAVE this post for basic instructions! Remember to tag me if you try it -I'd love to see 😊

* Slice two 1cm steaks vertically from the middle of a large cauliflower, season and fry in  butter and oil till browning slightly.

* Oven bake for 10 mins at 200C while you mix grated cheddar, melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and beer. (The Duvel Belgian ale works a charm, BTW!).

* Spread the cheese mix generously over the 2 steaks and pop under a medium grill until golden and bubbly

You're welcome 🤩
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - or happy St David's Day if Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - or happy St David's Day if you don't speak Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

March 1 is the day on which the Welsh people celebrate their patron saint, St David, and one of their traditions is to wear a daffodil, the national flower of Wales. Here are five daffodil facts to impress your Welsh friends:

🌼 There's no difference between a daffodil and a narcissus. Daffodil (or jonquil) is simply the common name for members of the Narcissus genus, so all daffodils are narcissi.

🌼 There is only one species if daffodil that is native to the UK - Narcissus Pseudonarcissus, or wild daffodils. You can spot them by the fact that their outer 6 petals are a paler yellow than the central trumpet, and they are usually smaller than the showy, giant yellow commercially grown daffs. 

🌼 It's not entirely certain how the daffodil came to be the national flower of Wales - one theory is that they are one of the few flowers in bloom on 1 March. Another is that the daffodil is less... antisocial to wear than the other Welsh national symbol, the leek 🤣

🌼 Daffodils are the official 10th wedding anniversary flower.

🌼 Daffodils contain a poisonous sap - keep away from pets and if mixing daffodils in a vase with other flowers, let them stand in water separately for 24 hours first I case they affect the other flowers. 

Are daffodils your favourite Spring flower? Or do you prefer something else?
As a girl who lived more than half her life in the As a girl who lived more than half her life in the African sun, February and March are the hardest months for me to bear in the UK. All the excitement of Christmas and New Year has faded; the credit card bill has arrived; the sun is still setting before I finish work; and the snow that we all hoped for at Christmas finally arrives and disrupts everything. This is why, every year in Feb/March since I moved to the UK (other than the year I broke my femur a week before I was due to fly!), I decamp to South Africa for 2 weeks to visit my family and get my fix of vitamin D (and vitamin Sea!).

This week I should have been here - the Beacon Island hotel in Plettenberg Bay, which I have been visiting since I was about six years old. It is where I go to lift my spirits and clear my head. But for the last 2 years, Covid has meant that I have not been able to go home - or see my family. 

For the most part, although I miss travel, I am secretly quite liking taking a breather and being able to be home without FOMO for a while. But not being able to see my family has been incredibly hard, particularly as I have no family in this country.  And my blood boils at people bending the rules (a dentist appointment in Tenerife when you live in Manchester? Seriously??) to go on holiday while I have not seen my clinically vulnerable brother in two years. Covidiots.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as vaccinations are widely rolled out and international travel becomes practical again, I will be on a plane to South Africa so fast it will make your head spin.

Where will YOU head to first once we are able to travel again,  and why?
Love is in the air... 💕 Are you making a speci Love is in the air... 💕

Are you making a special dinner for your sweetheart tonight? This potted hot-smoked salmon with a pretty pink apple and red onion pickle is easy to prep and oh-so-delicious! It's also gluten-free if you serve it with GF crackers. Full recipe now on the blog - tap the live link on my bio to view. 

Are you doing anything special to celebrate today? Let me know in the comments! 💖
Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷 [Press trip] Back Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷

[Press trip] Back before Covid put our lives on hold, I spent a few days in the Languedoc-Rousillon wine region of France learning about (and tasting!) Pays d'Oc IGP wines. 

Want to learn more about the region's wines? Read on, swipe through the images (remember to  bookmark this post to refer back to later) - and click the live link in my bio for the full blog post! 

🍷 The Languedoc-Rousillon region is the largest wine producing region in the world, and produces about a third of all French wine. Pays d'Oc IGP is a classification region within Languedoc-Rousillon, with vineyards that take up over half the total vineyard area in the Languedoc-Rousillon region. Pays d'OC IGP wines account for about 20% of the total of all French wine produced.

🍷IGP stands for Indication Geographique Protegée, meaning it is a protected indication of origin and wines must be made only from approved grape varieties that must be grown entirely within the region's geographic boundaries.

🍷 Most French wines are named for their region (Bordeaux, Chablis, Champagne) but you won't see the name of the grape variety on the label. In response to consumer demand and the New World trend to label wines with grape varieties, rules were changed in Pays d'Oc in the late 1980s and Pays d'Oc wines now account for 92% of French varietal wines (e.g. labelled Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier etc.).

🍷 There are 58 grape varieties that are allowed to be planted in the region but the Pays d'Oc IGP varietal wines to watch out for include Chardonnay, Rolle (another name for Vermentino) and Viognier among the whites; and Syrah, Mourvedre and Pinot Noir among the reds.

🍷 All wines labelled Pays d'Oc IGP are sampled and approved in a blind tasting by a panel of professionals, meaning the label is a guarantee of quality to the consumer. 

🍷 Producers that you should look out for include Gerard Bertrand, Domaine Gayda, Les Jamelles, Les Yeuses, Paul Mas and Domaine Aigues Belles.

First 📸: @everyglassmatters
New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way f New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way forward?

I have mentioned before that I don't really make new year's resolutions. There is always so much pressure to make them BIG lofty goals and this is essentially what dooms them to failure. Instead, for the past few years I have made a list of... affirmations? Mantras? I have yet come up with a word that does not make my toes curl 🤣

These are essentially reminders rather than goals - presets, if you like, for the year ahead. I keep them in a handwritten list next to my computer and when I don't know how to react to something or how to shake a mood, I read them and there is usually an answer in there somewhere. 

Given the bruising year last year was, and how 2021 has so far proven itself to be not much better, I really wanted to add something practical to this year's list to lift my spirits on days when I am down. And for that I borrowed shamelessly from the wonderful @gretchenrubin:

🌈  ACT THE WAY YOU WANT TO FEEL 🌈

And this photo is a reminder of how I want to feel on so, so many levels: hanging out with friends; dancing in the sunshine; wearing my favourite red dress; travelling (this was in Carouge, Switzerland); and surrounded by a rainbow of colour. I can't travel and I can't see friends, but I can dance in my kitchen, singing at the top of my voice wearing my brightest clothes. 

What strategies do you use to lift your spirits? I'd love to hear! 

📸 by @tasteofsavoie
If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bi If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bircher muesli during lockdown, you will want to bookmark this post right now! 🔖

I have learnt a few things during lockdown. I have learnt that I am more comfortable spending long periods alone than I had ever imagined; that I suffer a lot more from FOMO (fear of missing out!) than I would like to admit; and that pre-Covid I spent rude sums of money on commuting and barista coffee...! 

I also learnt that although I miss travel and social events and meals out, it is often the smaller things that you miss most acutely - the freedom to call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and inviting them over. Hugging (or even seeing) my family. And grabbing a macchiato and a Pret Bircher muesli on the way to work. Don't ask me why, but it became a small obsession of mine to create a fakeaway Pret Bircher during lockdown - and I think I have succeeded! Here's how:

For 2 servings you will need:
100g rolled oats
200ml milk or water
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds 
1 Tbsp shelled pistachio nuts
1 Tbsp dried cranberries 
2 small apples
175g plain yoghurt
Honey
Pomegranate rails

Mix the oats, seeds, nuts and cranberries together then add the milk/water and a pinch of salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

When ready to serve, grate the apples and mix them in with the oats and yoghurt (add a little extra milk to loosen if needed). Stir in honey to taste and serve topped with pomegranate arils and pistachios. Full recipe and more photos are available now on the blog - click the live link in my profile.

Did you try any fakeaway recipes over lockdown? Please let me know in the comments - I would love to hear about it!
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2021 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2021 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT