Food & Drink
Scottish seafood and Perthshire soft fruit are at the heart of the summer menu created by Colin Fleming, executive chef at The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen in Edinburgh
Seasonal treats from chef Colin Fleming, plus Rose Murray Brown finds value and flavour in Languedoc
At The Printing Press our menus focus on Scotland’s natural larder, and now that summer is here we’ve got a whole host of beautiful ingredients to choose from.
I’m particularly passionate about Scottish seafood – I think it’s the best in Europe – and my first recipe showcases some top class scallops from Orkney. Mackerel is also my favourite fish to cook – there’s no need to mess about with it, just get your hands on the best quality fish you can buy. If you’re not used to preparing fish, head down to your local fishmonger and they’ll de-scale and fillet them for you.
When it comes to summer desserts, Perthshire produces some of the finest soft fruits in the UK. The growing conditions are just right there and our pastry chefs will be preparing plenty of dishes with strawberries, raspberries and brambles over the coming weeks.
I’ve chosen three recipes which are really easy to recreate at home, as well as being perfect for making the most of what’s in season right now.
Hand-dived scallops, seaweed and lime butter with samphire
I’d recommend buying hand-dived scallops as they’re the star of the show here. If you’re a keen forager, marsh samphire can be found along the British coast over the summer – otherwise just head down to one of the major supermarkets to pick up this salty sea vegetable.
Serves four
8 large hand-dived scallops, in their shells 150g unsalted butter, softened 2 limes, juice and zest 3 tbsp dried seaweed 5g samphire
1 Open the scallops and remove the roe and muscle. Wash in cold water, then dry on kitchen paper and set aside in the fridge. The shells from the scallops need to be cleaned (we boil them in salted water).
2 In a large bowl, mix the softened butter with the juice and zest from the limes, then add the dried seaweed and season.
3 Season the scallops with salt. In a hot pan, place the scallops presentation side down and sear for one minute.
4 Blanch the samphire in boiling water for two minutes, then drain on kitchen paper.
5 Place the shells under the grill to warm up, then add the scallops, seaweed butter and grill for two minutes. To serve, top with the samphire.
Charred Peterhead mackerel, warm potato, brown shrimp and hazelnut salad
I’ve taken inspiration from Scandinavia in this dish to create the warm potato salad, and these flavours pair especially well with oily fish. If you don’t have a blow torch, just turn up your grill as high as it will go.
Serves four
8 mackerel fillets 400g Ratte potatoes 100g brown shrimps 1 tbsp dill, chopped 50g hazelnuts, roasted and crushed 1½ lemons, juice only 100g mizuna leaves 250ml white wine vinegar 100ml water 70g caster sugar 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds 16 slices of mooli (around 300g) 3 egg yolks 1 tsp English mustard 1 tsp Dijon mustard 150ml light rapeseed oil 150ml hazelnut oil salt
1 First make the pickled mooli by combining 200ml of white wine vinegar with the water, 70g of caster sugar, and the crushed coriander seeds. Bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and let it chill until completely cold. To an airtight container, add the sliced mooli and cold pickling liquor and leave for at least 24 hours.
2 To make the hazelnut mayonnaise (this makes 330ml, so you can save some for later), combine the egg yolks, both types of mustard and the remaining 50ml of white wine vinegar in a bowl. Put the rapeseed oil and hazelnut oil in a jug. Slowly drizzle the oil into the yolk mix, while constantly whisking. When you reach a mayonnaise consistency, season with salt and the juice of half a lemon to taste.
3 Make the potato salad by boiling the whole potatoes until tender, then, once drained, gently peel off the skin. Cut into inch-thick slices, then mix with 4 tablespoons of the mayonnaise, shrimps, hazelnuts and dill. Season with salt and the juice of another half lemon.
4 For the mackerel, check the fillets for bones and then place the fillets (flesh side down) in a hot pan for one minute. Remove from the pan and, if you have one, finish with a blow torch on the skin side ( just until it starts to bubble and goes brown). Season with salt and the remaining lemon juice.
5 To serve, add potato salad to each plate, then four slices of pickled mooli and few mizuna leaves, then place two mackerel fillets on top.
Lemon posset with shortbread crumb and brambles
Lemon posset is a perfect, light, summery dessert and is well-suited to being made ahead of time. The idea for the dish came from picking brambles with my grandmother when I was younger and making a
bramble jelly with them.
Serves six 560ml double cream 180g caster sugar juice of two lemons and zest of three 100g butter 140g plain flour 80g brambles, cut in half lengthways red vein sorrel and viola flowers (optional) salt
1 For the posset, bring the cream and zest of two lemons to a slow boil then add 130g of sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice and pass into glasses or shallow dishes and set in the fridge for at least two hours.
2 For the shortbread crumb, beat the butter and remaining sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy then add the flour and a pinch of salt. Continue beating for another 5 minutes and then spread onto a lined baking tray. Cook at 150C/gas Mark 2 for 30 minutes (or until a light, golden colour). Leave to cool, and then break apart into a crumb.
3 To serve, place equal amounts of the crumb onto the possets, then top with the brambles, remaining lemon zest and, if using, the red vein sorrel and viola flowers.