“Since becoming a dad, I can hand-on-heart say it is the best, most wonderful, fulfilling thing that has ever happened to me,” says kiwi chef Simon Gault in his new cookbook Summer with Simon Gault.
Lemonade fish fingers with herb mayo
Serve 6
You need:
- 500ml canola oil
- 600g fresh fish fillets, skin removed
- 400ml cold lemonade
- 160g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup flour, extra
- herb mayo (recipe follows)
To make:
1. Preheat oil in a deep- fryer or a deep saucepan to 180°C.
2. Cut fish fillets into 18strips (about 2cm x 7cm).
3. In a bowl, whisk together the cold lemonade, 160g flour, and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt to form a batter, then set aside.
4. Place the extra 1⁄4 cup flour and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Toss the fish strips in the flour.
5. Dip the fish strips into the batter one at a time. Carefully lower the battered strips into the hot frying oil and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
6. Repeat until all 18 strips are cooked — more than one can be fried at a time.
7. Season with salt. Serve with Herb Mayo on the side.
Tip: “If you want to avoid sugar, use plain soda in place of the lemonade. To turn this into an adult version, sprinkle lemongrass or yuzu poweder (Japanese lime) over the fish fingers just prior to serving”
Herb mayo
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp each finely chopped mint, parsley, basil and chives
- 1 tsp jalapeno Tabasco sauce (optional, for adults)
How to make:
1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Strawberry, mashmallow and nutella calzone
Makes 4
“This is a great way to use up any leftover pizze dough. Calzone in Italian means… Well, actually, calzone is a form of the term ‘calza’ which means ‘stocking’. The idea is that of a Christmas stocking filled with food, a popular tradition in the south of Italy. The calzone I made for Hazel and her friend Ella is definitely like a Christmas stocking filled with treats.”
You need:
- 1 quantity of Pizza dough (recipe below)
- 8 strawberries, halved
- 8 marshmallows, halved
- 4 tbsp nutella
To make:
1. Heat your pizza oven or conventional oven to 200°C. If using a conventional oven, place a pizza stone or baking tray inside to heat up.
2. Cut the Pizza Dough intofour pieces. On a ouredboard, roll or stretch each piece of dough into a 15cm diameter round.
3. Lay the strawberries on one half of each piece of dough and top each with 2 marshmallows. Spoon a tablespoon of Nutella on top.
4. Fold the edges of the dough together to form a calzone (a semi-circle shape).
5. Transfer to a pizza peel if using a pizza oven or the heated pizza stone or tray if cooking in a conventional oven. Cook till the calzone is golden and crispy.
6. Be careful to let the calzone cool a little before serving, as thelling will be very hot.
Pizza dough
You need:
- 2 tsp dried yeast
- pinch sugar
- 2 1/2 cups 0f flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
To make:
1. Place the yeast, sugar, 2 tbsp flour and 1/3 cup warm water in a large bowl. Mix to combine, and set aside in a warm place until bubbling (about 20 minutes).
2. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup warm water,and salt (you may need a little more water). Tip out onto a floured bench and knead for about 7 minutes until silky smooth. Divide and form into two balls.
3. Place the dough balls onto an oiled tray, leaving a good gap between them as they will potentially double in size, then turn them over so the oiled side is facing up. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (1–6 hours). If necessary, you can keep this in the fridge overnight.
4. Prepared dough is best cooked in a hot pizza oven or on a pizza stone heated in a conventional oven for at least 20 minutes at 250°C.
Enjoy!
EXTRACTED FROM SUMMER WITH SIMON GAULT, PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE NZ, RRP$50.
Text © Simon Gault, 2019. Photography © Vanessa Lewis, 2019
