Hey guys!! Been a while since I’ve shared a recipe but recently I ate lunch at Books for Cooks in Nottinghill (where you can now find my cookbook hehe) and they served a main of this delicious stew I just had to remake!!
The beauty of this bookstore is that they choose recipes inspired by various books on store which I find so fun. I didn’t read the recipe but I recognised some ingredients and flavours that I just had to replicate.
Thanks to this beautiful lunch, I now enjoy orzo. Although not gluten free, I’m going to have it from time to time til I find a gluten free version. This dish really speaks to the quality of ingredients you use. Very little seasoning. The natural brine of capers, olives and seafood do the seasoning for you.
Sometimes, my favourite dishes are the ones where you can taste every ingredient for its freshness and also the love that's gone into it. Of course the flavours are key but I think the main reason why I've made this dish 3 more times since I had it, is because of the love I felt while sharing this meal with company that day.
For this recipe you’ll need a few simple ingredients. Please note this is my take on what I tasted and in no way “authentic” but the use of fish, capers and olives reminds me of food I’d have in Portugal so I had to pay my respect to the memories!
I can see this dish being perfect in summer with fresh clams, king prawns/langoustine and just as comforting in winter but for a pocket friendly recipe, I’ve opted for ingredients you can easily find at the likes of Aldi/Lidl and anywhere local to you!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 250g orzo (You can use rice or any other pasta if you like)
- 1 fillet of smoked haddock (we break these into pieces so one is more than enough)
- 300g cold water prawns or king prawns but I like the chewiness of cold water prawns
- 1 punnet of fresh cherry tomatoes roughly blended (colour and shape is up to you)
- 2 shallots finely diced
- 1.5 bell pepper finely diced (I used a whole red and 1/2 a yellow)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 6-8 black olives cut in half
- 1.5 tablespoons capers
- Good bunch chopped parsley
- 3-4 sprigs of dill
- 3-4 tablespoons good quality olive oil(preferably Portuguese)
- Maldon salt and pepper to taste (fine… use table salt if you must)
Method
- Bring some water on to boil for the orzo.
- In a pan on medium heat, add some olive oil and add in your shallots. Sauté until slightly translucent
- Add in the bell peppers, garlic and chilli flakes, stir well with a pinch of salt. Sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
- Next add in the blended/crushed cherry tomatoes and put a lid on it.
- When the tomatoes have reduced slightly (about 7-10 minutes), add in the capers and haddock (skin side up). Put the lid back on and leave to steam on low for the haddock to cook for 5-7 minutes
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions
- Peel back the skin off the haddock(as much as you can) then mix to flake the fish. Add in the olives and prawns and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Add in the herbs and mix well, save some for garnish!
- Serve with cooked orzo and an extra helping of olive oil
- Enjoy!
Thank you for reading my blog and if you do follow my recipe, please tag me on Instagram @ChefDominiqueO and let me know how you liked it!
Namaste x
