Christmas meals to go

Sorry, this content is not available in your region. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Get your festive feast off to a fishy start with these seafood starters from Ka Pao’s Sandy Browning, Ivan Christmas meals to go-Downes, chef-owner of Native, and executive chef at The Beaumont Ben Boeynaems. For this recipe we use calamansi juice as it’s both sour and fragrant.

It can be difficult to source in supermarkets, so at home you can use 10ml extra lime juice and 10ml fresh orange juice as an alternative. In a dry wok or frying pan on a high heat, roast the whole red chillies until the skin blisters and the chillies soften. Allow the chillies to cool slightly and remove the blistered skin. Add the cooled red chillies into a blender, along with the garlic, salt and sugar and blend to form a paste.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients. This sauce is perfect drizzled over freshly cooked prawns, white fish or shellfish. This has been on the menu since we first opened five years ago. It works just as well with cod, hake or monkfish. Place a pan on a low heat and add the ’nduja, stirring frequently, until the fat has been rendered.

Strain the fat through a sieve and return it to the pan. Turn up the heat to medium. Add the diced onions and cook for about 15 minutes, until soft, being careful not to let them catch. Once the onions are cooked, put the ’nduja back in the pan along with the tomatoes. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the tomatoes have begun to soften. Add the chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice and keep warm while you cook the scallops.

When ready to serve, place a frying pan over a high heat and add a little vegetable oil. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes on one side until golden brown. Add a knob of butter and remove from the heat. Quickly flip the scallops over and let them cook in the residual heat of the pan for a further 2 minutes, basting them in the butter as you go. Place a spoonful of the ’nduja and tomato mix in the bottom of each shell.

Top with a scallop, and add a few delicate dots of aïoli. Decorate with fennel fronds before serving. Blend the lemons and oranges together. Add the sugar, chopped fennel, coriander and salt. Cover the bass in the cure for 24 hours in the fridge.

Lay the bass on a plate and dress with the sorrel buttermilk. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply. Sign up to easyfundraising and see your favourite brands donate to the cause you care about whenever you shop with them. We turn your daily shopping into every day magic!

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