FQ Fish Platter

If you have not enjoyed one of our fish platters, here is a peek at what it can be like. Each day, it is a slightly different offering based on what is freshest and in-season, but always with a creative and thoughtful approach.

What is your dream fish platter?

Our Own Cured Salmon

We are having a bit of a love affair with smoked salmon and cured salmon lately. We take great pride and care with our house-cured salmon. The lovely beetroot & Cork Dry Gin-cured salmon such a pretty colour.

Here is a collection of photos showing how we use it in our dishes, from brunch to lunch to dinner.

First, let's look at our chowder which is made with locally-sourced fish and topped with our house-cured salmon.

It is also perfect with our brunch specials. And nothing goes quite together like salmon and capers!

New dishes

Being a chef gives your cauldron of creative thoughts on how foods should mix and marry to create wonderful works of art on a plate that not alone look good but also taste good in theory but reality ideas don't always work and dishes sometimes fail but this is where the specials board comes in it allows you scope to try and test something I may think is a dish amazing the public may disagree

Like with my latest want to add to the menu salt fish mousse the idea being salt fish has always been in Cork's English market have used it to make croquettes in the past and serve it with black pudding . 

So we're heading to the warmer time of the year and I do love a good mousse so we salted some hake and made a salt fish mousse delicious added some beetroot needed something else and capers were added must say I'm very happy with this dish but missing a bit of chrunch the team decided a brown bread tuile to garnish may do the trick and some of Kevin's sunflower shoots to make it pretty 

Can you do me a favour ....? Of course

A quick phone call from fish monger Pat O' Connnell which began with can you do me a favour and cook a whole salmon me going of course and then going will I dress it for you too .... Last time I may have dressed a salmon was probably around 1999 in collage it involved aspic and and mayonnaise and possibly an olive or two and tomato roses and the of course the cucumber but sure what's a day without a challenge

This beauty was delivered up to me 

After a bit of googling on temperatures times and lengthy discussions with Donal and Aishling I set about cooking it We decided to half bake half steam so I stuffed the belly with lemon lime garlic and dill then in a deep tray placed onion leek fennel and carrots and covered with water then placed a wire rack on top 

Next time I will place parchment under the salmon as it was a tough job to get it out covered sol the Salmon with a layer of parchment and then tin foil and placed in the oven at 180c for 45 minutes until 64c was met by the thermometer and let rest for 20 minutes 

We carefully took it out from the tray and placed on the serving platter removing the stuffing from the belly then the skin was removed and a little tidying up 

Instead of traditional methods of decorating the salmon I choose to use pickled strips of cucumber a caper for the eye and a mixture of herbs and watercress to dress the tray and some lemon to brighten it up all seemed to be happy with the result a fresh summer modern approach to the dressed salmon.

Inspired to recreate a dish and adding my own stamp

After sampling possibly one of the best seafood lunches in Roy Brett's Ondine in Edinburgh I have ever had this dish stood out and just had to try and replicat it and add my own twist of course not asking what spices were used the task of recreating it began and here's what I came up with and so it has made it to The Taste on line publication

http://thetaste.ie/wp/seared-scallops-rosscarbery-black-pudding-crispy-shallot-rings-by-kate-lawlor-of-fenns-quay/

A simple crab salad

Keeping it simple 

500g fresh crab meat 

100ml rice vinegar 

Juice 1 lemon 

1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

1 teaspoon mirrin 

1 tablespoon chopped basil and parsley 

Black pepper 

Serve with salad or on toast 

Fish a go go

 fish & crispy croquette

 Monkfish & mushrooms

Salmon & beetroot feast

 brill carrot candy cane beats pickle Ballyhoura mushrooms poached quail egg

Surf and turf Cork style

Tonight's monk was slowly baked in the oven and served alongside Tom Durcans spiced beef and potato croquette with pickled Ballyhoura mushrooms spinach, celeriac purée and radish

Local & seasonal

Beautiful pan fried hake with irish baby beetroot a from Brendan Guinan beans & tomatoes for sauce from Caroline's veg at the coal quay farmers market & hake from O'Connells of the English Market

Cork Beer Batter

Mountain Man Hairy Goat as well as great for drinking (responsibly) also great for beer batter for fish. Mountain Man is located in West Cork.

Wild and Special

We have fresh wild Irish salmon for the dinner specials tonight. I love all the seasonal and local ingredients that come to our kitchen so we can prepare them for your plate! We're only missing a photo of the fish in the sea for this post truly show from ocean to table. Scroll down to see the finished dish: Wild salmon monk parsnip kale carrot & buttermilk foam & bacon dust.

 

Green with Envy

Lovely and fresh lemon sole with crab & spinach velouté made our specials menu one night. It was very popular and you can see why. It'll make you want to eat your greens!

Presentation

We played around with how we plated our fish. What do you think? The colors really pop in the seared tuna and beetroot!

Wild Irish samphire or sea asparagus

It's that time of year again when Michelle pops her head into the kitchen with a surprise and that is samphire or sea asparagus I wait eagerly every year for it asking Michelle every time she pops in with the sea spinach & rock samphire has it grown yet. Today was the day when she surprised me with it so luscious and green giving it a wash I couldn't wait to taste. New staff were puzzled and old staff were excited we all tasted it raw with its crisp exterior and its sea water taste the food of summer had arrived .

As specials were already done this evening I choose to use as a garnish with the cod so i flashed fried it with a drop of olive oil and finished with some of my wild garlic & sea weed butter and places it on top of the crispy skin delicious 

If you are lucky to find a patch of samphire keep it to yourself or even better tell me. It is the most flavoursome of the sea veg and a perfect match to all fish the season is short so enjoy it while you can

Valuing Wild Irish Salmon

Wild Irish salmon on the K O Connell stall as I wandered through the English Market to Fenns 
Would you pay more for salmon knowing it was wild ?

Very Special Cod

Cod from tonight's specials.

Here something to do with your lentils

An easy dish to serve up for a dinner party as a lot of the work can be done hours in advance of service.

•Firstly prep your scallops if not done already by removing elastic like film that runs around the scallop remove the white muscle and set coral aside (keep it if you enjoy it ) refrigerate until needed

•Rinse off your lentils place in a pot with a small handful of dried mushrooms fill with water and cook until soft drain and set aside

• dice up small a leek, carrot, celery & fennel and place in a pot with 25g butter and sauté on a low heat then add 75ml of veg stock and simmer until veg is al Dante

•To put the dish together gently warm a non stick pan place a little but of butter and a drop of olive oil in the pan season your scallops and when the butter froths add your scallops cool for under a minute or until it begins to colour then turn and add some veg and lentils and move about in the pan then squeeze some lemon juice and taste for seasoning & serve on a warm plate with a sprinkle of a herb you enjoy

• VEG CRISPS add some crunch to this dish we use parsnip shaved with a peeler or Jerusalem artichoke sliced fine on a mandolin .

To cook preheat frier to 180c
Pat dry the veg with tissue place in basket and lower with a spoon gently & carefully move them about until the begin to colour once done remove on to a tissue toss in salt and set aside until needed.