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Cornish Fish Stew with Crab & ‘Ndjua Toast

Cornish Fish Stew with Crab & 'Ndjua Toast
Image | Kate Whitaker © Copyright | Kate Whitaker

Ingredients

For the stew:
20g dried sea spaghetti (a type of seaweed) 
1 red pepper 
1 yellow pepper 
3 tbsp (a good splash) of rapeseed oil
1 medium leek (cleaned and sliced)
1 small fennel (sliced)
¼ tsp (pinch) of crushed dried chillies
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
300g cherry tomatoes
500ml good fish stock
6 Cornish razor clams
500g Cornish mussels (cleaned)
500g mixed firm white fish (gurnard, hake, John Dory or whatever is in season), cut into small chunks
300g Cornish squid (cleaned & sliced)
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley (chopped)
The finely grated zest 1unwaxed lemon
Salt & pepper
 
For the toast: 
4 to 6 small slices of toast
30g 'ndjua (see below)
80g handpicked white crab meat  from a brown crab or spider crab 

Method

Method:
 
For the stew: Put the dried sea spaghetti into a mixing bowl, cover with tepid water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, cut into slightly shorter lengths if necessary, and drop into a pan of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain, rinse and set to one side. 
 
Preheat the oven to 220'C/Gas 7. Rub the peppers with oil and roast them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until soft and slightly blackened. Seal inside a plastic bag, leave to cool, the break them open and remove and discard the stalks, seeds and skin. Cut the flesh into strips and set to one side. 
 
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat.. Add the leek, fennel, chilli and garlic and gently fry until just soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and when the tomatoes are soft and squishy, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Now add the seaweed, clams and mussels and when these start to open (after about 1 minute), add the squid and the white fish and simmer for another 3 minutes. When all the seafood is cooked, add the lemon zest (a little lemon juice to taste), the cooked peppers and the chopped parsley. Season to taste and serve.
 
For the toast: Spread the 'ndjua on the toast, top with crab, and serve alongside the stew. 
 
NOTE: Dried sea spaghetti is available mail order from the Cornish Seaweed Company, www.cornishseaweedcompany.co.uk
 
NOTE: ‘Ndjua is a spreadable, spicy pork sausage from Italy, and is available from some larger supermarkets. 
 

Razor Clams

Diver Collected

Cornwall

Collected by divers

Squid, European

Demersal Trawl

Celtic Sea

Squid are targeted by demersal trawls using smaller mesh sizes during certain times of year. This is a less selective method than jigging and trawl gear has an impact on the seabed and some issues with bycatch of non target species.

Hook and line

Cornwall

Handlining for squid with lures is also known as jigging. It is a selective low impact method that produces the finest quality fresh catch.

Crab, Brown, Edible

Gill Netting

North Coast (VIIf and VIIg)

Crabs caught thorough entanglement in gill nets are lower quality and outside the 6 mile limit there are smaller minimum landing sizes. Some issues with accidental by-catch with this method. Stocks are under more pressure off the North Coast.

Potting

South Coast (area VIIe)

Potting is a selective and low impact method and within the 6 mile limits Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation authority monitor and strictly regulate the fishery. Crab Stocks are most healthy off Cornwall's South Coast.

Gill Netting

South Coast (area VIIe)

Crabs caught thorough entanglement in gill nets are lower quality and outside the 6 mile limit there are smaller minimum landing sizes. Some issues with accidental by-catch with this method. Stocks are healthier off the South Coast

Potting

North Coast (VIIf and VIIg)

Potting is a selective and low impact method and within the 6 mile limits Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation authority monitor and strictly regulate the fishery.

John Dory

Gill Netting

Cornish vessels landing to Cornish ports

Gill nets are lightweight nets made of nylon (monofilament) fishing line that are anchored to the seabed and are used to catch fish by entangling the gills.

Demersal Trawl

Cornish vessels landing to Cornish ports

Demersal trawls are large nets that are pulled through the water with the bottom edge of the net touching the seabed. At each edge the net is pulled open by metal ‘trawl doors’. Sometimes referred to as Otter trawling.

Beam Trawling

Cornish vessels landing to Cornish ports

Beam trawls are nets attached to a steel beam that holds the net open. The belly of the net is made of chains and the upper surface of the net is mesh. Beam trawlers pull two nets along the seabed simultaneously.

Red Gurnard

Beam Trawling

Cornwall, VIIe, f, g and h

Beam trawls are nets attached to a steel beam that holds the net open. The belly of the net is made of chains and the upper surface of the net is mesh. Beam trawlers pull two nets along the seabed simultaneously.

Gill Netting

Cornwall, VIIe, f, g and h

Gill nets are lightweight nets made of nylon (monofilament) fishing line that are anchored to the seabed and are used to catch fish by entangling the gills.

Demersal Trawl

Cornwall, VIIe, f, g and h

Demersal trawls are large nets that are pulled through the water with the bottom edge of the net touching the seabed. At each edge the net is pulled open by metal ‘trawl doors’. Sometimes referred to as Otter trawling.

Cornish King Crab

Gill Netting

Cornish Waters

Gill nets are efficient for catching spider crabs when they are on the move across the seabed. As they get so badly tangled the quality sometimes suffers and gill nets can have issues with accidental by catch of other non target species.

Potting

Cornish waters

Pots are low impact and selective. Undersized catch can be returned safely and the pots don't damage the seabed.

Hake

Demersal Trawl

Cornish vessels landing to Cornish ports

Demersal trawls are large nets that are pulled through the water with the bottom edge of the net touching the seabed. At each edge the net is pulled open by metal ‘trawl doors’. Sometimes referred to as Otter trawling.

Gill Netting

Cornish Waters

MSC certified fishery. Gill nets are lightweight nets made of nylon (monofilament) fishing line that are anchored to the seabed and are used to catch fish by entangling the gills.

Mussels

Hand Collection

Cornwall

Wild mussels can be hand collected in many areas of Cornwall. It is very important that they are commercially purified before being eaten.

Farmed

Cornwall

Farmed mussels are the best choice as the method of farming is environmentally friendly and creates habitat that benefits other species. Farmed mussels are purified before sale and are a very high quality local product. Rating is provided using the MCS aquaculture ratings methodology.

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Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is underpinned by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Fish Guide. The first UK consumer guide to sustainable seafood. For more information visit www.fishonline.org

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