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Mexican elotes

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Mexican elotes

This is a classic way to eat corn in Mexico, and is usually bought from street vendors. Mexican crema is similar to soured cream, but saltier and creamier – perfect for cooling the fiery chilli powder in this recipe
Print Recipe
Prep Time 3 hrs
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 3 hrs 20 mins
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 50 g butter
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • cayenne pepper
  • 6 ears corn on the cob husks removed
  • 50 g cotija or feta cheese
  • a small bunch coriander chopped
  • lime wedges to serve
  • 100 g soured cream
  • 50 g double cream

Instructions
 

  • To make the crema, mix the soured cream and double cream with 1/4 tsp salt. Cover, and leave at room temperature for 3 hours. Keep out if using straight away, or chill and keep for up to 3 days.
  • Light the barbecue, and wait until the coals are grey and the flames have died down. Meanwhile heat the butter with the garlic and a pinch of cayenne in a small pan until melted, and season. Char the cobs for 10-15 minutes, continually turning, until the kernels are tender and lightly charred all over.
  • Brush the cobs with the melted butter, then spread the crema over evenly. Crumble over the cotija and sprinkle with a good pinch of cayenne pepper. Scatter with coriander and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

Pan-fried salmon with watercress sauce

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Pan-fried salmon with watercress sauce

Serve your summery fried salmon with a vibrant (and nutritious) watercress sauce, made all the more interesting with dill, lemon, crème fraîche and capers
Print Recipe
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 2
Calories 707 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 90 g watercress
  • a handful dill
  • 100 g crème fraîche
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns ground
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • sunflower oil
  • 2 salmon skin-on fillets
  • a knob unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp capers drained
  • boiled new potatoes to serve
  • steamed green veg (such as long-stemmed broccoli) to serve

Instructions
 

  • Put the watercress, most of the dill, all the crème fraîche, lemon juice and zest, black pepper, olive oil and a pinch of salt into a blender and whizz until a saucy, pourable consistency – add a tbsp of water if seems too thick. Chill while you cook the salmon.
  • Heat a non-stick frying pan over a mediumhigh heat. Coat the salmon fillets with a little sunflower oil and season generously. Put into the pan, skin-side down, for 2-3 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp. Carefully turn, then cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the butter and basting for another minute, adding the capers and removing from the heat to rest for a minute.
  • Put the salmon and capers onto two plates, spoon over the watercress sauce and serve with new potatoes and green veg, if you like.

Thai watermelon salad

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Thai watermelon salad

Watermelon is this year’s trendy ingredient and stands in for green papaya in this update of a Thai classic. It’s best to buy a whole watermelon and use the flesh closest to the skin as this tends to be a bit firmer
Print Recipe
Total Time 20 mins
Servings 4
Calories 131 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar
  • 5 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 3 bird’s eye chilli
  • 500 g watermelon seeds removed and cut into chunks
  • 1 tbsp roasted peanuts roughly chopped
  • a handful of leaves mint shredded
  • a handful of leaves Thai basil shredded

Instructions
 

  • Mix the sugar into the fish sauce. In a mortar, pound the garlic with a pestle, then add the chillies and pound again, leaving the chillies bruised but intact. Add the lime juice and fish sauce and pound again. Tip into a bowl with the watermelon and toss everything together. Sprinkle with peanuts and the herbs to serve. Avoid eating the whole chillies unless you are a heat fanatic; they’ll be incredibly hot!

New potato salad with aïoli

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New potato salad with aïoli

Crisp, golden potatoes are paired with fresh radish and zingy aïoli in this summery dish (a great side for your next barbecue)
Print Recipe
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 8 as a side
Calories 490 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg baby new potatoes
  • 80 g salted butter
  • 1 onion large, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds lightly crushed
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 200 g radishes thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch dill roughly torn

AIOLI

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 large cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 250 ml olive oil plus extra for frying

Instructions
 

  • Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.
  • Cook the butter and onion in a large frying pan for 5 minutes or until turning translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and coriander seeds, and fry until starting to smell fragrant. Add the dijon mustard and juice of 1 lemon and mix. Transfer to a bowl.
  • Tip the cooled potatoes onto a clean worksurface and use the flat side of a knife to lightly squash each one. Fry the potatoes in a little more oil in a large non-stick frying pan for 10-15 minutes or until starting to crisp up. Tip onto kitchen paper to drain.
  • In the meantime, make the aïoli. Put the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice and plenty of seasoning in a small blender, and whizz until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while still blending on a low speed, until it emulsifies, thickens and is smooth.
  • Put the crispy smashed potatoes into a bowl and mix in most of the onion butter and sliced radishes.
  • Spread the aïoli across a platter and pile the potatoes on top. Finish with a drizzle of the remaining butter and lots of fresh dill.