Having built a career in the seaside town of Padstow, Paul Ainsworth knows a thing or two about fish. In his new book, the Michelin-starred chef shares his favourite recipes from the ocean and the land
Few places in the UK are better for eating (and cooking) seafood than Cornwall, and even fewer have better access to it than Padstow, where fishing boats load their haul onto the harbour just steps from the front door of some of the country’s best restaurants. The cream of that crop is most certainly Paul Ainsworth at No6, the Michelin-starred outpost from the eponymous chef. Across the bay, meanwhile, he’s also owner of the much-loved seaside pub, The Mariners, alongside Italian restaurant Caffe Rojano in Padstow.
While here in London we might not be quite as close to the source as Ainsworth, we do have access to some of that wonderful Cornish seafood from some cracking fishmongers across the city. In For the Love of Food, Ainsworth aims to bring a slice of Cornwall to our kitchens through some of his favourite recipes from the Mariners and Caffe Rojano, dishes he cooks regularly at home, as well as stories gleaned from his journey from cooking under Gordon Ramsay to nabbing a Michelin star of his own. Bring a bit of that beach barbecue energy to your kitchen.
Beach barbecue mackerel bruschetta
Not many things in life are better than grilling on the beach. Emulate the holiday feel at home with this bright and savoury mackerel bruschetta
Beach barbecue mackerel bruschetta
Issy Croker
Serves 4
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Is there anything better than a barbecue on the beach, cooking up a fresh catch you’ve nabbed from waters just a short distance from your perch? If there is, we can’t quite imagine it. This recipe from Ainsworth is unsurprisingly a “Caffe Rojano classic” that has been on the menu since the restaurant opened its doors in 2011.
“The taste of spanking-fresh mackerel, combined with the flavours of the juicy salsa and crunchy toast is amazing,” says Ainsworth. “I really recommend grilling your toast either on a chargrill or on the barbecue.”
Ingredients
4 large mackerel fillets, pin-boned
Olive oil, for drizzling
4 slices of focaccia
1 garlic clove Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
For the lemon dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp lemon juice
For the salsa
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
½ green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, thinly sliced
6 basil leaves, torn or chopped into strips (reserve some for finishing the pesto mayonnaise)
10g coriander, chopped For the pesto mayonnaise
200g thick mayonnaise
70g basil pesto
1 tsp lemon juice
Method
First make the lemon dressing by whisking all the ingredients together with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
In a separate bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients, except the basil and coriander. Dress to taste with the lemon dressing, then finish with some sea salt and cracked pepper.
In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise and pesto and add the lemon juice to taste. Finish with the reserved basil.
Preheat the barbecue and get your rack as hot as possible as this will prevent the fish from sticking – it should lift off easily with a palate knife.
Brush the mackerel fillets on both sides with the olive oil and season with sea salt.
Place the fish on the rack, skin-side down, and let it cook for 2–3 minutes or until your mackerel skin is crisp. Turn the fish over onto the flesh side and cook for no more than 10–20 seconds. Place the focaccia on a tray. Drizzle with some olive oil and rub one side with the raw garlic clove. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and toast until golden brown.
Finish the salsa with the basil and coriander and divide it equally between the pieces of toasted focaccia.
Place the cooked mackerel on top of the salsa, drizzle with olive oil, add a dollop of pesto mayonnaise and serve.
Cornish crab and summertime tomato salad
A salad is a salad is a salad, until it’s not. This tomato salad is a cut above the rest, with white and brown crab meat adding a depth of flavour
Cornish crab and summertime tomato salad
Issy Croker
Preparation time 10 minutes
Crab and tomato are two ingredients that need little intervention – pure, delicious, delicate representations of summertime. Ainsworth ingeniously combines them together in this salad that serves as so much more than a side, elevating any summertime spread.
“This dish is essentially two ingredients, designed to go together in their absolute prime: sun-ripened English tomatoes and beautiful Cornish crab,” he says. “With a bowl of buttered new potatoes, it is simply awesome – and it regularly features on the summer menu at Caffe Rojano.”
Ingredients
115g brown crab meat
200g mayonnaise
Juice of ¼ lemon
350g tomatoes, sliced
3 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
100g white crab meat, flaked 10 large basil leaves
Zest of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lime
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
For the pickled shallot
1 large banana shallot, sliced into thin rings
150ml water
50g caster sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
5g yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Place all the pickled shallot ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Leave to pickle while you crack on with making the other salad elements. Add the brown crab meat to the mayonnaise, along with the lemon juice.
Whisk until smooth, then place in a small bowl and chill until needed. Cut the tomatoes into 2cm-thick slices, keeping them chunky and funky. Place in a bowl and lightly season with the sea salt and black pepper. Add the red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
To serve, place the tomatoes on a plate and top with the white crab meat. Add little dollops of the brown crab mayonnaise, then scatter the pickled shallots and basil leaves all over the salad. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dusting of the zingy lemon and lime zests.
Brown butter baked hake
The perfect dinner party dish, prep the elements of this recipe in advance so all you need to do on the day is bake and plate it
Brown butter baked hake
Issy Croker
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
When fish is really, really good quality, the best way to cook it is to do not very much with it at all. Ainsworth agrees, saying, “One of my favourite ways of eating fish is with some form of what we chefs call ‘compound butter’. What that means is a good-quality butter flavoured with all kinds of ingredients.
Hake, when it’s in season, simply baked with the saltiness of samphire and the freshness of the cucumber and seaweed is simply breathtaking.” This dish is the perfect centrepiece for any dinner party.
Ingredients
250g unsalted butter, diced
4 x 180–200g hake portions, brined (optional)
A dash of olive oil
1 small shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g samphire 1 tbsp lemon juice
2g dried seaweed salad, chopped
5g chives, chopped
5g flat-leaf parsley, chopped ½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
100g mace sourdough croutons
Zest of ½ lemon
Zest of ½ lime
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
For the mace croutons
1 tbsp oil 35g unsalted butter
2 slices of sourdough (the staler, the better)
1 garlic clove, finely grated or chopped Pinch of mace
Method
For the croutons
Place a medium frying pan over a high heat and add the oil, then the butter. Tear up the bread into bite-sized rustic chunks and add to the foaming butter.
Add the garlic, mace and a pinch of sea salt and keep the croutons moving until they are crisp and toasted.
Drain onto kitchen paper.
For the fish
Preheat the oven to 175°C fan.
Place a medium frying pan over a high heat and add the butter. Spread the butter out with a spoon but don’t shake or move the pan. The butter will go foamy, then start to brown. Once the butter is a lovely golden brown, pass it through a flour sieve into a bowl and leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge. Once the butter has set, give it a good whisk to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
Place the hake on a non-stick or lined baking tray. If they are not brined, season all over with sea salt, then liberally spoon the brown butter all over each piece, making sure to spread it on the bottom of the fish and the sides. Bake for 7 minutes or until a probe measures 45°C in the centre of the portion.
In the same pan you used to brown the butter, add a splash of olive oil and return to a medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 2–3 minutes without browning and until soft.
Once the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and pour the brown butter and all the hake juices from the baking tray into the pan with the shallot. Leave the fish on the tray and allow to rest for 2–3 minutes while you finish the sauce.
Add the samphire, lemon juice and chopped seaweed to the brown butter and shallot mixture. Stir for 30 seconds, so the samphire starts to wilt slightly. Now finish the dressing with the chives and parsley and a couple of twists of cracked black pepper.
Place the baked hake onto plates and divide the samphire brown butter dressing between them. Finish with the fresh cucumber and mace croutons over the top, and the lemon and lime zests.
Apple, frangipane and apricot jam slice
Make the most of seasonal summer fruit when it’s at its best with this delicious tart, finished with an indulgent dollop of Cornish clotted cream, of course
Apple, frangipane and apricot jam slice
Issy Croker
Serves 4
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
It wouldn’t be a Cornish feast without clotted cream, which is perfectly countered here by the delicate sweetness and balancing acidity of some of the UK’s best summer fruit. “When No6 opened its doors in 2005 we were practically unknown, and foot traffic was scarce for months,” Ainsworth says. “To adapt and keep the business afloat, we diversified our offerings, introducing a menu featuring sandwiches, cakes and pastries. One of our staples during that time was these slices. They were as delicious then as they are now and embody the ethos we live by at The Ainsworth Collection: ‘Make it happen!’”
Ingredients
350g good-quality ready-rolled puff pastry
2 egg yolks, beaten
5 Pink Lady or Braeburn apples, peeled and cored through the centre
120g apricot jam Icing sugar, for dusting Cornish clotted cream, to serve
For the frangipane
150g caster sugar
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g eggs 1 tbsp plain flour 150g ground almonds
Pinch of vanilla seeds
2 tsp amaretto
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C fan.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the caster sugar and butter to the bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, then slowly add the eggs. The mixture will separate slightly; to bring it back together add the plain flour to stabilise the mixture. Add the ground almonds and slowly combine, then finish by adding the vanilla seeds and amaretto. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and place in the fridge to rest for a few hours before using.
Next, take the ready-rolled puff pastry and cut out a large rectangle, roughly 30 x 11 cm and 5mm thick, plus 2 additional strips of pastry 30cm long and 1–2 cm wide. Place the large rectangle of pastry onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and lightly brush each long edge with egg yolk. Lay the strips of pastry on top of the yolk on each side, keeping the edges neat and in line. This will add an extra rise to the sides of the puff pastry slice and really help contain the apples.
Remove the frangipane from the fridge and pipe an even line of frangipane down the middle of the pastry slice, from the top to the bottom.
Cut the peeled and cored apples in half, from the top to the bottom. Place each half cut-side down, then slice the apple very thinly across the width, keeping the apple slices together. Then, starting at one end of the pastry, place each sliced apple half onto the pastry slice so the frangipane runs through the cavity left by the core. Place the next sliced apple half against the previous one until the pastry is completely covered lengthways. The apples should fill the whole slice but shouldn’t overhang the two thin edges of pastry that you stuck to the base.
Glaze the pastry edges with the egg yolk, then bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden colour and the apples are cooked through.
Melt the apricot jam gently in a saucepan and, as soon as the slice is removed from the oven, glaze the apples and pastry with the jam and leave to cool until just warm.
Serve by cutting a slice, lightly dusting it with icing sugar and serve with a big dollop of Cornish clotted cream on top.
Get the book
For the Love of Food by Paul Ainsworth is published by Pavilion Books (£26); available to buy here
