YAM & CRAB CAKES

A call from my local grocer to say he had the best Yam available, which I could use for my recipe was a welcomed distraction from a rather busy week . 
He explained 'he insisted the wholesaler  cut through some of the Yams to ensure they were the yellow 'Pona' (a type of Yam described in a previous blogpost) that I liked. 
I felt great about the care taken in selecting the best Yam and purchased few tubers.
Use Yam as you would potatoes, by frying, baking, steaming etc 

Ingredients;

Yam cake

200g boiled Yam (preferably the middle to the tail part of the Yam). 

Yam can be purchased in some supermarkets, African or Asian grocers.

Click here for how to boil your Yam. 

4 stalks of chopped Spring onions

20g of chopped coriander

1 de seeded diced red chilli

1 teaspoon of Ginger

1 teaspoon of horseradish 

Half a teaspoon of 

350g of crab meat (source from your local fishmonger)

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

YAM

Frying;

1 tablespoon of coconut oil/ Groundnut oil / Sunglower oil

Method;

Crush your Yam (the crab cake needs to have a bite, hence don't mash the mixture till smooth).

Add all the ingredients for the Yam cake to a bowl and mix well. 

Using your clean hands, mold about a tablespoon of the mixture into individual disks (as shown below).

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour. This will help the moulds hold their shape. 

Melt about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or your preferred oil in a frying pan, on a medium heat. 

Fry the cakes on a low heat for 3 minutes on each side and set aside

To serve;

Serve with your preferred green salad (Watercress, Spinach, Rocket etc)

and drizzle with either balsamic glaze or a sweet chilli sauce. 

Enjoy!

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. 

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YAM FISH PIE

Yam is a popular tuber used in most African and Caribbean dishes. There are over 600 varieties of Yam (supposedly 95% of them are grown in Africa) and generally they have a tough brown outer later with a white or pale yellow flesh. Yams are used the same way you would potatoes and it's used in this recipe for a fish pie.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Yam Mash

300g of Yam peeled and cut into chunks 

2 tablespoons of butter

100 ml of double cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Yam

Sautéed Leek & mushrooms 

1 large finely chopped leek

1 shallot cut length ways

50g of Oyster/ Chestnut mushrooms ( optional)

Shallot and Mustard sauce

1 finely diced shallot

2 tablespoons of English mustard 

1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon of malt vinegar 

500g of mixed fish (Smoked Haddock, Cod and Salmon)

Most supermarkets stock the mixed fish.

Method 

Place your washed sliced Yam in a saucepan and add water. The water should cover the Yam completely and bring it to the boil on a medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, (insert a fork to the Yam, if it permeates without any resistance, it's done).

Sliced Yam

Drain the water from the Yam (using a colander) and leave to dry for 2 minutes. 

Pass your steamed Yam through a ricer into a bowl. 

Add the butter and cream and mix well, 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Place a frying pan on a medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped leeks

Sauté the leeks for about about a minute and add the sliced shallots. Cook for another minute, add the mushrooms (optional) and cook for another minute. 

Set aside until ready to use. 

Add the sliced shallots to the frying pan previously used. 

Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes on a medium heat and remove from the heat. 

Add the sautéed onions to your Béchamel sauce (Click here for recipe) on a medium heat.

Add the English mustard and whole grain mustard to the Béchamel sauce. 

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and add the vinegar. Quickly mix everything together and leave on the side.

To assemble

Preheat your oven to 180*c.

In a casserole bowl or a clay bowl, layer the following; 

Add your sautéed leeks, your assortment of fish and your mustard sauce.

Using a piping bag or spatula, pipe your mashed Yam over the filling making sure you cover it entirely. 

Using a fork, draw lines lightly on the surface, making sure not to break the seal, as above.

Place your pie in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes or until the surface is golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. 

Serve hot with your favourite steamed vegetables. Enjoy!

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

Handcut Yam Chips and Mackerel Mousse.

Ingredients 

500g of Yam peeled and cut length ways into segments

Pinch of salt

1 litre Vegetable oil

Mackerel mousse

500g of smoked Mackerel 

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of extra virgin oil

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black peppercorn

Finely diced 30g of spring onions or sweet onions 

2 tablespoon of Yoghurt

1 teaspoon of lime / lemon juice

1 teaspoon of Horseradish 

2 de-seeded green chillies, finely diced

Pinch of salt to taste. 

Method;

Pour the oil into a saucepan and place on a medium heat 

Wash your hand cut Yams and discard the water

Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the Yam and mix

Test the oil is hot by adding a slice of Garlic (or anything that can fry and add flavour to the oil). If the garlic sizzles you know you have a hot oil . (Please treat hot oil with utmost care, preferably handle with a glove) 

Add the hand cut Yams to the oil and fry for about 4 minutes. 

After 4 minutes lower the heat under the Yam and add 160ml of water. ( please do this gently and with care) Once the water hits the oil there will be loads of bubbles caused by the reaction of water and hot oil. When the initial bubble has settled down to manageable reaction increase the heat to it's initial 'medium heat'.

Adding water to the Yam, gives the Chip a soft, moist and crumbly inner part with a crunchy exterior. 

Watch as the water disappears from the oil, the chips forming a crispy exterior when touched with a slotted spoon ( this should take about 4 minutes).

Once the water has disappeared , the chips will be crunchy, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon to a clean kitchen napkin or paper to blot off excess oil. 

Make the Mackerel Mousse whilst the Yam is cooking

Take the skin, bones and head off the Mackerel ( if using a whole smoked fish with it's head on) or  better still you can use a pre dressed Mackerel (available in most supermarkets in the UK)

In a seperate bowl add the olive oil, horseradish, yoghurt, black pepper and ginger; mix it together to form a dressing. 

You can blitz your Mackerel in a food processor ( I prefer to use the back of a fork to mash the fish into a rough paste in a bowl) 

I like my mousse to have a crunch and a bite. 

Add the mashed Mackerel to your dressing and stir till well mixed and a fluffy. 

Add your onions, lime/lemon juice and chillies. 

Please taste before adding the salt. I recommend just a pinch as the lime juice and natural yoghurt add a salty taste to the mouse. 

Spoon a portion of mousse into a bowl / plate garnish with strips of red peppers (optional) , drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately with your hot 'Handcut Yam chips'. 

Enjoy

All photos are by the author of this blog.