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RockFish ‘w’ Pimenta Baniwa & Scallops ‘w’ Saffron Syrup
A complete hotchpotch of a do today. But one that was 100% inspired by my mate’s generosity. A fellow foodie #PeterKiddle. He has today inspired this recipe with this donation and enabled me to create ChillaxBBQ Stay#Home Recipes #47 – RockFish ‘w’ Pimenta Baniwa & Scallops ‘w’ Saffron Syrup.
Mr Kiddle warned me that the Pimenta might be a little ‘warm’. That would burn your cat a new bum if you fed it some mate. I inhaled it and was literally coughing and sneezing for an hour, and had burning sensations all up my arms when I cooked with it.
Today I was using Alaskan RockFish from our BFF’s #TheAlaskaGuys and Scallops from our BFF Shaun @ #Orca.
DaddyPedia #1; Pimenta Baniwa is a blend of dozens of varieties of Capsicum peppers that the Baniwa women cultivate in a system and system of exchange employed for millennia. The Baniwa are natives of the rainforests in the border region of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela, a remote part of the Amazon and Orinoco River Basins.
All production from cultivation to processing and packaging is performed by Baniwa women, who then retain a large percentage of the retail price of the product. It’s truly sustainable food supply chain folks. I love it.
Check these bad boys out prior to drying and processing…
Brasilian Chef, Alex Atala states; “We chefs can do a lot to protect our biomes and cultures. A good example is Baniwa pepper. The result of an amazing project with the Baniwa community, this pepper bowled me over, along with other chefs across the world. In addition to being extremely versatile, it is delicious, hot, but not long-lasting.
It not only enhances the flavour of ingredients but also offers a unique taste sensation. Getting to know this pepper is more than a gastronomic experience, it is a cultural experience. By valuing it we are valuing one of the richest cultures of our country, albeit one almost unknown to us Brazilians – the culture of the Baniwa. To discover and appreciate our flavours is to care for our biodiversity.”
As a major foodie, I love stuff like this. Buying these amazing ingredients hopefully helps a little financially and sustainability-wise, but also makes you do some research, and have a look at origins and appreciate. Make sure you buy the sustainable labeled produce though folks.
DaddyPedia time for our mate now; RockFish are long-lived marine fish that fertilize internally, versus egg-laying fish that are fertilized externally. Long-lived as long as they don’t get caught and explode from the inside out that is.
They are matrotrophically viviparous. Wtf… AKA, many RockFish species provide maternal care during embryo development passing additional nutrients or energy directly to the embryo from the mother – like a human Mum and the placenta. The term viviparous means “giving live birth”. Some RockFish Mum’s can give birth to millions of babies. Yummo!!!
RockFish ‘w’ Pimenta Baniwa & Scallops ‘w’ Saffron Syrup
I made a two-person starter – so just double-up for more people of course.
Scallops – You will need;
- 4 scallops in-the-shell per person – I bought freshly cleaned, I just gave them a wee rinse under the tap
- 3 Tbsp Gula Melaka (or brown sugar)
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of Saffron
- Olive Oil
- Sea salt & cracked back pepper
Scallops – Here you go, as easy as 1, 2, 3;
- Place the scallops (still in the shell) flat in a baking tray;
- Drizzle the Olive oil all over;
- Sprinkle with sea salt & cracked black pepper;
- Pop in a 190-degree pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through (they will go opaque and firm up a little to the touch);
- In parallel add half cup water to a pan and get it on the heat;
- Add in;
- Lemon juice
- Gula Melaka
- Saffron
- Cook that off for the same time as the Scallops are baking and the Gula Melaka should melt and it should thicken to a syrup;
- Taste test that – sweet, sour and a punch of saffron – almost floral;
- Done!!!
You’ll see below that the cooking times & styles are pretty much the same – so parallel run it guys if you can to all be finishing concurrently.
RockFish – You will need;
- 1 beautiful RockFish fillet per person – rinse in cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel
- Pimenta Baniwa (& face mask, gloves, hair net, skin cream etc…)
- About 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs (packet stuff is fine)
- 3″ knob of salted butter
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
RockFish – ready, steady, go…
- Put the breadcrumbs in a cup and mix in a good pinch or two of the Pimenta Baniwa
- Season the fish with a good sprinkle of sea salt and cracked black pepper all over;
- Get a pan on the hob and melt off the butter until sizzling hot;
- Get the fish fillets in the butter and brown them on all sides to sear (you. are not cooking them. through, just browning them);
- Take them out and drain off the excess butter;
- Now to the crust – empty the cup of seasoned crumbs on a plate and roll the fish fillets to get a thin covering on all sides (the butter will help it stick) – shake off any excess breadcrumbs;
- On a baking tray got the fillets and pop in that 190-degree oven and bake them for 15 minutes;
- Done!!!
Lay the baked scallops on a serving platter, as in the photo. Spoon over the Saffron Syrup. That is that!!! Place the baked fish fillets next to the scallops and add a couple of fresh lemon quarters for additional citrus zing if you so wish. It also adds some lovely colour to the plate.
Hey, presto you have finished. It’s a beautiful dish to look at. Stunning flavours and textures are going to hit you. It’s also pretty damned healthy due to the cooking technique. Plus you are surely going to go for a run after eating the Pimenta Baniwa.
