Tag Archives: Marlin

Cooking with Local Ingredients, Indonesia, Marlin

Sate Ikan (Fish Satays)

May 16, 2016 The Captain & the Cook 2 Comments

We are back in Indonesia for a month and one of the things we really love about Indonesia is the food! We are moored at Pulau Weh, actually we are moored off a smaller island call Pulau Rubiah. The snorkelling here is fantabulous, as is the food! We have discovered a local delicacy called sate gurita (sate octopus). Delicious and tender, it awoke memories of our time with our boys at Gili Air when we sailed there for Christmas 2014. I cooked sate ikan, using some marlin we caught in Australia. It was part of a feast that I cooked up on the boat for a friend who wanted to film it.

While anchored off Gili Air (Lombok Indonesia) with our son’s Jedd, Alex, Kye and two of their girlfriends, we had a visit from Jackie and her son Alexander. Jacqui was interested in filming a short video of us cooking up a storm on Thorfinn. I hadn’t had time to think about what to cook and therefore had not shopped in Bali before we left. So, before I could decide what to cook, I had to look at what I had on the boat and then I had to go ashore to see what I could purchase on the small island of Gili Air. In the tiny village I found a shop selling some fresh produce and a very limited array of other supermarket goods. I choose some things I love to cook with – limes, ginger, garlic, chillies, galangal – while I gradually formulate an idea of what I would cook.

Shopping for chillies, lime, galangal etc.

Back on the Thorfinn I fine-tuned my proposed menu. When in Indonesia, do as the Indo’s… I decided to cook some Indonesian favourites. Ikan Bakar (grilled fish), sambal and sate ikan (fish satays).

So, while the boys enjoyed the swimming and snorkelling, and the girls chilled out on the sun-beds with a cocktail, Dwayne and I cooked and Jacqui filmed. It was a lot of fun and when it was ready the kids joined us on Thorfinn for a feast. As we sat around Jedd’s surfboard, which had become our makeshift table for the day, we enjoyed the sunset and the company of family and friends… and I think we all privately reflected on how lucky we were.

For the sates …

I grated one onion into a sieve over a bowl. Using a spoon I then pressed down on the grated onion to squeeze out the onion juice. I set aside the the grated onion for using in the peanut sauce.

To the onion juice I added…

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
2 teaspoon of palm sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 kg of marlin fillet

I mixed it well, covered and refrigerated it until I was ready to skewer the marlin to grill.

For the peanut dipping sauce…

In a small saucepan, I sautéed the reserved grated onion for two minutes with –

1 Tablespoon of olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon of sambal olek

I then added…

3 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 Tablespoon of palm sugar

I stirred continually as I cooked for a minute and then added…

1 1/4 cups coconut cream

I gently heated it until almost boiling, then removed the saucepan from the heat and stirred in…

3 Tablespoons of peanut butter

Once the peanut butter was well blended I returned to a gentle heat and cooked for about 5 minutes while stirring and checking it often. (Add water if needed).

To serve

I skewered cubes of marlin onto small skewers and Dwayne cooked them on the BBQ. I then served them with the peanut sauce.

Sate Ikan served with peanut sauce on Jedd's surfboard! — Sate Ikan served with peanut sauce on Jedd’s surfboard!

I loved our Christmas on Gili Air!… and have welcomed the opportunity to reminisce about it. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Want to read about catching the marlin? Click on the photo below!

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Cooking Our Catch, Marlin

Marlin fettuccine with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers

November 30, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

This pasta meal was another simple way we enjoyed the marlin we had ample supply of.

While the fettuccini was cooking, I simply sautéed baby capers, finely diced capsicum and garlic in olive oil. After a few minutes I added halved cherry tomatoes and the diced marlin and cooked for a further few minutes until the fish was cooked through but not over done.

To serve I topped the fettuccine with the marlin and tomato, garnished with sliced spring onions and drizzled with a little olive oil. Simple and delicious.

Cooking Our Catch, Marlin

BBQ Marlin Fillets with Grapefruit, Fennel, Lime and Dill Salad.

November 13, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

Dwayne barbecued the marlin fillets, while I threw together a salad of mixed lettuce leaves, ruby grapefruit, thinly sliced fennel, red onion, cucumber, tomato and spring onions.

For the dressing I used dill, lime and a little olive oil. Simple, yet really enjoyable.

Cooking Our Catch, Marlin

Palusumi Style Marlin Filled Cabbage Rolls

October 23, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

We are still working our way through the marlin and still trying out different ways to cook it. This particular day I thought I’d do a marlin filling to wrap in cabbage leaves and bake. While discussing this meal with Dwayne, he came up with the idea to do it with the same flavours the Fijians do their Palusumi (Palusumi is usually lamb mince or corned beef with taro leaves).

When we were in Fiji, after having a delicious meal of palusumi, I asked the cook what goes into the dish. I was told it was ginger, garlic, onion, coconut milk.

So this is what I did…

I finely chopped garlic, ginger, onion and sautéed it for a few minutes until ingredients softened . I put ¾ of the mix into a bowl with some finely chopped marlin (not blended). I added some finely chopped spinach (I had frozen spinach) and enough coconut milk to make a moist mix (not too sloppy).

I mixed the left over coconut milk with the other ¼ of the garlic, ginger and onion mix and set aside.I blanched the cabbage leaves for a minute or two and then wrapped a couple of spoonfuls of the marlin mixture up in the leaves.

I put the cabbage rolls in a baking dish and topped it with the reserved coconut milk mixed with the ginger, garlic and onion.

I baked it in the oven for about ½ hour. It was really yummy, Dwayne loved it… but he always does!

Cooking Our Catch, Marlin

Sesame Crusted Cured Marlin Served on a Baked Polenta Chip

October 19, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

Dwayne requested this; it is one of his favourites…. although it’s hard to keep up with Dwayne’s favourites, because he is constantly saying “that’s my favourite”! Can anyone have that many favourites…? or is he really, really, smart and uses flattery to get me to go to the effort of making fancy food… on a boat! Clever man lol.

I have made this often for an entrée at dinner parties, however I have always used yellow fin tuna. I have created this dish using Japanese flavours but serve it on a food I connect with Italy. Anyhow, we think they go well together.

To cure the marlin: I made a mix of salt, sugar, crush peppercorns and crush coriander seeds, which I rubbed into, and all over, the marlin fillet. I spread out a piece of glad wrap and pour a tablespoon of gin on it, then added the marlin and topped it with another tablespoon of gin. I wrapped the marlin up in the glad wrap and put it in a Tupperware container and into the fridge. I usually put it in the fridge to cure for around eight hours, however this time the marlin sat curing in the gin for 48 hours before I cooked it.

To make the polenta chip: I cooked the polenta as per instructions on the pack. Once it was cooked I lined a tray with plastic wrap and poured the polenta in to it and smooth the surface. I set this aside to cool. Once cooled I cut polenta into serving portions and place on a baking tray and baked in the oven at 200c for 10mins.

To cook the marlin: I coated the marlin fillet with sesame seeds. Heated two tablespoons of olive oil in a fry pan and seared the marlin on both side for a minute each and then, using tongs, I lifted the marlin and sear the other sides of fillet, holding the marlin with the tongs, for 10 – 30 seconds, until all sides of tuna are seared.

To serve: I made a dressing of sesame oil and soy sauce, which I drizzled across the plate. I then added a dob of wasabi to the plate. I sliced the marlin into serving portions. Place two polenta chips on each plate and placed a slice of marlin on each. I topped the marlin with a little of the sesame/soy mix and served.

I’d usually like to get a little fancy with a garnish of petite herbs or some such thing but hey,… I live on a boat and was anchored off Digby Island QLD when Dwayne decided he wanted this dish. So I didn’t get very fancy lol.

Cooking Our Catch, Fish, Marlin

Teriyaki Marlin Sushi

October 8, 2014 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

At Cape Bedford, in Far North Queensland, windy conditions prevented us from going ashore. Unable to get off the boat and with little to do, my mind inevitably turned to thoughts of food. I often think about what I can do with fish to spice things up a bit. This particular day I decided that for lunch the following day we would have Teriyaki Marlin Sushi. So I dug deep into the freezer where the last of the marlin is and took out a piece to defrost. Once defrosted (doesn’t take long in tropical QLD) I put it into a container with some teriyaki marinade and put it into the fridge.

The next day we sailed to Lizard Island where once anchored, I made the sushi for lunch. Ten years ago in Broom, WA, I was taught to make sushi by a Korean lady named Hee. Hee was the Cable Beach Resort head sushi chef and she taught me to make it with raw fish, and we love it with raw fish. However, the fish was not fresh which is why I decided to marinate it and cook it.

Once I had gathered all my ingredients, and my sushi mat, I set to work.

INGREDIENTS

Teriyaki marinated marlin fillet

1 cup Sushi rice
1 ½ cups cold water
2 Tablespoons Sushi Seasoning
3 Nori sheets
Wasabi
Pickled ginger
Whole Egg Mayonnaise
Cucumber
Soy sauce
Mirin

To make the sushi…

I cooked the sushi rice and seasoned it with the sushi seasoning. Then I lightly fried the marlin, sliced the cucumber, drained the ginger and made a dipping sauce with the soy and mirin.

To roll the sushi….

I placed the nori sheet on my sushi mat and spread the lower third of the nori with some of the rice then I spread a bit of wasabi and mayo on it. Topped the rice with the marlin, cucumber strips and pickled ginger and rolled it up.

I served it with some extra wasabi and the soy mirin dipping sauce.

Cooking Our Catch, Fish, Marlin

Marlin Rissoles

September 14, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I made these yummy Asian flavoured rissoles with the seemingly never ending supply of marlin we have from the marlin we caught earlier in the year. For anyone new to the blog that wants to know more about “The Marlin” check out The Marlin

These rissoles were made by accident! They actually came about when, having made a filling for wantons, I found the wanton wrappers had mould on them so I did rissoles instead. Not sure how that occurred since the packet was unopened and in date until March 2015…? anyway the wonton wrappers were thrown in the bin and I cooked the filling as rissoles.

The rissoles were simple and tasty..

I blended marlin, ginger and garlic and fish sauce. Then I added finely chopped dried shitake mushroom (soaked in boiling water) and finely shredded cabbage.

I shaped the marlin mix into rissoles and shallow fried them in a fry pan.

I served them with sweet chilli sauce but in the end we decided they were delicious without the sauce and served with a simple salad. They were really tasty. Bon appetite!

Cooking Our Catch, Fish, Marlin, Shell Fish

Beer Battered Marlin Fingers and Oysters

August 26, 2014 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

On our first day in Island Head Creek QLD, we discovered some huge oysters. Dwayne thought all his Christmases had come at once and like a little boy eager to try out his new truck he just had to go oyster harvesting!

Later that day, tucked away in Island Head Creek on a rainy day with nothing better to do, I decided to do some cooking. Once I had my Beef Cheek Pie Filling on the simmer and a piece of marlin curing in a gin mix, I decided I’d do some beer battered marlin and oysters for lunch. Yummo!

I made a simple beer batter with plain flour and beer. Cleaned the oysters and cut two marlin fillets into thick fingers. Coated the fish and oysters with the batter and deep fried for a few minutes.

I served the beer battered marlin and oysters with several dipping sauces. Sweet chilli, soy, kecap manis, cocktail sauce and a sauce of mayo, lime and capers. Delicious!

Cooking Our Catch, Fish, Marlin

Marlin Pies

August 8, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

Marlin, marlin, marlin! We are still eating marlin regularly and surprisingly I am not running out of interesting ways to cook it. I have a few more ideas to try out yet, but this pie is another one of my favourites. Marlin is a firm fish and it gave this pie a real meatiness.

Here is what I did…

I sautéed one finely diced carrot, one stick of celery finely diced, one onion finely diced and one rasher of bacon diced. Once the veggies started to soften I added one cup of fish stock*and further cooked the veggies as I simmered the fish stock to reduce it by half.

Then I added 200ml of cream (longlife which I always have on the boat) and the cubed marlin. Stirred to combine all the ingredients and then pour it into two deep ramekins.

I topped the ramekins with pastry and popped them in the oven.

The marlin does not take long to cook, so as soon as the pastry was puffed and browned I served the pies. They were really, really yummy!

*Note: I used fish stock cubes that I picked up at an Asian grocer, Ikan Bilis, the brand is Knorr. They are very strong and worked perfectly with this pie.

Cooking Our Catch, Marlin, Soup

Marlin Dumplings in a Spicy Broth

August 4, 2014 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

At the moment we are still working our way through the marlin we caught out from South West Rocks, NSW.

I’m having a lot of fun thinking up new ways to serve Marlin, and these marlin dumplings are one of my favourite creations so far and very easy to make.

This is what I did…

In a food processor I blended marlin with some fresh ginger, fish sauce and spring onions, then I mixed in some chives. I made the dumplings using wanton wrappers.

For the broth I use chicken stock, five spice, chilli, and some slices of fresh ginger. I brought the broth to the boil then reduced the heat and simmered for a few minutes.

I simmered the dumplings in the broth for 3-4 minutes, then they were ready to serve!

Bon Appetit!

Gourmet from the galley!

Tag Archives: Marlin

Sate Ikan (Fish Satays)

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Marlin fettuccine with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers

BBQ Marlin Fillets with Grapefruit, Fennel, Lime and Dill Salad.

Palusumi Style Marlin Filled Cabbage Rolls

Sesame Crusted Cured Marlin Served on a Baked Polenta Chip

Teriyaki Marlin Sushi

Marlin Rissoles

Beer Battered Marlin Fingers and Oysters

Marlin Pies

Marlin Dumplings in a Spicy Broth

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