Seafood Pot-au-Feu with Pastry Star-Fish

Ingredients

• 1.2 garlic, crushed
• 2.2 onion, sliced
• 3.olive oil or butter and oil, enough to cover bottom of pan; or 30 gms butter + 2 T. oil
• 4.2 leeks, sliced
• 5.1 celery, 1 rib with leaves
• 6.Lawry's Seasoned Salt and pepper, to taste
• 7.6 fresh tomatoes, skinned and seasoned with 1 t. salt, 3 t. sugar, sprinkling of black pepper
• 8.2 tablespoon fresh mixed herbs
• 9.2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 10.chili powder, a pinch
• 11.500 gram kingklip fillets, or L.M. (Mozambican) small fish as alternative
• 12.tinned clams in brine, or 750 gms crab pieces (legs and body meat)
• 13.500 gram cooked crab, or 250 gms Alaskan crab legs
• 14.2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 15.2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 16.2 whole chilies, 1 red, 1 green; bruised
• 17.2 green cardamom pods, bruised
• 18.1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
• 19.salt, to taste
• 20.maatjies herring, tinned; drained and deseeded
• 21.0.25 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1.Sauté onion in olive oil and butter till golden. Add 2 crushed garlic.
2. 2.Add leeks, celery and leaves, carrots and stir-fry.
3. 3.Season with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Pepper to taste.
4. 4.Add tomatoes and herbs, stew 2–3 minutes.
5. 5.Add turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, whole chilies, bruised cardamom and chicken stock.
6. 6.Add clams, seasoned prawns, crab and water to cover (2 cups chicken stock and a fish head).
7. 7.Bring to boil and simmer gently for ½ hour or until fish is cooked. Skim and cleanse all the time.
8. 8.Cool. Add juices with juice and mussels without juice.
9. 9.Refrigerate overnight.
10. 10.Bring to boil gently. Simmer to heat through and serve.

Notes

• Make-ahead dish — refrigerating overnight improves the flavour.
• If more sauce is needed: add 2 cups water with 2 t. chicken stock, 1 t. ground coriander and a pinch of chili.
• Serve with Pastry Fish and Star-Fish as garnish (see pastry-fish-and-star-fish recipe).
• The recipe has many handwritten annotations with alternative ingredient quantities — see margin_notes.

Margin notes

• Extra - 2 cups water with 2 t. chicken stock, 1 t. ground coriander and a pinch of chili if necessary, 2 tsp ground cumin
• Handwritten alternative: 2 Cups + chicken stock and a fish head for step 6