If you’ve holidayed in Cornwall, chances are you dined at one of Paul Ainsworth’s restaurants. A must-visit on the west country foodie trail, Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 in Padstow was awarded a Michelin-star in 2013 and holds four AA Rosettes. And the chef, who learnt his trade in London under Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, also oversees Italian eatery Caffé Rojano in Padstow, and Rock pub The Mariners.
Paul’s long-awaited debut cookbook, For the Love of Food (Pavilion Books, £26), was published last month, and the beautiful book includes some of his favourite dishes from Caffè Rojano and The Mariners, as well as the dishes he loves to cook at home. From beach breakfasts and posh sandwiches to seafood specials and meat pie, everything is mouth-wateringly delicious and totally accessible for home cooks – these are dishes you’ll want to cook time and again. We love this creamy taramasalata on toast that is just perfect for a simple summer starter. Paul says: “Although this is a simple dip that is easily bought from the supermarket, there is no comparison to how extra tasty and moreish it can be when homemade. I first learned how to make it whilst working for Marcus Wareing at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Pétrus, and it’s a recipe that has stuck with me my whole career. When we opened The Mariners, we made it our own by cutting through the richness with pickled cucumber, enhancing the sea flavour with seaweed, and adding a little touch of spice with pimentón.”
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
400–500g piece smoked cod’s roe | 2 ice cubes | 1l olive oil | 50ml cold water | Juice of 11/2 lemons | Fine salt | 1 garlic clove, peeled | 4 slices of sourdough | 10ml extra virgin olive oil | 1 tsp smoked paprika | 1 tsp dried seaweed powder | pickled cucumber | 6 sprigs of dill | Sea salt
METHOD
1. Split the cod’s roe in half and, using a spoon, scrape out all the roe and transfer to a food appliance with a blade attachment, or a blender, along with the ice cubes and blitz until smooth (the ice keeps the blade cool and prevents it from splitting the roe). Spoon 250 g of the blitzed roe to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, storing the remainder in the fridge or freezer to save for a later date
2. Using the whisk attachment, gradually pour in the olive oil while whisking the roe on high speed. The trick here is to pour close to the side of the bowl as this will stop the whisk from making a mess with the oil. Once you have added roughly half the oil, stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
3. Now add the cold water and lemon juice and carry on whisking on high speed as you slowly add the remaining oil. The cod’s roe mixture should start to thicken, with the oil emulsifying into the roe, and it will begin to resemble a light pink mayonnaise.
4.Once all the oil has been added, stop and taste the taramasalata. Add more lemon juice if needed and a pinch of salt to season. The mixture should be light, fluffy and slightly looser than a mayonnaise consistency. If it is too thick, add a touch of cold water to loosen. Spoon the finished taramasalata into a bowl and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
5.To serve, cut the peeled garlic clove in half and rub the cut side of the garlic on both sides of the sliced sourdough. Drizzle some of the extra virgin olive oil on both sides of the bread, then season on both sides with some sea salt. Place on a chargrill pan and grill on both sides until crisp. Place the slices of chargrilled sourdough on a platter and spoon or pipe the chilled taramasalata over the warm bread. Season the taramasalata with the smoked paprika, seaweed powder, the pickled cucumber, and sprigs of dill, and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
