Martin Charlton, the man behind The Old Boathouse Food Group, which includes The Old Boat House Amble, Blyth Boathouse, Fish Shack in Amble and La Famiglia in Amble shares his favourite recipes for Christmas Day
STARTER
North Sea fish platter
Cooking in fish restaurants 364 days of the year may seem like a lot, but the produce on our doorstep is so good that we love to have some on Christmas Day as well.
This platter can be filled with the fish and shellfish you like to eat or can get your hands on. Ours here includes freshly cooked Amble lobster, North Shields dressed crab, smoked salmon from Swallows of Seahouses, pickled herrings, Scottish blue shell mussels cooked marinara-style, panko breaded fish fingers, prawns and crawfish, and Holy Island oysters, served with a selection of great sauces – all of them based around a good quality mayonnaise.
Tartar sauce
Ingredients
250g mayonnaise
35g dill pickle, finely chopped
3 tbsp green onion, chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Marie Rose sauce
Ingredients
½ lemon, juice only
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 tbsp tomato ketchup
few drops Tabasco sauce
2 pinches smoked paprika
½ tsp paprika
1 tbsp double cream
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 pinch cayenne pepper
pinch salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Aioli
Ingredients
garlic, to your taste
½ tsp salt
250ml milk
470ml olive oil
lemon juice, to your taste
Method
Grind the garlic with the salt until it forms a paste. Put the milk into a blender and slowly add the oil until the mixture becomes thick. Add the oil until you get the consistency you require. Add the garlic and salt paste, and lemon juice, to taste.
MAIN
DESSERT
Rich chocolate sponge with orange custard, cranberry compote and pistachios
