Guardian Cook section: Get-Togethers interview.
With the ocean on his doorstep, Alasdair Moore ensures fresh fish and live lobsters take pride of place on his annual beachside barbecue …
Life’s a beach on Tresco – unless you’re a lobster. All photos by Howard Sooley for the Guardian
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What was the occasion?
I live on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly with my wife Kate, who grew up on the neighbouring island of Bryher. Every summer Aled and Astrid, our friends from Cologne, come to visit. They’ve been coming for 15 years now, usually on Aled’s birthday. They’re family friends, so we have all the in-laws over from Bryher and celebrate the occasion by going fishing with my brother-in-law, Neil – he’s an excellent fisherman – and barbecuing the catch on the beach afterwards. There are usually around 20 of us, so it’s quite a party.
A huge feast al fresco…
What was on the menu?
We had line-caught, barbecued mackerel and pollock. This year we supplemented the catch with fresh lobster caught by a local fisherman. We dressed it with coriander, chilli, garlic and lime butter.
<a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/pcs/click?xai=AKAOjsujFBuiap7DKOEcUVyNjnLkirP4FSarnhQ_j9J8uaGXqGki24FmoOixbYqJoc-J9vZ7oOfkMcMMYaLmRIK_ALpFsNSzdFRW8Tb2byrVJod8s7aFAi6DhoJ8UpQek2-DSJxSK4VWte7EOVwFm9VIlEwjDM_oJ7Zwc3OGijKStV9Qh4GP2lwBbEzL0IQeudYCyQY5p_Of7TlThvsyksRPT03PHd88Q0Pbjeb0j2rLSaWM2ZJHeS-hXmnA9DZho9ZCEZlU59jcZ_vZmx9qG90D9AMnnNJaCrbtJpA6XqKH-2hEm28vEMPUygeXjkQ1QUC1nuhefyvwikL7MLI0xnD3aSyf7jtpOEV2B8_1-UJqfIPXZijhtgkqDePIB-a-s6YjwHrIj_nS2VmIse2DGR2wNbndj7lp-Jzz5sRBNH7RCtq-5_ur7UEMgzBptjohxsGhGxrNDzhXh9lrTUo0xy-Q8Qau_Ay3Oumtf0JnYK-8teekpfRyTDtU7m45TcMRxQ3GwMheV1TQ0UFp7VPPVKZLYAbBVwlujL82ZcgHu3iydhF027UJlQTuovwCWA15fIRcLJ685qdJ-Rh77-VTKeUN_DHtfwtD5HasR1jiUkLrxkvV–Awo1VBKQOyGpTopBPuXwIXr9nHRrFQEM6QlLuKf4INi4_hOaQXrhYape6VlS3ZbrkQc0G13ABYrPCq4qNXAOwzS7U7LppctOpNV3j6E3zCq3PGjvFrL38AaOtzfx5urG6VrWLK26V6tybT_QPWBw-1rZ1PYOBajRQC_R8xaQF5Jg&amp;amp;sig=Cg0ArKJSzKmo760vk-U8EAE&amp;amp;urlfix=1&amp;amp;rm_eid=2968131&amp;amp;adurl=http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/chromecast/tv/explore/&quot;><img src=&quot;https://s0.2mdn.net/ads/richmedia/studio/pv2/41343883/20160218081651125/images/backup.jpg&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; height=&quot;250&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /></a><img width=&quot;0px&quot; height=&quot;0px&quot; style=&quot;visibility:hidden&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;&quot; /><span id=”mce_marker” data-mce-type=”bookmark” data-mce-fragment=”1″></span>
We also made three salads with produce from a local farm stall. We made a great potato salad with a south German twist. There was also a Mediterranean salad with feta, pine nuts and roasted veg, and a Moroccan aubergine salad. All topped with some chive and mint dip, and fresh foccacia.
In case the kids didn’t go for the lobster, we laid on some cold roast beef from the local Tresco herd. As it turned out, they loved the lobster – but not as much as the chocolate “fort” cake complete with choccy-finger walls.
What did you talk about?
We have a big family, so we talked about babies and birthdays. We also covered food and island gossip: Tresco is a very, small, tight-knit community.
Barbecued lobsters with coriander and chilli butter
A big barbecue of lobster and crab…
Our lobster is sweet and succulent. It doesn’t need much dressing so I just soften some butter and mix in herbs.
Serves 2
1 fresh lobster, gutted
A handful of coriander, finely chopped
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Zest of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper
1 Make sure your barbecue has died down to hot coals. Chop your lobster in half lengthways. Remove all the gubbins in the head area and the digestive tract. Remove and crack the claws, then grill for about 5 minutes per side, until the shells are orange.
2 Barbecue the tails, flesh-side down, for 3-4 minutes. Mix the butter, herbs, chilli, garlic, lime zest and seasoning until it has become well combined.
3 Flip the lobsters over, dabbing on some blobs of the butter, and cook for further 3-4 minutes until the shells are good and orange.
German potato salad
This salad has long been in Astrid’s family and uses vinegar and oil rather than mayonnaise, and the spuds are marinated first for extra flavour. All the veg is fresh from the nearby Boro Farm. Whatever is seasonal is left there by the farmer on a roadside mini stall, and you just pop your money in an honesty box.
Serves 6
1kg new potatoes
500ml chicken stock
1 small onion
1 bunch chives, chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
For the dressing
6 tbsp oil (grape seed, sunflower or rape)
3 tbsp white wine vinegar (such as white balsamic)
Salt and black pepper
Mustard (optional)
1 Boil the potatoes in their skins, then refresh with cold water. Cool them, then peel and slice. Put in a mixing bowl.
2 Pour hot chicken stock over the potato slices, then leave them to marinate for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop the onion, herbs and cucumber and set aside.
3 Make the dressing by combining the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard (if using).
4 Drain the potatoes, add the sliced cucumber and the chopped herbs. Pour the dressing on top.
Chocolate ‘fort’ cake
Joseph eyes up the fort cake …
My little nephew Joseph ended up eating most of the chocolate-finger walls. It was the result of a cunning plan hatched by asking each adult if he could have a chocolate finger – with each of them indulging him, thinking that it was his first!
Makes 1 cake
225g plain flour
350g caster sugar
85g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
250ml milk
125ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate buttercream filling
110g butter, softened
170g icing sugar
55g cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp milk
For decorating
200g plain chocolate
200ml double cream
Chocolate fingers
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins.
2 Beat together all of the cake ingredients until smooth. Then add 250ml boiling water, a little at a time, until smooth once again. The mixture will now be quite runny.
3 Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until the top of the cakes are firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
4 Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache. Melt the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk the mixture until it is smooth and has thickened. Cool until thick enough to spread over the cake. This can take a couple of hours. Quicken this process by placing it in the fridge.
5 Now make the buttercream filling. Beat the butter until soft, either by hand or in an electric food mixer. Sift in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat until it has become smooth and it has lightened in colour. Add the milk and beat until creamy. Add more milk if you need to loosen the buttercream filling.
6 Leave the cakes to cool in their tins until before assembling. When ready, spread the buttercream over the top of one of the chocolate cakes and then place the other cake on top.
7 Using a palette knife, ice the cake all over with the chocolate ganache.
8 Finally, fortify the walls with chocolate fingers.
You can read it at the Guardian here.
davehall.me 
