Brighton has many fine-dining restaurants specialising in seafood. Many of the Michelin Star restaurants are run by Michelin-starred chefs including Michael Bremner who owns 64 Degrees and Mur Mur restaurants. Michael Bremner takes flavours from all over the world and distils them into magnificent small dishes of deliciousness.
 
Here is a list of three exciting recipes that you can get inspired by the top chef Michael Bremner in Brighton and cook in your kitchen.
 

Lobster croquettes, charred lime, nori gomasio

Photo: Lobster croquettes, charred lime, nori gomasio, photo credit © greatbritishchefs.com

Cooking time is 3 hours.
 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 lobsters, each weighing 600-800g
• 1 sprig of tarragon
• 5 l water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lemon, halved
• 100 ml of olive oil
• 250 g of onion, diced
• 150 g of fennel, diced
• 150 g of celery, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 g of fennel seeds
• 5 g of coriander seeds
• 5 g of star anise
• 100 g of tomato paste
• 1 l white wine
• 175 ml of Pernod
• 175 ml of brandy
• 400 g of tinned plum tomatoes
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bashed
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 10 g of smoked paprika
• 250 g of butter
• 100 g of shallots, finely diced
• 250 g of flour
• 3 g of cayenne pepper
• 50 g of chopped parsley
• Pepper
• Salt
• 500 g of Panko breadcrumbs
• 500 g of flour, for dusting
• 4 eggs, whisked

 
Ingredients for the charred lime mayonnaise

• 2 limes
• 10 g of Chardonnay vinegar
• 2 eggs yolks
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 400 ml of light olive oil

 
Ingredients for seaweed gomasio

• 6 g of flaky sea salt
• 5 nori sheets
• 100 g of sesame seeds
• Oil for deep frying

 
 

Method:

 
Cooking Lobster
 
Add the killed lobsters into the boiling water for 4 minutes. Cook the lobsters in the boiling water in a large pan with the bay, lemon and tarragon.
 
Then remove the lobsters from the water and set aside till they are cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the lobsters and chop into 2cm chunks.
 
Prepare the shells for roasting by crushing them into small pieces. You can do this by wrapping the shells in a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin to crush lightly. After that pass the cooking liquid through a sieve and reserve to use for the lobster stock.
 
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
 
Add the shells to a large roasting tin with fennel, onion, leek, garlic, fennel seeds, celery, star anise, coriander seeds and olive oil. Then roast it for 15 minutes, stir in the tomato paste and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
 
Remove from the oven and deglaze the tray with the white wine. Transfer the mixture to a large pan and add Pernod and brandy. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the reserved lobster cooking liquid, lemongrass, saffron and the tinned plum tomatoes.
 
Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. When you remove from the heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes, pass through a sieve into a clean pan and reduce until you are left with around 1.5 l of liquid.
 
Making Croquettes
 
Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the shallots and cook it till soft without colour. Turn up the heat to medium, add the flour and cook for a few minutes then add the reduced lobster stock and whisk it until is smooth. Then spread it out on a tray and chill the fridge until firm. 
 
Sprinkle the lobster meat and parsley over the surface, season it then mix everything until evenly combined. Rolling the mixture into 30 g balls and put them on a large tray. Leave it in the fridge to firm up.
 
Once firm, coat the balls in the flour and dip them in the whisked eggs. Roll in the breadcrumbs until you have an even coating and return to the fridge.
 
 
Making charred lime mayonnaise
 
Remove the zest from both limes and cut it in half. Place cut-side down in a hot, dry pan till blackened and allow to cool.
 
Whisk the yolk, Dijon mustard and vinegar in a bowl, then squeeze in the charred lime juice. Then add the oil in a thin, steady stream while continuously whisking to make a mayonnaise. Season it and taste it when ready. Cover and store in the fridge till required.
 
Making the seaweed gomasio
 
Toast the nori and sesame seeds in a hot, dry pan until the seeds are golden. Grind together into a powder and add the salt. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
 
Once it’s ready to serve, pre-heat a deep-fryer or deep pan of oil to 180°C. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
 
When the mayonnaise and seaweed gomasio is ready, deep-fry the croquet in batches for approximately 3 minutes until golden. Allow the oil to come back to temperature before you fry the next batch. Then drain on kitchen paper and finish cooking in the oven for 2 minutes.
 
To serve it all together, add four dots of mayonnaise to each plate and place the croquette on top. Spoon more mayonnaise on the side and sprinkle the gomasio over the croquettes.
 

Oyster sauce-baked brill with sesame broccoli and miso chickpea puree

Photo:  
Oyster sauce-baked brill with sesame broccoli and miso chickpea puree, photo credit: © greatbritishchefs.com

Cooking time is 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking and 1-hour simmering are using dried chickpeas.
 

Ingredients

• 200 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, or use 500 g tinned chickpeas
• 50 ml of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
• 1 lemon, juice
• 15 g of white miso
• 300 g of purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
• 100 g of butter, room temperature
• 10O ml of white wine
• 1 brill, or other flatfish, around 1 – 1.5kg, skinned and head removed
• 4 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
• Sesame oil
• Salt
• 1 tbsp of chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp of chopped chervil

 

Method

 
Cover the dried chickpeas with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour until tender. Drain and reserve the chickpea cooking liquid. If you would like to use canned chickpeas, drain the chickpeas and reserve the juice from the tin.
 
In a frying pan set over medium heat, add the finely sliced garlic into the heated oil until it’s slightly golden.
 
Blend garlicky oil with the miso, lemon juice and chickpeas. Add a splash of reserved chickpea cooking liquid until you reach the desired consistency. Then pass through a sieve and reserve.
 
Preheat the oven to 180 °C/gas mark 4.
 
For preparing broccoli, bring a large pan of seasoned, boiling water to the boil and blanch the broccoli for 2 minutes. Then immediately remove and place into iced water to refresh.
 
Place the brill on a greased baking tray with the belly-side down. Spread the butter over the top in an even layer, pour the wine and lemon juice over the fish. Then bake for 8 minutes.
 
Remove the fish from the oven and brush the top of the fish with the oyster sauce. Baste the fish with the cooking liqueur in the tray and place back in the oven for 8 minutes.
 
Remove from the oven, baste again then cover with tin foil, leave to rest for 5 minutes.
 
While the fish is resting, warm the chickpea puree over medium heat.
 
Heat a dry frying pan over high heat and fry the broccoli until browned. Then toss it with a dash of sesame oil and the sesame seeds and seasoning to taste. 
 
Sprinkle the fish with chopped parsley and chervil. Then serve with a spoonful of the puree and broccoli on the side.
 

Gaon Crab Curry

Photo: Goan Crab Curry , photo credit: © greatbritishchefs.com

Cooking time is 60 minutes.
 

Ingredients

• 2 crabs, approximately 500 g each, left in the freezer for 30 minutes until 1 hour
• 70 g of salt
• 2 litres of water
• 1 pink grapefruit
• ½ cucumber
• 60 g of sugar
• 60 g of white wine vinegar
• 10 new potatoes, boiled and halved
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 packet of Goan curry sauce
• ½ bunch of coriander
• 100 ml of coconut milk
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

 

Method

 
Turn the dead crabs onto its back, lift the triangular flap on the base of the crab and push an oyster knife through the hole. Then turn the crab over and set aside for 2 minutes. If you would like to avoid this process, you can ask the fishmonger to make sure the crab on the day it is killed.
 
In a large saucepan bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the salt and allow to dissolve, then add both crabs. Cook for 8 minutes, then let it cool on the tray.
 
Break down the crabs by removing the claws. Pull hard to remove the body from the top to the shell. Then scoop all the brown meat out of the body into a bow. Cut the body, with the legs attached, into quarters, then use the back of a knife to crack the shell of the claws.
 
Peel and deseed the cucumber and slice on an angle to a 1 cm thickness. Lightly season with some salt. Then boil the 60 g of sugar, 60 g of white vinegar and 60 g of water together in a pan.
 
Dry the cucumber with some kitchen paper and place in a bowl. Pour the hot pickle liquor over the cucumbers, cover with cling film and reserve until needed. Peel and deseed grapefruit and set aside.
 
Warm a large saucepan over medium heat and add the dry spices from the spice packet. Add the coconut oil and the potatoes and stir together for 1-2 minutes. Then turn the heat up to medium-high and add the base sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
 
Add the main sauce and coconut milk and bring the curry to a boil. Then cook it on a gentle simmer, add in the cherry tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. After that add the pieces of crab body and the claws, cook for 3-5 minutes until the crab is warmed up. Finish the curry by stirring in the brown meat and some coriander.
 
Drain the pickle from the cucumber and mix with the grapefruit and some coriander. Serve the crab in the centre of the table with the pickled cucumber salad, with a few lime wedges.