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Whole Sea Bass steamed with a Rainbow side salad

May 1, 2015 by manjirichitnis 16 Comments

A delicious and healthy steamed fish recipe perfect for stay in #FishFriday night dinner or a lovely brunch on a lazy afternoon. The accompanying salad is colourful and full of fresh veggies that’s why I choose to call it a Rainbow Salad.

Whole Sea Bass Steamed

Print Recipe
Course Main Course
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Large Sea Bass scaled andgutted
  • 1 Large Lemon
  • 2 sprigs Rosemary
  • 2 sprigs Thyme
  • 2 tsp Chives
  • Garlic sea salt as per taste
  • Red Chilli powder as per taste
  • 4 small 2 small carrotsper person
  • Handful of Green Peas pe person

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat theoven to 200 °C
  • Wash the fish and place on the foil
  • Stuff the lemon wedges inside the fish along with the Chives, rosemary and thyme
  • Sprinkle generously with sea salt, red chilli powder and a drizzle of olive oil
  • Wrap the fish in the foil parcel and cook in the oven until it has cooked through, should take about20-25 minutes
  • Steam the veggies in a steamer
Whole Sea Bass

Rainbow Salad

Print Recipe
Course Salad
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 fresh Pepper (capsicum)
  • 1 small Red Onion
  • 1/2 Courgette
  • 1 Tomato
  • 1 tbsp Red wine Vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • Freshly cracked Black Pepper as per taste
  • Sea salt as per taste
  • Olive Oil – Generous amounts

Instructions
 

  • Chop all the vegetables into tiny bite sized cubes
  • Place chopped veggies in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil and add the red wine vinegar
  • Season well with sea salt and add a generous sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper
  • Mix well
Beautiful whole Sea Bass seasoned

To Serve

  • Plate a portion of the fish and serve the steamed carrots and peas on the side.
  • Serve a generous helping of the crunchy veggies salad.
Whole steamed sea bass with a Rainbow salad

Here is another recipe to try if you are cooking sea bass:

  • Fennel and Pancetta Baked Sea Bass from Anne’s Kitchen

Filed Under: Food, Recipe Index, seafood Tagged With: carrots green peas, Chives, courgettes, Freshly cracked black pepper, garlic sea salt, lemon, olive oil, parsley, pepper, recipe developer, recipe development, red chilli powder, red onion, red wine vinegar, rosemary, Thyme, tomato, travels for taste, travels for taste is a food and travel blog based in London, travels for taste recipe development

Dinner at the Tower Guoman, London – a Review

July 18, 2014 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

On the day of the Mens Singles Final when Djokovic won  the match against Roger Federer ,I had an invite to go dine with a few fellow bloggers at The Brasserie at the Tower Guoman. I must admit the match was so engaging that I was glued to the tv and only in the game that I was just to nervous to watch so I dragged myself out and kept pestering a dear friend of mine in whatsapp till she gave me updates of almost every move on the court …. I was hoping that Djokovic would win and also hoping that the match would end before I hopped onto the tube and lost network… Lets just say that all invisible divine forces were with Djokovic ( and me )that day coupled with his awesome performance, just as I was about to get into the tube… there it was..,… message I was hoping to see on whatsapp…. ‘He won’… which led to a very comical impromptu gig on the staircase by me watched by bemused passers by…heck a good win deserves a dance ..at least ! Bonus points to all those who also watched this match to oogle at Boris Becker …teehee

After that I needed a refreshing drink and just as I was settling in the beautiful area  just outside the Guoman, an open air bar  and siping my cocktail gazing up the Tower Bridge was perfect. Chilled Prosecco, Cocktails and Mocktails flowed while we chatted up with the manager who also had dinner with us later .Meeting my friends after Food Blogger Connect was fun and camera lens choices, food photography ,the Wimbledon final results and the stunning view dominated our conversation. Before long the rain decided to play spoil sport and we were ushered inside to our huge table at The Brasserie.

I took the seat the far end of the end but the view from any where inside is just as brilliant , it’s the first time I was so close to the Tower Bridge and you can be guaranteed you will have the best seats in town at The Brasserie with superb views of Butlers wharf thrown in.

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The table was neatly laid out with our special menu for the evening there and fresh bread , warm and just out of the oven with 3 different dips arrived.

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Our rustic bread selection with truffle oil and olive oil.

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To go with our Rustic Bread selection we had the smoked paprika dip – the bright orange one and my fav of the 3, one with chives in the middle and a plain one which I found a tad too salty.

I choose to have the Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart to start off my meal with – it sounded very appetising – Tomato olive salsa,balsamic reduction,pine nut,sekura cress – hummm yes please.

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The thin crisp  pastry base was not one bit soggy or eggy, the grilled Manchego cheese ( a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed) tasted great in combination with summery veggies like asparagus and grilled peppers and the salsa was very good ,I loved the taste of the olives and hints of fennel, the cress made the whole dish so fresh not just to look at but to taste too.

The Head chef Kamaldeep Singh (left) and his colleague decided to take us through the process of how the new menu was created , the origin of ingredients and basically make us hungry for more!

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Madeleine seated next to me choose the other option as her first course :Peppercorn Cured Beef Carpaccio – Manchego cheese , home cured tomatoes,charred artichokes,mizuna and micro cress. I was avoiding red meat that so was very happy to photograph her dish and ask how it tasted but equally satisfied with my light tart.

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The carpaccio was hammered thin and artichokes placed over – it looked great. Very happy with my first course, I expected the second course to deliver and impress me a bit more. Must say my Pan-Fried Fillet of Sea Bass served with diver scallop,caper crushed potatoes, mixed bean salsa, and the sauce did not fail to do so. It looked amazing and I had to photograph it from various angles – oh you know how obsessive we food bloggers are about getting the perfect photo!

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But  this was simply delicious and worthy of praise for more reasons than one – made using farmed sea bass responsibly sourced scallops, a lighter than most sauces that usually accompany a fish main the scallop sat one a delicious pea puree and cream base.

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The mixed bean salsa tasted great with the morish caper crushed potato, the cress balancing off the dish in a subtle way.Nayna my vegetarian food blogger friend chose to have the Spinach and Ricotta Raviolli made with heirloom tomato salsa and served with freshly made basil cream sauce.Our first wine of the evening accompanied the first course , Vidal sauvignon blanc from New Zealand , aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit and guava lead into a palate that exudes tropical and passion fruit flavours.

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After that very satisfying sea food dish ,we moved onto the next course , I stayed away from red meat again and the Garden pea,mint and pecorino cheese risotto was fabulous for me , I love my rice and many a times I really need some to complete my meal and make it me feel full, maybe a psychological thing but coming from the coastal side of western India ,fish curry and rice is our most staple everyday far.One of the staff members asked me where I was from and when I said Mumbai, pat came the next question which I was sort of expecting – was the sea bass as good as the Pomfret, well no! For me pomfret is the king of  all fishes on this planet – but its a matter of what taste one has grown up with and our method of cooking is also so very different. But yes Sea Bass , Salmon and Basa are my favorite buys,best eaten fresh on the day of purchase ,hate frozen fish,tastes muddy and weird in curries especially.

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The  pecorino cheese added a subtle tangy taste to this very morish and filling risotto, its easy to get this dish so wrong because often the seemingly easier to make dishes are the toughest to produce to perfection . I am a great fan of the risotto that my elder sister hubby makes , he is a trained chef but now a very busy and senior marketing head honcho so it’s very rarely that we meet and even more rarely that I get to eat the risotto he makes. Ah sweet nostalgic family moments, only truly good food can bring on such an attack for me.. 🙂

By now the light had really faded and my risotto photo and all that follow look terrible!

I must admit Madeleine was very kind and allowed me to have a taste of burnt celeriac which I loved with some of the calvados sauce I scooped it off her plate with from her Confit of Gloucestershire Pork Belly. She enjoyed  my cheesy risotto too.

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The 14 hour low heat cooked pork belly looked so very appetising, the burnt celeriac adding to the earthiness of this dish,the cinnamon compliments the pork  and the savoy cabbage and compressed apple give it a tart almost tangy twist on the side. This was washed down with several glasses of a full bodied Chilean Merlot – Errazuriz , almost opulent with notes of berry and cassis fruit.

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It’s at this point that I slipped into blissful food coma and saw this beautiful rainbow emerge right in front of my eyes… the photo does no justice to the what we actually saw…

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That is us at the table – L- R – Bintu who blogs at Recipes from a pantry, Nicki who blogs at Baking Beardy, seated opposite her is Fiona who writes an award-winning blog – London Unattached, Nayna – who blogs at  Simply Sensational Food, and the lovely Madeline who blogs at Kitchen Journeys and documents heart-healthy recipes at From the Healthy Heart.

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Was too full by now and the dessert platter served with a large shot of margarita in shot glass lined by sugar , managed to cut the sweet taste that was bound to settle on the palate after cheesecake ,a panna cotta that failed to impress because I was expecting the usual wobble and a refreshing pista flavoured ice cream  – my fav from the selection.

As we strolled out for an impromptu photo session and gazed happily at the beautiful Tower Bridge,I couldn’t help but wonder that though the exterior of  the Tower Guoman leaves one wanting the view of two world Heritage Sites – Tower Bridge and the Tower of London certainly makes up for it!A massive refurbishment project is on the cards too.A few more plus points include a convenient location within easy reach of the financial district, Canary Wharf, the Excel Centre, London City Airport, historic Greenwich, the West End and Westfield Shopping Centre. Also the newly launched menu at The Brasserie definitely warrants a visit. The menu is bold and one where the chefs have really gone the extra mile to hope that if they try ambitiously to achieve the Zero Mile Ingredient mark and grow their own herbs fresh on the terrace garden which is to come alive very soon!

The staff was very polite, genuinely attentive and ensured we had a great evening.

*With  thanks to The Tower Guoman for the invitation. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review . All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: 2014, a guide to eating out in London, aromas, asparagus, balsamic reduction, Basa, basil cream sauce, Bombay, Boris Becker, burnt celeriac, Butlers wharf, Canary Wharf, caper crushed potatoes, cassis fruit, charred artichokes, cheesecake, Chile, Chilled Prosecco, Chives, cinnamon, coastal cuisine, Cocktails and Mocktails, compliments, compressed apple, Confit of Gloucestershire Pork Belly, cook, cress, delicious, dessert platter, dine, dinner, dish, diver scallop, Djokovic, earthiness, eat, eating out in London, Errazuriz, fish curry, flavours, food blog, food blogger, food blogger connect, food writer, foodie in London, freshly made, full bodied, Garden pea, gooseberry, grilled peppers, Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart, guava, heirloom tomato salsa, hints of fennel, historic Greenwich, home cured tomatoes, India, July, konkan, La Mancha, Lawn Tennis, lifestyle blogger, light tart, London City Airport, Maharahstrian cuisine, maharashtra, manchega breed, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Kulkarni, Marathi, margarita, Mens Singles Final, Merlot, micro cress, milk of sheep, mint and pecorino cheese risotto, mixed bean salsa, mizuna, Mumbai, New Zealand, notes of berry, olive oil, Pan-Fried Fillet of Sea Bass, panna cotta. two world Heritage Sites, passion fruit, passionfruit, Peppercorn Cured Beef Carpaccio, pine nut, plain, pomfret, Pompfret, refreshing pista flavoured ice cream, reviews from travelsfortaste blog, rice, Roger Federer, rustic bread, salmon, sauce vierge, savoy cabbage, Sea Bass, sekura cress, slice of my life, sliceoffme, sliceoffme eats London, sliceoffme recipes, smoked paprika dip, Spain, Spinach and Ricotta Raviolli, Sunday evening, tangy twist, tart, The Brasserie at the Tower Guoman, the Excel Centre, the financial district, the Tower of London, the West End, thin crisp pastry base, Tomato olive salsa, Tower Bridge, travel blogger, travel writer, travelsfortaste, tropical, Vidal sauvignon blanc, Westfield Shopping Centre, wine, with truffle oil

Healthy Baked White Fish with a mint and spice dressing

January 13, 2014 by manjirichitnis 26 Comments

Ladies this one is to be bookmarked and is perfect for any day when you want to treat  your taste buds and yet not load on the calories.

Serves:2  Prep Time:5 Minutes Marination time :20 minutes In the Oven: 15 – 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • Fry Lite or olive oil 4 tsp
  • 2 thick white fish fillets – I use Haddock
  • 2 tbsp mint and coriander dressing
  • 2 heaped tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tsp red chilli  powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • Handful of finely chopped spring onion
  • Handful of chives finely chopped
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to garnish
  • sea salt for garnish
  • 1/2 lemon juice for garnish

Method:

  • Wash the fillets and place on a large dish to apply the marinade.
  • Sprinkle the red chilli powder, turmeric,coriander,cumin,salt and along with the ginger garlic paste and mint and coriander dressing mix well and totally coat the fish.
  • Marinate the fish for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to seep in and develop.
  • In a baking tray use just 4 sprays of fry lite and spread evenly across the tray, add the chopped spring onion and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Place the marinated fish on this and sprinkle the finely chopped chives on the top.

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  • Pre heat the oven to 200°C and bake for 15- 20 minutes.
  • Garnish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
  • Serve with a side of salad leaves and cherry tomatoes and a soft crusty baguette.

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I know the photographs here look terrible but honestly by the time I got the fish ready on Sunday it was almost 3pm, had a lazy start to the day and by then the light was gone so even after cleaning up the image it is quite sorry looking and is no way doing justice to this awesome dish! I do hope that I can get better pictures next time!

I do hope you enjoy this recipe and share your thoughts if you make it! Cheers!

Just in the nick of time, I have entered this original recipe creation in the #Cookingwithherbs challenge by Karen Burns-Booth on her blog Lavender and Lovage. The theme for January 2014 is citrusy and herbs, this fish definitely has it all and a citrusy bang! I wonder why I haven’t entered this challenge in the past, most of the dishes use so many herbs especially lime, oh well, here’s to a fresh start!


Cooking with Herbs

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index, seafood Tagged With: baked haddock recipe, Chives, coriander, easy recipe, eat well, fillets, freshly cracked, great on taste, jeera, kill calories, low calorie fish recipe, mint, one of your 5 a day, oven, pepper, quick to make, salt, spring onion, stay healthy, super foods, white fish baked recipes

Smoky Chorizo and Chives baked Eggs in Pots

January 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

Of all the crazy boxing day sale shopping I am most happy with what I found for my kitchen (of course!). Amongst a few things the best buys are a massive Denby cast iron crock pot which doubles up as a slow cooker and I plan to use it real carefully,maybe even pass it down as a family heirloom, and then there are the beautifully dark burnt orange mini cocotte from Le Creuset. I couldn’t think of a better way to inaugurate the cute mini cocottes than by making baked eggs.

I created this recipe for Baked eggs and decided to give it a twist with laying a base of wafer thin potatoes, they give this dish a whole new dimension and are like a secret surprise at the bottom of this miniature stockpot of goodness!

Smoky Chorizo and chives Baked Eggs in pots

Manjiri Chitnis
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 5 Eggs
  • 2 large tsp Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 Red Onion finely chopped
  • 4 Spicy Chorizo Sausages chopped
  • 5 – 6 Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
  • 1/4 Potato thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • A small bunch of chives finely chopped
  • Coriander to season
  • Sea Salt
  • Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the cream cheese, finely chopped chives,the chopped mushrooms, finely chopped coriander, sea salt and red chilli flakes
  • In a saucepan add the oil and sautee the red onion till they go soft and juicy and then add the chopped sausages, and cook on a low flame for not more than 2 minutes
  • Grease the mini cocottes and place the potato slices at the bottom, add the red onion and sausage mixture and then pour the egg mixture on them
  • Pre-heat the oven to 220° C and place the mini cocottes on a tray, bake for the first 10 minutes withlid  and then wait for 5 minutes then open the oven and bake again for 15 minutes without lid
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It’s super to watch the egg puff up and form the most perfect brown crusty top.I spent so much time getting the setting right that they collapsed by then – gaaaahhh! but still I am so happy with the results of this taste experiment!Serve with hot buttered toast and a large pot of English Breakfast tea.

This  is the perfect indulgent breakfast for a Sunday morning, you could prepare the pots at night if you want to make them in large batches for a big weekend  brunch.Simply cover and store in the fridge with lids on.

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Mind you these may look like tiny pots but one of these and you feel stuffed!!

WHY NOT TRY MY OTHER RECIPES WITH EGGS AS THE STAR INGREDIENT?

  • Sausage-loaded omelette – Basic Omelette recipe
  • Soft-boiled eggs and asparagus soldiers
  • Masala egg curry, a recipe famous on the street-food stall in Mumbai
  • Turkish Poached eggs
  • Indian Masala egg omelette
  • Egg based Team-Time Treats – compilation of recipes
I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Behind the scenes at an Egg Farm

Filed Under: Food, Quick and Easy, Recipe Index Tagged With: baked eggs in pots, butter, chestnut mushrooms, Chives, chopped mushrooms, cooked breakfast, cream cheese, Crispy Potato, eggs bakes, finely chopped red onion, hot buttered toast, olive oil, original recipe idea, pot of tea, red chilli powder, sea salt

Prawn and Samphire in butter and chives

June 15, 2013 by manjirichitnis 5 Comments

I first came upon this delightfull crunchy and salty coastal plant –Samphire -when I went into a tiny  shop which sells some amazing fresh sea food on Marylebone Street on my way to the Daunt Book store ( click on the hyperlink to read that blog post)

I found it a supermarket aisle and had to bring it home! I had a few prawns remaining and it was a great way to use them and create a side dish which is no fuss and really quick.

Simply saute the Samphire on a pan when it’s not very hot on a low flame in butter, then add another dollop and saute the prawns add a tiny bit of salt and sprinkle with Chives, Serve by squeezing some lime to add a zing, easy and quick isn’t it? Just what one needs to create good tasty meals without the fuss !

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Filed Under: Food, Recipe Index, seafood Tagged With: butter, Chives, Daunt Book store, easy side dish recipe, eat well, fresh food, Indian Food Blogger, london, Marylebone, prawns, quick recipes, Samphire, sea food, Sides in 5 minutes and lesser, sliceoffme

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