By 
The challenge: Can you produce five dishes – including seafood – for under Dh500?
Trevor MacLeod is a Canadian Executive chef at Fairmont. The Palm, who has worked across the UAE, China and the Philippines including Fairmont properties in Vancouver, Abu Dhabi and China.
Seagrill’s Crab Cake
Serves 2
1 tin lump crab meat
1 shallot, finely chopped
50g chives, finely chopped
30g parsley, finely chopped
50-75g Belgian mayonnaise
2 lemons, zested
1 lemon, juiced
30g bread crumb
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
1) Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and season to taste, make sure the mix sticks together but isn’t too dry, otherwise you will dilute the flavor of the crab. 2) Once mix is well incorporated, form in a ring cutter, pushing down gently. Then sear on medium heat in a frying pan with a little oil. 3) This crab cake is meant to be served warm and not hot. Internal temperature of 45°C is perfect.
Seagrill’s seafood risotto
Serves 2
200g arborio rice
50g chopped white onions
600ml vegetable stock
Finishing Ingredients:
150g prawns
25g clam meat
150g scallops
400ml of vegetable stock
10g lemon zest
10ml lemon juice
50g butter
50g mascarpone cheese
5g chopped chives
20g chopped shallots
10g chopped garlic
2g salt/pepper
50g parmesan cheese
1) Sauté white onion until pieces sweat then add arborio rice, stirring constantly. Add stock 100 ml by 100ml, slowly until the starch starts to come out. Cool it down. 2) Sauté shallots and chopped garlic in a little olive oil. Once translucent, add the pre-cooked rice and start adding 100ml by 100ml of stock, slowly. 3) Add the seafood and adjust add the seasoning, and then add mascarpone cheese. 4) Check the seasoning and turn off the flame, add butter, parmesan and chopped chives. 5) To sear the scallops to medium, sear from one side until nice golden brown colour, flip them and let it be in the pan for a minute. 6) Garnish with some chives and the seared scallops
Chicken wings
Serves 2
150g tomato ketchup
75g oyster sauce
75g plum sauce
100 ml A1 sauce
100 ml Lea & Perrins
125g sugar
250ml sriracha sauce
120ml light soya sauce
1 kg chicken wings
potato starch
1) Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce and taste the seasoning, then marinate the chicken with salt, pepper and potato starch. 2) Deep fry the chicken and toss with the sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onions.
LITTLE MISS INDIA’S LAMB BIRYANI
Serves 5
500g basmati rice
200g lamb cube
50g ginger garlic paste
250g yoghurt
75g lemon
5g turmeric
50g salt
5g garam masala
10g green chillies
2g saffron
10g mint
5g cardamom powder
250g ghee
30g green cardamom
250g cinnamon
10g bay leaf
30g mace
50ml oil
50 deghi mirch
25g fried onion
50g coriander leavesd
1) Wash and soak the rice for 20-40 minutes. 2) Boil the rice with some salt, whole spices and oil. 3) Marinate the chicken for two-three hours with ginger garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric, deghi mirch powder, yoghurt, salt, garam masala powder, green cardamom powder, mace powder, chopped coriander, chopped mint, lemon juice, half the ghee and fried onions. Put the chicken on the hot plate next to boiling rice.
4) When rice is done for five minutes put the first layer on the vegetables. Spread them evenly. 5) Put the second a final layer of the rice after another two minutes. 6) Put chopped coriander mint, rest of ghee, saffron water on the top and put for dum (or cover with foil or a pastry) for 20 minutes.
Chocolate fondant
Serves 2
100g butter
100g dark belgian chocolate
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
50g sugar
30g flour
1) Just melt the butter and the chocolate, but be careful to not overheat the chocolate. 2) Mix the eggs, yolks and sugar. 3) Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs. 4) Add the flour slowly and mix. 5) Pour the mixture in oven-safe ramekins. 6) Bake in the oven at 200°C for eight minutes.