Sunday Afternoon Food; Tea Crusted Cream Snapper with Tea Scented Consomme

{images: photography by patrick demarchelier}

. . . relaxing sunday morning and the golden april sun has filled the air with a million possibilities and it is in these quiet moments, between sleep and awake, that dreams and thoughts intermingle  . . .

Ingredients

To Clarify the Stock 
2 litres cold chicken stock

1 onion, quartered

1 red onion, quartered

1 stalk of celery, chopped to 4 parts.
1kg chicken mince
5 egg whites

To Cook
4 pieces of daikon about 6cm long, cut into batons 
5 cream snapper fillets, portioned into small pieces 
chinese tea leaf blended with a pinch of cracked blackpeppercorn, a pinch of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of palm sugar

Olive oil for pan frying

Clarified stock  consommé
2 chinese tea leaf bags 
(I used Pu Er but feel free to substitute with your favourite tea)

4 shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

Method

To Clarify the Stock
1. Combine chicken mince and egg whites in a bowl. 
2. Add the mixture and stock ingredients to the chicken stock, put onto low heat and slowly bring up to a simmer – the mixture will form a solid layer on top of the stock as the protein from the egg sets. This takes out any impurities from the stock. Simmer for half an hour then strain through muslin-lined colander into another stock pan. 

To Cook

1. Poach daikon in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender but still has a crunch. Drain. Transfer to a dish and cover to keep warm.
2. Dip the fish pieces, skin-side down into the ground tea mixture.
3. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and cook three pieces of fish, skin-side down, turning for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a tray. Repeat with remaining fish. Cover to keep warm.

To Serve
poached daikon
extra virgin olive oil
cooked flathead pieces
picked chervil sprigs (or thyme)

1. Re-heat the clarified stock and add tea bags. Steep for 1-2 minutes and using a kitchen spoon, remove tea bags from consommé.
2. Spoon some of the daikon among serving plates and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Spoon some of the tea consomme, Add 2 pieces of fish and topped with sprigs of chervil.