Taste of the sea; Halibut with carrot puree

{images: from tricia foley's website}

... feels as if this week is positively whirling by and in the midst of projects and too many cupcakes and stunningly exciting plans, had nearly forgotten that the weekend is almost here and here I am dreaming of a beautiful sunny, relaxing time...

Ingredients

Jasmine Rice

1 cup jasmine rice, washed and rinsed
cook as per normal

Fish

10 x 160g halibut fillets 

1/2 tsp sage rub

a pinch of salt and pepper
Olive oil
40g butter, diced

Carrot Puree

1 cup butter 
3 carrots, coarsely grated

1/2 cup chicken stock

a pinch of salt

a pinch of white pepper

1/2 cup cream

Coconut-Lime Emulsion
1/3 cup dry white wine 
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1 stalk lemongrass, rough chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup butter, cubed
Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Method

1: For the carrot puree, 

melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add carrots, chicken stock and a generous pinch of salt. Stir mixture constantly until the carrot starts to soften. Cover with a lid and cook for about 6 minutes or until very soft. Transfer to a blender, add cream and puree until smooth.

2: Coconut Lime-Emulsion

In a medium pot, add the wine, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves (if using), and lemongrass. Set over high heat and reduce the liquid by half. Next, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper and just a touch of the sugar. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it isn’t, place the pot back over the heat and continue cooking down while whisking. If you find the sauce a little too sharp, adjust it with a bit more butter.

3: Halibut 

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the halibut withs age, salt and pepper. When the oil begins to ripple, place the halibut filets in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the filet halfway on this first side and get it to golden-brown. Flip the fish and put butter on the pan.

4: To Serve

 Using a dessert spoon – drag carrot puree across the plate to form a cross

Place a large spoonful of the rice over the carrots puree, Remove fish from the pan with a spatula, and place it on top of the rice. Spoon the coconut/lime emulsion over the fish.

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.

Taste of the sea; Gout de la Mer

... The lure of the Ocean is always intoxicating -- the salty air , the rise and the fall of crashing waves, seaglass, scallop shells and starfish, and magical sea aroma..

Ingredients

Gout de la Mer

2 tablespoons olive oil
40g unsalted butter

1 yellow onion quartered
3 cloves garlic, halved

1 big red shallot, quartered
2 long red chillis, chopped at an angle
8 king prawns, heads removed, peeled and butter flied  

1 tablespoon of white cooking wine

1 stick of celery, chopped
4 beef tomatoes quartered and roughly chopped 

500ml fish stock
2cm ginger halved
200g firm white fish fillet, cubed
8 mussels, washed and debearded
 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 

1 tablespoon of fish stock

1 teaspoon of palm sugar

1 tablespoons cream
½  lemon, cut into wedges

Method 

1. Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add garlic, shallot, onion, chillis and prawn heads and sweat until opaque. Stir in tomato, celery and white cooking wine. Pour in stock and bring to the boil. Remove prawn heads.
2. Pour in ginger, prawns, fish and mussels and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 3 - 5 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls, drizzle with cream and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with lemon to the side.