An English Meal

Cod Meal

Ingredients:

2 x 120 g Cod Fillet, Skin on

2 Cleaned Cod Cheeks

Brandade:

50 g Cod Fillet or trimmings

5 g Sea Salt

1 clove of garlic

150 ml Milk

75 g mashed potato

10 ml Olive oil

25 ml Cream

Sauce:

1 shallot

30 ml white wine

120 ml Fish Stock

40 ml Cream

75 gr Flat leaf parsley

Garnish:

120 g Vegetables in season (asparagus, sprouting broccoli, leeks, courgettes, peas etc.)

30 g Samphire, picked and washed

10 g unsalted butter

Preparation:

· Salt the cod trimmings for the Brandade with sea salt and leave over night

· Trim the cod fillets and season with salt

· Season the cod cheeks, dip in flour then beaten egg and finally "Panko" breadcrumbs

· Make the Brandade; rinse the salted cod then place in a pan with a peeled clove of garlic, cover with the milk using water to top up if necessary, poach the cod gently until cooked, lift from the milk and place in a food processor with the garlic clove and mashed potato, blend to form a smooth paste, add the olive oil and cream and use the cooking milk to adjust the texture, season and pass through a fine sieve – keep warm

· Make the sauce; slice the shallot and sweat gently in a little butter without color, when soft add the white wine and reduce by half then add the cream and reduce until a good sauce consistency is achieved then pass and reserve. Pick, wash and blanch the parsley leaves the liquidise to form a smooth puree, pass through a sieve (add the stalks to the sauce as it is cooking)

· Prepare the vegetables and cut into small pieces, blanch in boiling water, add the Samphire for the last 30 seconds of cooking then toss in a little butter and drain.

· Pat the cod fillets dry then fry gently in olive oil on the flesh side until golden brown, turn them over and continue to cook on the skin side until just slightly under done. Remove from the pan and rest on a tray for 1 minute then carefully remove the skin by peeling back, flash in a hot oven to finish cooking

· Deep fry the Cod cheeks for 3 minutes in hot oil (180c) then remove and drain on paper towel

· Assemble the dish; place a spoonful of Brandade on serving plates and drag across, place the cod cheeks on the Brandade followed by the vegetables and Samphire. Sit the cod fillets on top of the vegetables, with the golden flesh facing up. Whisk the parsley puree into the sauce base and spoon around plates.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Chef Wayne Thomson of No. 9 Church Street Restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.