WITH CONFIT FENNEL AND A BONE MARROW & CAVIAR SAUCE
FOOD + DRINK in THE KITCHEN WITH cont ...
DAVID ’ S WILD HALIBUT
WITH CONFIT FENNEL AND A BONE MARROW & CAVIAR SAUCE
Prep Time : 2 hours Cook Time : 30 minutes Serves : 4
Ingredients :
For the halibut :
• 4 x 200g halibut fillet , skinned
• Generous knob of butter
• Rosemary sprig
• Thyme sprig
• Salt and pepper , to taste
For the bone marrow sauce :
• 2 shallots , sliced
• 100ml Noilly Prat ( or another good vermouth )
• 600ml good quality fish stock ( making your own from wild white fish bones makes an enormous difference to the flavour )
• 200ml double cream
• 75g bone marrow ( ask your butcher for this )
• 1 tsp cod caviar ( or , if you ’ re feeling decadent , Beluga Royal caviar )
• Salt and pepper , to taste
For the confit fennel :
• 8 baby fennel , trimmed to the same length
• Duck fat ( enough to cover the fennel )
To serve :
• 600g wilted spinach , squeezed to remove excess water
• 12 nasturtium leaves for decoration
• Green herb oil to finish
Method :
For the bone marrow sauce : 1 . Warm a little rapeseed oil in a heavy-based pan and soften off the shallots without colour over a medium heat .
2 . When nice and soft , add the Noilly Prat / vermouth and reduce by two thirds .
3 . Add the stock and reduce by two thirds .
4 . Add the double cream and reduce down to a coating consistency ( over the back of a spoon is a good indicator ).
5 . Add the cold bone marrow and whisk into the sauce .
6 . Check for seasoning ( adding as needed ) and put to one side , keeping it warm .
For the halibut :
1 . Heat a frying pan until hot . Add a splash of rapeseed oil and a generous knob of butter . Get the butter to a foaming point ( good heat control will help not to burn the butter ) and add the fish . Season well with flaked salt and a crack of black pepper .
2 . Add the herbs to the fish and fry the fish on both sides until a lovely golden brown .
3 . When the fish is cooked , discard the herbs and place the cooked fish onto a tea towel to rest .
TOP TIP : While the fish is cooking , tip the pan towards you and spoon the hot butter over the frying fish to baste with flavour .
For the confit fennel :
1 . Lay the baby fennel in an ovenproof dish and cover in the warm duck fat . Make sure it ’ s all covered .
2 . Place some greaseproof paper over the fennel ( cut to the size of the dish - we call this a cartouche ).
3 . Place into the oven at 140 ° C and braise for 10 mins . Check to see if cooked by putting the tip of a knife into the thickest part of the bulb . It should be al dente .
4 . Let the fennel cool in the fat for a further 10 mins to the point where they are soft but not floppy .
To serve : 1 . Warm your plates .
2 . Divide the warm spinach into four equal round portions just off the centre of the plate .
3 . Neatly place the warm confit fennel to the side and over the spinach .
4 . Place the halibut with one edge on the spinach at an angle .
5 . Whisk the caviar into the hot sauce and pour onto the plate and a little over the fish ( don ’ t cover the fish as you want to show off the lovely golden colour ).
6 . Decorate with the nasturtium leaves and a tiny drizzle of green herb oil .
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