Pan seared blue cod with Pernod cream, lemon zest infused mash, garlic fennel and roast cherry tomatoes
Fiona Read, 39 years old, Kaikoura
MasterChef New Zealand: Pan seared blue cod with Pernod cream,
lemon zest infused mash, garlic fennel and roast cherry
tomatoes
Mash
4 Agria potatoes, peeled, diced
250mls Anchor cream
1 lemon, zest
1 garlic clove, crushed
ground white pepper
Fennel
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, reserve fronds
40g Mainland butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 whole nutmeg
20g Mainland parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
6 cherry tomatoes
300mls Campbells fish stock
20g Mainland butter
100mls pernod
Sprig of lemon thyme
125mls Anchor cream
1 Tbs finely chopped chives
1 Tbs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
4 fillets blue cod
20g Mainland butter
2 Tbs grape seed oil
Chervil leaves, to serve
Maldon sea salt
1 For the mash, place the potato in a saucepan and just cover
with water, place over a high heat bring to boil then lower heat
and simmer until tender. Drain and return to saucepan, place over
low heat to steam any remaining moisture from potatoes. Using a
potato ricer mash potatoes. Place Anchor cream, lemon zest and
garlic in a saucepan, place over a medium heat, simmer for 3-5
minutes, remove garlic. Add some of cream mixture to the potatoes
and using a wooden spoon, whip the potatoes, add more cream and
whip to a firm but creamy consistency. Season with freshly ground
white pepper and salt. Set aside.
2 For the garlic fennel, Pre heat the oven to 240 C.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, reduce to a simmer,
place the fennel into the water and cook for 6-10 minutes or until
the fennel is just cooked, drain well. Place into an ovenproof
dish. Place Mainland butter and garlic in a small saucepan, place
over a low heat and allow to slowly infuse, careful not to let the
garlic colour. Pour the mixture over the fennel, grate over nutmeg
then Mainland parmesan. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes; make
sure the garlic doesn't burn.
Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven proof dish, drizzle with olive
oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 6-8
minutes until soft but still holding their shape.
3 Place the fish stock in a saucepan, place over a medium-high heat
and allow to boil and reduce by half. Add the Mainland butter and
stir until melted, pour in the pernod, set alight to burn off the
alcohol, reduce heat and add the Anchor cream and lemon thyme,
simmer until the sauce thickens, remove the thyme sprig. Stir in
the finely sliced fennel tops, chives, parsley just before
serving.
4 Place the flour in a shallow dish, season generously with salt
and pepper. Pat dry the fish fillets, lightly coat in flour, dust
of excess. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add the Mainland
butter with the grape seed oil, when the butter has finished
foaming and is almost brown, cook the fillets skin side down for
2-3 minutes or until golden, turn and cook a further few minutes
until cooked.
5 Spoon the mash into the centre of a serving plate, top with a
fish fillet, spoon the sauce over the fish and around the plate
with tomatoes and fennel to the side. Top with chervil leaves to
serve.
Please note - This recipe is untested in the MasterChef kitchen.
