Crispy haddock doughnuts with lettuce and chilli oil sauce

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Pascal Aussignac serves up delightful canapés in the form of crispy smoked haddock 'doughnuts', made from a choux pastry base. The vibrant lettuce and chilli oil sauce is both cooling and delightfully spicy – the perfect snack for a dinner party.

First published in 2017

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Crispy smoked haddock doughnuts

  • 150g of smoked haddock
  • milk, for poaching the haddock
  • 50g of butter
  • 5g of sugar
  • 105g of bread flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 bunch of parsley leaves, chopped
  • 10g of chilli oil, along with a few of the flakes (use the oil only if you'd prefer a less spicy result)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • oil, for deep-frying

Lettuce and chilli oil sauce

  • 1/2 iceberg lettuce
  • 200g of spinach, washed, stalks removed
  • 20g of chilli oil, or more if you like it spicy!
  • 0.5g of xanthan gum, or 1 small pinch
  • salt

Equipment

  • Blender

Method

1
To make the batter for the smoked haddock doughnuts, lightly poach the fish in enough milk to cover until cooked through. Drain the fish, set aside and retain the milk. Flake the haddock into small pieces ready to use later
2
Make a choux paste by adding 120g of the poaching milk and the butter to a saucepan with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil
3
As soon as the mixture boils, turn off the heat and beat in 80g of the flour. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth, free of lumps and comes smoothly away from the side of the pan
  • 80g of bread flour
4
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then gradually beat into the flour mixture, a little at a time, ensuring each addition is incorporated before adding more
5
Once all the eggs are incorporated, the mixture should be smooth and shiny. At this point, beat in the remaining 25g of flour, smoked haddock, parsley and chilli oil until everything is incorporated. Set aside until ready to fry and serve
  • 25g of bread flour
  • 10g of chilli oil
  • 1/4 bunch of parsley leaves, chopped
6
To make the lettuce and chilli oil sauce, roughly chop the iceberg lettuce and spinach. Blanch in salted boiling water until the leaves are soft, but still retain their bright green colour
7
Drain and transfer to a blender with the chilli oil (without the flakes) and xanthan gum. Blend at a high speed, adding a little cooking liquid to balance the consistency. It should not be too thick, or too liquid
  • 0.5g of xanthan gum, or 1 small pinch
  • 20g of chilli oil, or more if you like it spicy!
8
Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a metal bowl set over an ice bath to cool quickly – this will help it to retain its vibrant colour
9
Preheat a deep pan of oil or deep-fryer to 170°C
  • oil, for deep-frying
10
Carefully drop generous teaspoons of the haddock choux mixture (each ball should weigh approximately 20–25g) into the hot oil – you may want to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan
11
Once a dark golden colour, drain on kitchen paper. Serve either on a platter with the lettuce and chilli oil sauce for dipping, or as a plated starter with a few salad leaves and a drizzle of the sauce
First published in 2017

Pascal Aussignac left France with business partner Vincent Labeyrie to champion 'la cuisine de Gascogne' at his restaurant, Club Gascon, in 1998.

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