Full of pure, clean flavours, this cod recipe from Stuart Collins is an absolute treat. The steamed fillets are dusted with nori and topped with honeyed turnips and crunchy puffed rice, before being surrounded with a moat of wasabi-flavoured crème fraîche sauce.
To prepare the turnips, add the white wine vinegar, honey, five spice, salt and peppercorns to a pan along with 500ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the turnips to the pan and continue to simmer until they’re tender (this could take up to 45 minutes, depending on the size of your turnips)
Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a small pan to come up at least 4cm high and heat to 200°C. Carefully tip in the rice, then cook for a few minutes until puffed up and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and set aside
Once the turnips are tender, remove the pan from the heat and leave the turnips to cool in the liquid. Meanwhile, season the cod fillets with sea salt and set aside for 10 minutes to firm up
To make the crème fraiche and wasabi sauce, combine all the ingredients in a pan, along with 75g of the cooking liquid from the turnips. Place over a gentle heat to warm though, stirring occasionally
Set up a large steamer over a pan of simmering water. Once the cod has been salted for 10 minutes, transfer to the steamer and cook for 5-6 minutes
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Lift the turnips out of their liquid and slice into small discs, ready for plating
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Once the cod fillets are cooked, dust the top of them with nori powder and place them in the centre of shallow bowls. Top each piece of fish with a few turnip discs, popped rice and herbs. Pour the sauce around the fish and finish with a few drops of lemon oil
After working with the likes of Gary Rhodes, Michael Caines and Gordon Ramsay, Stuart Collins set out on his own to open Docket No. 33, a small but perfectly formed restaurant in the beautiful town of Whitchurch in Shropshire.
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