Rockpool of local seafood with sea vegetables, ginger and shellfish consommé

Name: Rockpool of local seafood with sea vegetables, ginger and shellfish consommé
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 6 carrots, thinly sliced; 1/2 onion, diced; 1 fennel, diced; 1/2 leek, diced; 1 celery stick, diced; 1/2 garlic bulb; 1kg langoustine heads; 1kg lobster heads; 500g of crab shell; 1 orange, peeled and juiced; 5 green cardamom pods; 20g of fennel seeds; 100g of ginger, chopped; 3 star anise; 100ml of brandy; 2l water; 2 tbsp of tomato purée; vegetable oil; 3 lemons, juiced; 3 bay leaves; 6 white peppercorns; 6 black peppercorns; salt; 1 small octopus; olive oil; 1 shallot; 1 tbsp of chopped parsley; 50ml of white wine; 4 squat lobsters, broken down into tails and heads; 50g of cooked crab

by Tom Kitchin

Item 1 of 1

Starter
medium
4
2 hours 45 minutes

If you're looking for a foolproof recipe for a shellfish consommé, you've come to the right place – Tom Kitchin's recipe requires a bit of an investment time-wise, but the result is a crystal clear consommé that's packed with an incredible flavour. Tom serves his consommé with a 'rockpool' of fresh crab, oysters, mussels, clams, shrimp and more, designed to represent the coasts of Scotland.

First published in 2020

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Shellfish consommé

6 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 fennel, diced
1/2 leek, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1/2 garlic bulb
1kg langoustine heads
1kg lobster heads
500g of crab shell
1 orange, peeled and juiced
5 green cardamom pods
20g of fennel seeds
100g of ginger, chopped
3 star anise
100ml of brandy
2l water
2 tbsp of tomato purée
vegetable oil

Octopus

Rockpool

olive oil
1 shallot
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
50ml of white wine
4 squat lobsters, broken down into tails and heads
50g of cooked crab
4 oysters
2 razor clams
8 mussels
8 surf clams
50g of squid
40g of brown shrimp
20g of caviar
60g of samphire
20g of seaweed, dulse or other local seaweed

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Method

Start by cooking the octopus. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the lemon juice, bay leaves and black and white peppercorns. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and braise the octopus for around 2.5 hours. The octopus is done when you can insert a skewer into the thickest part of the tentacle with no resistance

While the octopus cooks, make the shellfish stock. Preheat an oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Toss the langoustine, lobster and crab shells with a splash of oil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes

1kg langoustine heads
1kg lobster heads
500g of crab shell
vegetable oil

Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Sweat the carrots slowly until the oil turns orange in colour, then add the orange peel, orange juice, cardamom pods, fennel seeds, ginger and star anise. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant

6 carrots, thinly sliced
1 orange, peeled and juiced
5 green cardamom pods
20g of fennel seeds
3 star anise
100g of ginger, chopped

Add the onion, fennel, leek, celery and garlic along with the roasted shells, then add the tomato purée and brandy. Simmer and reduce the brandy until the liquid evaporates and the mixture is almost dry

100ml of brandy
1/2 onion, diced
1 fennel, diced
1/2 leek, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1/2 garlic bulb
2 tbsp of tomato purée

Add the water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 1 hour, skimming when required

2l water

Once cooked, leave the consommé to cool then strain through a muslin cloth. You can reduce it further at this point if you want to make the flavour more intense

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan (with a lid) over a medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Add the mussels, razor clams and surf clams, then add the shallots, parsley and white wine and cover immediately

8 mussels
1 shallot
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
50ml of white wine
olive oil
2 razor clams
8 surf clams

The razor clams should be the first to open after about 2–4 minutes. When they do, take them out of the pan and drop in the squid, squat lobster tails, squat lobster heads and brown shrimp. Put the lid back on and cook for another couple of minutes

4 squat lobsters, broken down into tails and heads
50g of squid
40g of brown shrimp

Once the mussels and surf clams have opened up, remove them from the pan and take the pan off the heat. Remove the mussels, clams and razor clams from their shells

Build the dish by dividing the seafood between four bowls along with the cooked octopus tentacles (2 per portion), oysters, crabmeat and caviar. Garnish with the samphire and seaweed, or any other sea herbs or vegetables you want to use. Finish by pouring in the consommé and serve immediately

60g of samphire
4 oysters
20g of caviar
50g of cooked crab
20g of seaweed, dulse or other local seaweed

First published in 2020

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Tom Kitchin

A true pioneer of British food, Tom Kitchin thrived in some of the world's most demanding kitchens before returning to Scotland and opening The Kitchin. In the years since, he has influenced an entire generation of young chefs, sparking a culinary resurgence in Scotland and beyond.

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