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

by Tom Kitchin
  1. Rockpool of local seafood with sea vegetables, ginger and shellfish consommé
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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.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Shellfish consommé

Rockpool

SAVE RECIPE

Method

1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
5
Add the water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 1 hour, skimming when required
  • 2l water
6
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
7
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
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
9
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
10
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
First published in 2020
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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