Pollock with celeriac and mussels
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 1 hour 30 minutes
PT1H30M
A meaty white fish with a surprisingly delicate flavour, pollock often finds itself playing second fiddle to cod or haddock. Nigel Mendham allows this underrated fish to shine in his striking seafood recipe, though, cooking the fish in a water bath to ensure perfectly tender flesh. The pollock is paired with the salty flavours of mussels and sea vegetables which contrast beautifully against the earthy celeriac and crunchy hazelnuts.
Ingredients
Pollock
- 4 pollock fillets, each about 140g
- 100g of sugar
- 100g of salt
- 1 lemon , zested
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 4 white peppercorns
- 500ml of water
Celeriac slices
Celeriac batons
- 1/2 celeriac
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 pinch of rock salt
Mussels
- 1kg mussels , cleaned
- 1 stick of celery , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 2 shallots , chopped
- 1/2 fennel bulb , chopped
- 375ml of white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 white peppercorns
To serve
- 1 handful of salty finger leaf
- 50g of roasted hazelnuts
Equipment
- Mandoline
- 6cm round cutter
- Vacuum bags
- Bar sealer
- Water bath
- Apple corer
Method
1
Preheat a water bath to 85°C
3
Seal the celeriac discs in a vacuum bag and cook in the water bath for 6 minutes. Remove from the bag and refresh the slices in a bowl of iced water. Keep the water bath at 85°C
4
Cut out batons from the remaining half of celeriac using an apple corer. Seal in a vacuum bag with the butter, thyme and salt, then cook for 30 minutes in the water bath
- 1/2 celeriac
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 pinch of rock salt
5
Meanwhile, make a simple marinade for the pollock by mixing together the sugar, salt, lemon zest, thyme, peppercorns and water in a large bowl. Add the pollock fillets and leave to marinate for 20 minutes
- 100g of sugar
- 100g of salt
- 1 lemon , zested
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 4 white peppercorns
- 500ml of water
- 4 pollock fillets, each about 140g
6
Once the celeriac batons have been cooking for 30 minutes, remove the bag and reduce the temperature of the water bath to 54°C
7
Rinse the marinade off the pollock and pat the fillets dry. Seal in a vacuum bag and cook for 15 minutes in the water bath
8
Place the vegetables for the mussels in a large pan and place over a medium heat. Allow to sweat down gently with the bay leaf and peppercorns, stirring regularly to ensure they don't colour
- 1 stick of celery , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 2 shallots , chopped
- 1/2 fennel bulb , chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 white peppercorns
9
Pour in the wine, stir well and bring up to the boil. Add the mussels, then cover with a lid and allow to cook for 2–3 minutes until all (or almost all) the mussels have opened – discard any unopened shells. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside ready to serve
- 375ml of white wine
- 1kg mussels , cleaned
10
Bring a pan of water to the boil over a medium heat. Add the salty finger leaves and blanch for 30 seconds then drain. Meanwhile, chop three quarters of the roasted hazelnuts in half
- 1 handful of salty finger leaf
- 40g of roasted hazelnuts
11
To serve, add a few slices of the celeriac to each plate and top with the pollock fillets. Scatter over the celeriac batons, mussels and hazelnut pieces before dividing the salty finger leaves between the plates. Grate over the remaining hazelnuts to garnish and serve immediately
- 10g of roasted hazelnuts
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Pollock with celeriac and mussels
