Turbot confit in smoked lardo with white asparagus and sauce vin jaune
- Starter
- Medium
- 6
- 1 hour 40 minutes
PT1H40M
Turbot is rightfully regarded as the king of fish, and Josh Overington's neat starter rightfully treats it with the utmost respect. It looks simple on the plate, but there are complex, powerful flavours at work here – the sauce is rich with white wine, vermouth, fish stock and vin jaune, while the smoked lardo and asparagus adds depth and texture. Don't be afraid to get a whole turbot and fillet it yourself – turbot bones are fantastic for making fish stock, and homemade stock will really elevate your sauce. Find out how to make the perfect fish stock here.
Ingredients
- 1.2kg turbot fillet , skinned
- salt
Smoked lardo crumble
- 2.5kg smoked lardo, minced
White asparagus
- 6 white asparagus spears , trimmed
- 200ml of milk
- 200ml of water
- 1 sprig of thyme
- sea salt
Vin Jaune sauce
- 6 banana shallots
- 500ml of dry white wine
- 500ml of dry vermouth
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 1l fish stock
- 1l double cream
- 2 tbsp of vin jaune
- sea salt
Method
1
Carefully lay the turbot fillet on a tray covered with table salt and evenly cover the fish with more salt. Leave it for 10 minutes and then wash off with cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Chill in fridge until ready to cook
- salt
- 1.2kg turbot fillet , skinned
2
Add all the minced lardo into a saucepan or frying pan that's big enough to fit the turbot in. Very gently, over a medium heat, render the fat until you the proteins start to crisp up. Remove the crispy pieces from the fat through a sieve and reserve for later. Keep the liquid smoked lardo in the saucepan on a low heat, ready to cook the fish
- 2.5kg smoked lardo, minced
3
For the sauce, sweat the shallots in a little oil over a medium heat until soft and translucent. It’s important to do these next steps individually – don’t rush and add them together, as it doesn’t work. Add the white wine and reduce by three-quarters. Add the vermouth and reduce by three-quarters. Add the lemon juice and fish stock together and reduce by two-thirds. Add the cream, increase the heat to high and reduce rapidly by two-thirds to avoid caramelising. This method keeps the flavours clean and prevents the sauce from colouring
- 6 banana shallots
- 500ml of dry white wine
- 500ml of dry vermouth
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 1l fish stock
- 1l double cream
4
Pass the sauce through a fine sieve whilst still hot and return to a clean saucepan. At this stage you can reserve the base mix for later by chilling and keep in the fridge until ready – when you’re ready to serve bring the sauce back to a boil, season with salt and mix in the vin jaune to serve straight away
- 2 tbsp of vin jaune
- sea salt
5
Use a thermometer to bring the smoked lardo to 57ºC – it’s important to maintain this temperature throughout the cooking time. Gently place the turbot fillet into the smoked lardo, making sure it is completely submerged, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan and gently portion into 6 even pieces with a sharp knife
6
Whilst the fish is cooking, place the milk, water, thyme and sea salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender. It should be cooked more than you would with green asparagus, as it is more fibrous and therefore needs to be softer. Once cooked, keep warm until ready to plate
- 6 white asparagus spears , trimmed
- 200ml of milk
- 200ml of water
- 1 sprig of thyme
- sea salt
7
To serve, place a portion of turbot on each plate. Cut each asparagus stalk in half, topping each with a teaspoon of the reserved crispy lardo crumble before placing two halves on each plate. Generously spoon over the vin jaune sauce in the middle and serve immediately
Discover more:
Go to Comments
Turbot confit in smoked lardo with white asparagus and sauce vin jaune
