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Cod & Brown Shrimp Butter

Prep time
60 mins
Cooking Time
40 mins
Serves
2

Ingredients

For the cod: 

  • 300g MSC cod fillet 
  • 1 tsp sea salt 
  • 50g butter, diced 
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 
  • 70g MSC brown shrimp 
  • 1 tsp capers 
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg 
For the salt cod beignet: 

  • 200g MSC cod fillet 
  • 2 tbsp sea salt 
  • 500ml milk 
  • 1 bay leaf 
  • 3 peppercorns 
  • 150g plain flour 
  • 50g cornflour 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 180ml sparkling wine or prosecco [or sparkling water] 
  • Vegetable oil for frying 
  • Sea salt 
To garnish: 

  • Purple sprouting broccoli, steamed 
  • 50g samphire, steamed 
  • Wood sorrel, calendula flowers, chervil [optional] 

Method

  1. Salt your cod for the beignet 1-2 days before by rubbing the cod fillet with sea salt crystals and leaving on a rack in the fridge to cure. This will draw out some water from the fillet and season it.  
  2. To prepare your beignets rinse the cured cod under cold running water and pat dry. Then poach in milk with bay and peppercorns for 5-6 mins on a low heat. Remove the delicate salt cod from the milk with a slotted spoon and blitz in a food processor to form a coarse pate texture. Form into 4-6 evenly shaped balls and roll in flour to coat them. Leave in the fridge whilst you make your batter.  
  3. Preheat vegetable oil to 180˚C and whisk your flour, cornflour, baking powder and prosecco until you have a smooth batter. Dunk your salt cod into the batter and then fry in batches for 3-4 mins turning to cook them evenly on both sides. Once the beignets are golden brown remove from the hot oil using a slotted spoon and drain on a piece of kitchen roll. Season with a pinch of sea salt whilst still warm. Keep your batter scraps to garnish too as they provide lovely additional texture to the dish. 
  4. For the butter poached cod fillets season with a generous pinch of salt, try to do this at least an hour before cooking if time allows. Then heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and place the fish into the pan to sear and it starts to turn golden underneath. After 2 mins add your diced butter to the pan and as it bubbles spoon it over the fish. Flip your fillet after a couple of minutes cooking and continue to spoon over the hot bubbling butter until the flakes start to open the flesh becomes opaque. In total cook your fish for no longer than 4-6 mins depending on the size of the fillet.  
  5. Remove the fish from the pan and add in your shrimp, capers and a pinch of nutmeg. Cook these for 2-3 minutes until the butter is golden brown. Steam your broccoli and samphire and serve the cod on a bed of samphire and brown shrimp butter with broccoli and a cod beignet on the side. Garnish with some fresh herbs and edible flowers. 

https://www.msc.org/what-you-can-do/sustainable-fish-seafood-recipes/recipe/cod-brown-shrimp-butter

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