Sake-glazed pollock with purple vegetables

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
Not yet rated

Francesco Apreda's pollock recipe is enhanced with a stunning purple palette, making it as much a work of art as it is an excellent fish dish. The fish is cooked gently in a sticky sake glaze, while purple potatoes, red onions, red cabbage and aubergine bring the radiant purple hues to the plate. For both colour and flavour the chef recommends using Kala Namak, the Indian black salt, for this recipe, but good quality rock salt will work if this can't be found.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Sake-glazed pollock

  • 400g of pollock fillet, cut into 4 even portions
  • 50ml of sake
  • 60g of red miso
  • 40g of sugar
  • 30ml of rice vinegar
  • 30ml of water
  • black salt, 'Kala Namak'

Julienne cabbage

  • 100g of red cabbage

Purple potato mousse

  • 200g of purple potatoes, peeled
  • 50g of cream
  • 10g of butter, melted
  • 5ml of red wine vinegar
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Red onion 'petals'

  • 1/2 red onion, cut into wedges and separated into individual layers
  • 1 dash of vinegar
  • salt
  • olive oil

Aubergine escabeche

  • 1 aubergine, trimmed and finely diced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp fresh mint, finely sliced
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • sunflower oil, for frying

To serve

Equipment

  • Mandoline
  • Blender
  • Siphon bottle or cream whipper
  • Charges 2

Method

1
Begin by soaking the red cabbage. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, finely slice the red cabbage into strips and place in a bowl of iced water, leaving to soak for 1 hour
  • 100g of red cabbage
2
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes for the purple potato mousse. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a medium heat and add the peeled purple potatoes. Bring the water back up to the boil and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until very tender
3
Drain the cooked potatoes, reserving 125ml of the cooking water. Push the potatoes through a fine sieve into a bowl to create a smooth mash and leave to chill, uncovered, in the fridge to cool down quickly
4
Meanwhile, mix together the sake, miso, sugar, rice vinegar and water for the glaze in a small pan. Place over a low heat and allow to reduce by half
  • 50ml of sake
  • 60g of red miso
  • 40g of sugar
  • 30ml of rice vinegar
  • 30ml of water
5
Once the purple potato mash is cool, mix in the cream, melted butter, vinegar and reserved cooking water. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, then transfer to a blender and blitz until completely smooth
  • 50g of cream
  • 10g of butter, melted
  • 5ml of red wine vinegar
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
6
Pour the mixture into a siphon gun charged with 2 gas charges. Place the siphon into a bain-marie and gently warm through to a temperature of 85°C
7
While the potatoes are warming through, cook the pollock. Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Season the pollock portions with a little black salt, then place skin-side down in the hot pan. Fry for a few minutes until the skin is crisp and golden
  • 400g of pollock fillet, cut into 4 even portions
  • black salt, 'Kala Namak'
8
Carefully flip the fish pieces over and pour over the reduced sake glaze. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 10 minutes, basting the fish with the glaze every few minutes as it cooks
9
While the fish is cooking, blanch the pieces of red onion in a pan of boiling water seasoned with a little salt and vinegar. Drain and cool quickly in a bowl of iced water
  • 1/2 red onion, cut into wedges and separated into individual layers
  • 1 dash of vinegar
  • salt
10
Heat a dash of olive oil in a pan and lightly brown the red onion petals for a few seconds. Season with salt and set aside for serving
  • olive oil
  • salt
11
Preheat a deep-fryer (or a small pan part-filled with oil) to 170°C
12
Fry the diced aubergine for a few seconds until softened and golden. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper and mix with the oregano, mint, vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
  • sunflower oil, for frying
  • 1 aubergine, trimmed and finely diced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp fresh mint, finely sliced
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
13
Serve the pollock skin-side up and sprinkled with a pinch of black salt, drizzling any leftover glaze from the pan over the top. Siphon a mound of the warm purple potato mousse onto the plate, adding a small pile of the fried aubergine and drained cabbage alongside
  • black salt, 'Kala Namak'
14
Decorate with the red onion petals and dried violet flowers. Crush a few of the dried flowers into a powder and sprinkle over the plate to finish

Combining Indian spices and Japanese techniques with classic Italian cooking has made Francesco Apreda one of Rome's most contemporary chefs.

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