It's not too cold yet, so it's not exactly time for heavy dishes. Yes, fish, butter, and tomatoes sound more like spring, but the herbs bring enough winter flavors to make this cod suitable for serving before Christmas.
We used cod for this recipe, but cod, haddock or trout would also work well (although these should not be portioned, but cooked whole).
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2-3 tbsp court bouillon powder "La Jonchère"
- 200 ml Leblanc champagne vinegar
- 1 celeriac
- 2-3 slices of lemon
- 1 small fennel bulb
- 1-2 leeks
- 5 shallots
- approx. 10 peppercorns (white pepper, preferably Kampot pepper)
- 500 ml water
- 500g vine(!) cherry tomatoes
- 3 carrots
- Long-leaf poivre
- 2-3 tbsp Leblanc tarragon mustard
- Raw milk butter
- 800g to 1 kg fish, here: cod (Baltic Sea)/cod (North Sea), but haddock or trout also work
- olive oil
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 rosemary sprig
- some garden cress
- some brown sugar (Demerara sugar)
- 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt
- as a side dish new potatoes
Preparation:
Leave the cherry tomatoes on the vine and wash them. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add one or two crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of thyme, and a sprig of rosemary, and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Bake at 100°C for 40 to 45 minutes.
Make the court bouillon. To do this, roughly chop 1-2 shallots, the white part of the leek (approximately the bottom third), half a fennel bulb, and half a celeriac, two lemon slices, 2 tablespoons of court bouillon powder, about 10 peppercorns, 200 ml of champagne vinegar, and half a liter of water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil briefly, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently to allow everything to infuse.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water with a little salt to the boil for blanching.
Peel the carrots and the other half of the celeriac, wash the remaining leek, and then cut everything into approximately 5 cm long strips, halve them, and then cut them into thin julienne strips (see image 4). As soon as the blanching water boils, add the julienne carrots. 30 seconds later, add the julienne celery. 30 seconds later, add the julienne leek and cook for another 5 seconds. Then immediately drain everything in a colander and rinse with cold water. The vegetables should be al dente. New potatoes or boiled potatoes are a good side dish, and you should put them on the boil now.
Now add a sprig of thyme and some parsley on the stem to the broth, increase heat to medium until just before boiling. After about 5 minutes, remove the herbs, as they will otherwise become bitter. Season the broth to taste, adding a little more broth powder or vinegar if desired. The broth should taste like a stock: aromatic and slightly acidic. Now portion out the fish and place it in the broth. Let it simmer, but do not boil. The fish should be covered by the broth. Depending on the size of the pieces, we recommend simmering the fish for 15 to 20 minutes.
For the sauce: Now for the tarragon-mustard butter, peel 2 shallots and cut into brunoise cubes.
Sauté the shallot brunoise with a small knob of butter (about 1 tbsp), deglaze with a dash of court bouillon and a little white wine, then add about 2 tbsp of tarragon mustard and mix everything together. Add a few pieces (1 tsp each) of cold butter and stir until a nice, creamy consistency is achieved. Do not allow the tarragon butter to return to a boil afterward, as it will curdle.
Melt some butter in a pan, add the julienne vegetables, and toss briefly until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
