RECIPE
FOOD
SCALING the HEIGHTS Chef MARK KERSEY from The Oddfellows, Exeter, shares this showstopping, new season fish dish
Fillet of red mullet, mussel and saffron broth, braised fennel and basil (Serves 4) “This recipe is currently on our menu in Exeter,” says Mark. “It is really tasty and, although it has a few components to prepare, it is actually very simple and a real crowd pleaser if you’re entertaining. Pulling this together is all about the preparation.” Ingredients: 4 large fillets of red mullet, scaled and pin boned (you can ask your fishmonger to do this) Fish stock: 1kg of fish trim/bones (ask your fishmonger) 1 white onion 2 leeks (white only) Braised fennel: 4 baby fennel 1 litre of fish stock Saffron foam: 2 shallots 1 celery stick 1 leek (whites only) Half a tsp coriander seeds 250 ml white wine Pinch of saffron 500ml full fat milk 250ml double cream 1 table spoon of lecithin (find it at Holland and Barrett or online) Mussel broth: 1 celeriac (peeled) 1 butternut squash (peeled, halved and seeds removed) 4 sweet potatoes (peeled) 3 leeks (whites only) 1 large white onion 3 large carrots (peeled) 3 celery sticks 3 litres fish stock (see separate method for this) 28 River Exe mussels (about 1.5 kilos, cleaned) 700ml double cream 2 tbsp finely-sliced chives
To serve: handful of basil leaves Method: fish stock Roughly slice onions and leek, put into deep pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Sweat vegetables until soft but not coloured, add fish trim and bones, cover with approx 3 litres of cold water and simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool, then pour through fine sieve. Store in fridge until needed. Method: braised fennel Place the fennel in an oven dish, add some fish stock and season, cover and cook at 160°C/Gas 3 for 40 mins until tender. Allow to cool in liquid. Method: saffron foam Roughly dice shallots, celery and leek, put in saucepan with coriander seeds and pinch of salt. Sweat down for 5 minutes until soft then add white wine and saffron and reduce by half. Add milk and cream, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat, leave to cool for half an hour, then pass through a fine sieve. Place back on the heat, add the lecithin and stir until dissolved. Season to taste. Keep warm until ready to plate. Method: broth Cut vegetables into 1cm by 1cm cubes, pour fish stock into a large pan and bring to a simmer, add vegetables to stock, cook slowly on a medium heat. After 20 minutes the veg should be cooked but still have bite. Add the mussels, turn the heat to full and place a lid on the pan. After 4 minutes, all the mussels should be open and cooked (discard any unopened ones), add the cream and chives and simmer on a very low heat to keep warm. Method: mullet Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, season fillets with salt and place skin-side-down in pan. Turn up the heat and leave to fry. When the fillets are 90% cooked, turn the fillets over and add a couple of knobs of butter and remove from heat –
you should have lovely, brown, crispy skin. Remove from pan, and place on warm dish until ready to plate. Method: foam Place a stick blender into the saffron liquid and move it in and out to create foam. Go easy – this can get messy! To serve: Place 7 mussels around the edge in each of the bowls, add a couple of spoonfuls of vegetables and sauce into the middle, then place the fennel on top, followed by the mullet skin-side-up. Take some foam and place around the fish. Garnish with a little basil or other small leaves. theoddfellowsbar.co.uk
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