It is not yet very cold, and so dishes that are not too heavy still suit the table. Yes, fish, butter and tomatoes sound rather springlike, but the herbs bring enough wintery aromas to allow this cod to be served even before Christmas.
We used cod for this recipe, but haddock, sole or trout would also work well (the latter should not be portioned, but prepared whole).
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 2-3 tbsp "La Jonchère" court-bouillon powder
- 200 ml Leblanc Champagne vinegar
- 1 celeriac
- 2-3 lemon slices
- 1 small fennel bulb
- 1-2 leeks
- 5 shallots
- approx. 10 peppercorns (white pepper, preferably Kampot pepper)
- 500 ml water
- 500g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes!
- 3 carrots
- long pepper
- 2-3 tbsp Leblanc tarragon mustard
- Raw milk butter
- 800g to 1 kg fish, here: cod (Baltic Sea)/haddock (North Sea), but sole or trout would also work
- Olive oil
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- some garden cress
- some brown sugar (demerara sugar)
- 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cloves of pink garlic
- Salt
- new potatoes as a side dish
Preparation:
Leave the cherry tomatoes on the vine and wash them. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, add one or two crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of thyme and a sprig of rosemary, and sprinkle with some brown sugar. Bake at 100 °C for 40 to 45 min.
Prepare the court-bouillon. To do this, cut 1-2 shallots, the white part of the leek (approx. the bottom third), half a fennel bulb and half a celeriac into large pieces, and add two lemon slices, 2 tbsp court-bouillon powder, approx. 10 peppercorns, 200 ml Champagne vinegar and half a litre of water to a pot. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer slowly so that everything infuses well.
In the meantime, put a pot of water with some salt on to blanch.
Peel the carrots and the other half of the celeriac, wash the remaining leek and then cut everything into approx. 5 cm long strips, halve them and cut into thin strips (julienne, see picture 4). As soon as the blanching water is boiling, add the julienned carrots, add the julienned celeriac 30 seconds later. Add the julienned leek 30 seconds later and cook for another 5 seconds, then immediately drain everything in a sieve and rinse with cold water. The vegetables should be al dente. New potatoes or boiled potatoes would go well as a side dish, which you should put on now.
Now add a sprig of thyme and some parsley with the stems to the court-bouillon, turn up to medium heat until just before boiling. After approx. 5 minutes remove the herbs, otherwise they will become bitter. Taste the court-bouillon and add a little more court-bouillon powder or vinegar if necessary. The broth must taste like a broth: aromatic and slightly tart. Now portion the fish and place it in the broth, let it simmer, but do not boil. The fish must 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 peel 2 shallots for the tarragon mustard butter and cut them into brunoise (very fine cubes).
Sweat the shallot brunoise with a small piece of butter (approx. 1 tbsp), deglaze with a dash of the court-bouillon and some white wine, then add approx. 2 tbsp of tarragon mustard and stir everything together. Add a few pieces (1 tsp each) of COLD butter and stir in until a nice creamy consistency is formed. After that, do not boil the tarragon butter again under any circumstances, otherwise it will curdle.
Melt some butter in a pan, add the julienned vegetables and sauté briefly until they are hot. Season with salt and pepper. Bon appétit!
