They Say a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.....

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Make They Say a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.....

I came across this amazing recipe and wanted to share it with you  right away.  Talk about dinner theater...this is excitement and presentation at its' best! When you set this whole, pastry-encased fish in front of your family and friends, I am sure they they will be impressed! Once the fillets are removed, it transforms into an intricate, restaurant-style seafood dish with a dazzling squid ink sauce and spinach for accompaniment.   Ready?  Let's do this!

Pastry Encased Baked Fish with Wilted Spinach, Radish and Nero sauce

Serves 2

Total time:  1 hour 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Fish

1 fish, weighing 1.5 lbs, whole and gutted (Sea Bream/Snapper)

1/2 lemon

6 basil leaves

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

2 sprigs of fresh coriander

4 star anise

Salt Crust Pastry

4 tbsp of fresh thyme, finely chopped

4tbsp of rosemary

3 1/2 lb flour, plus extra for dusting

1 2/3 lb of salt

15 egg whites

1 1/2 cups of water

2 egg yolks, for egg wash

(You may also want to try pre made pie crusts doubled up for thickness pressing the fresh thyme and rosemary in between the two layers, continuing with the recipe as follows)

Nero Sauce

1 tsp squid ink (ask your fish monger or check your grocer)

Beautiful and Delicious! The most interesting facts about squid ink for cooks are 1, it adds a rich and briny flavor to your dishes and 2, the color is super dramatic. Like the best-tasting fish, squid ink tastes full-bodied and clean, with underlying hints of the sea.

4 tbsp oz of shallots, peeled and finely sliced

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf, small

3/4 cup of a quality vermouth, plus a drop extra to serve

2 cups of fish stock

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) of unsalted butter

salt

pepper

To Serve

7 oz of spinach, picked and washed

4 radishes, picked and washed

3 tbsp of butter

salt

pepper

Salt Crust Pastry

Mix all of the ingredients together until they form a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Nero Sauce

Add the shallots, thyme, bay leaf and vermouth to a saucepan and reduce by a third over a high heat, this should take approximately 5 minutes.

Pour in the fish stock and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes before adding the cream. Reduce the sauce over a high heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the thyme and the bay leaf, add the squid ink and blitz the sauce in a blender for one minute or use an immersion blender. Pass through a damp muslin cloth, transfer back into a pan, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until needed.

The Fish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Place the herbs, star anise and half a lemon inside the belly of the fish and set aside.

Roll out the salt crust pastry to over twice the size of the fish. Carefully fold the pastry over the whole fish.  When trimming, keep close to the shape of the fish, leaving a little extra over the top edge of the fish so you can create the spiky dorsal fins.

Using the left over trimmings of pastry, create fins and eyes for the fish, brushing them with egg wash to stick them on. Very carefully, use a knife to score scales into the pastry and cut dorsal fins along the top edge of the fish as shown in the picture above.

Brush the entire pastry covered fish with egg wash and place into the oven to bake for 15 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Spinach

Meanwhile, place a large pan over a medium heat and add butter. Add the spinach and cook until wilted down, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Reheat the sauce in a pan over a low heat - do not allow it to boil. Gradually whisk in the butter then season with salt, pepper and add a drop of vermouth to refresh the sauce.

To Serve

Place the baked fish on a serving platter or board, and using a knife, carefully crack the pastry, starting from the top edge. Remove a section of the pastry an ease the flesh off the bone until completely removed. Repeat of the opposite side and divide between 2-4 plates.

Serve the fillets with some of the Nero sauce, wilted spinach and garnish with the whole radishes.

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