Fillet of Skrei cod Peas, verjus, smoked mussel purée

2 fillets Skrei cod, cleaned and trimmed into 130g portions Lemon

Smoked mussel purée
300g mussels, washed & scraped Curry powder
Saffron
1 carrot, finely diced
3 shallots, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
Fish stock

Verjus sauce
2 shallots, sliced
½ stick celery, sliced
100ml verjus
100ml fish stock
50g butter
30ml olive oil

Garnish
200g freshly podded peas
40g butter
12 gem leaves
3 freshly grilled mussels

www.clivedenhouse.co.uk

Serves 4

Soak the fish in a 5% salt to water brine for 10 minutes, drain and rinse, pat dry and leave to dry in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat rapeseed oil in a decent sized frying pan and cook the fish skin side down seasoned very lightly with sea salt and white pepper. Allow the skin to colour until golden; when the flesh has started to go translucent, turn down the heat and carefully turn
the fish. Foam a knob of salted butter and baste the fish lightly for another 3 minutes. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the butter and baste again, then drain the fish on kitchen paper to serve.

Smoke the mussels until cooked on a barbecue or in a smoker, then pick the meat. Sweat the carrot, shallot and celery well in a covered pan with a small teaspoon of curry powder and 5 strands of saffron. Add the mussels and a ladle of fish stock, bring to the boil, then transfer to the processor with a few cubes of cold unsalted butter and blend to a smooth purée. Taste and adjust the seasoning, pass, and keep in a small pan.

Sweat the shallot and celery until very tender in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the verjus and fish stock and reduce by half, then add the butter and olive oil and bring to a nice sauce consistency with a hand blender. Pass through a sieve, check and season.

Heat 4 tablespoons of water and add the peas. Gently poach for a minute, then add the butter, gem and mussels. Bring together to a nice buttery consistency, season, and add a few drops of lemon juice. Taste and correct the seasoning.