Name: Mulloway with brandade croquettes
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: For shallow-frying: vegetable oil; 6 mulloway fillets (about 180gm each); 25 gm butter; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 thyme sprig; 1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste; 6 Brussels sprouts, leaves separated, steamed; 2-3 tbsp squid ink, thinned with a little water, and fennel fronds, to serve; Brandade croquettes; 1 mulloway fillet (about 200gm), skin removed, coarsely chopped; 30 gm sea salt flakes; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon; 2 garlic cloves, bruised; 1 thyme sprig; 500 ml milk (2 cups); 500 gm Desiree potatoes (about 2); 400 gm rock salt; 50 gm salted capers, rinsed, coarsely chopped; ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (firmly packed); 50 ml olive oil, or to taste; 50 ml lemon juice, or to taste; 100 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2/3 cup); 3 eggs, lightly beaten; 200 gm dried white breadcrumbs; For deep-frying: vegetable oil; Pickled pumpkin; 200 ml white wine vinegar; 100 gm white sugar; 1 star anise; ½ cinnamon quill

“Mulloway is a great fish for roasting, offset here by the lightness and saltiness of the croquette. And for a splash of winter, new-season Brussels sprouts.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

For shallow-frying: vegetable oil

6 mulloway fillets (about 180gm each)

25 gm butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 thyme sprig

1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

6 Brussels sprouts, leaves separated, steamed

2-3 tbsp squid ink, thinned with a little water, and fennel fronds, to serve

Brandade croquettes

1 mulloway fillet (about 200gm), skin removed, coarsely chopped

30 gm sea salt flakes

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, bruised

1 thyme sprig

500 ml milk (2 cups)

500 gm Desiree potatoes (about 2)

400 gm rock salt

50 gm salted capers, rinsed, coarsely chopped

½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (firmly packed)

50 ml olive oil, or to taste

50 ml lemon juice, or to taste

100 gm plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2/3 cup)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

200 gm dried white breadcrumbs

For deep-frying: vegetable oil

Pickled pumpkin

200 ml white wine vinegar

100 gm white sugar

1 star anise

½ cinnamon quill

¼ butternut pumpkin (about 300gm), cut into 1.5cm cubes

Method

Main

1.For brandade croquettes, combine mulloway, salt, lemon rind, garlic and thyme in a non-reactive dish and refrigerate to lightly cure (overnight). Brush excess salt from fish (discard cure), place in a saucepan with milk, bring to the simmer and cook over a low heat until just cooked (5-7 minutes). Cool in milk, strain (reserve milk), coarsely flake and set aside. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Roast potato on a bed of rock salt until tender and cooked through (45-55 minutes), then pass through a mouli or potato ricer (see note) into a bowl. Add 50ml reserved poaching milk, then mix in capers, parsley and fish. Season to taste with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, refrigerate until cooled (30 minutes), then roll into 12 cylinders. Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Dust croquettes with flour, then dip in egg and roll in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess in between. Repeat with egg and breadcrumbs to thickly coat, then refrigerate until required.

2.For pickled pumpkin, combine vinegar, sugar and 600ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, dry-roast star anise and cinnamon (10-20 seconds). Add to vinegar mixture with pumpkin and bring to the boil over medium heat, then remove from heat, cool pumpkin in liquid and set aside.

3.Preheat vegetable oil in a deep-sided saucepan to 160C. Deep-fry croquettes in batches until cooked through (6-7 minutes; be careful as hot oil may spit). Keep warm.

4.Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil 1cm-deep in a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Dust fish with flour and cook, skin-side down, until skin is crisp (4-5 minutes), then transfer to oven and roast until just cooked through (3 minutes). Drain excess oil from pan, add butter, garlic and thyme to pan and cook over high heat until butter foams (1 minute), then turn fish. Add lemon juice to taste, remove from heat and stand until fish is almost cooked through (2-3 minutes). Season to taste and serve with croquettes, drops of squid ink and drained pickled pumpkin, scattered with steamed Brussels sprouts and fennel fronds.

Moulis and potato ricers are available from kitchenware shops. Alternatively, you can mash the potato with a hand masher.
This recipe is from the August 2010 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: Hunter semillon; either a zesty young semillon full of citrus such as the Thomas Braemore, or, even better, something with a little age, such as a 2003 Tyrrell’s HVD.
Notes