Padstow Christmas Festival

5th to 8th December 2019

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Cornwall Tourism Award - 2015/16
Home
Show menu
  • Festival Introductions
    • Welcome from Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth and Nathan Outlaw
    • Welcome from Event Organiser, Tina Evans
    • Christmas Festival Film
    • Literary event
    • The Big Cornish Breakfast
    • Santa Fun Run
    • Festival Sponsors
    • Media Partners
  • Demonstration Chefs
    • Featured Chefs
  • Christmas Market
    • Food Producers
    • Drink Producers
    • Arts and Crafts Producers
    • Pop Up Stalls
  • Timetables & Map
    • Sharp’s Chefs Theatre Timetable
    • The Festival Stage Timetable
    • Festival Timetable
    • Live Music Timetable
    • Festival Forums
    • Festival Map
  • Getting To The Festival
  • Competition
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Chef Demo Recipes
  • Contact Information
    • Contact Information
    • FAQs

Clare Smyth’s sea bass with shellfish and sea vegetable minestrone

By Clare Smyth.

Download recipe.

Ingredients

Sea Bass

  • 4 x 125g portions of sea bass (skin removed)

Brine

  • 50g smoked salt
  • 50g sugar
  • 6g Kombu
  • 1 litre water

Bass Braising Liquor

  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 10 button mushrooms
  • 4 long shallots finely sliced
  • 400ml Noilly Pratt
  • 1.5litr fish stock
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1/4 Bay leaf
  • 1 clove of garlic

Garganelli

  • 250g pasta flour
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1oml olive oil

Shellfish

  • 200g razor clams
  • 200g large mussels
  • 200g clams
  • 200g small diced mirepoix
  • 150ml white wine

Shellfish Broth

  • 2 litres vegetable stock
  • 100ml white wine
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stick of celery
  • 6 button mushroom
  • 2 spring onions
  • 2 long shallots
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Shellfish cooking juices

Coco Beans

  • 100g fresh coco beans
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 250ml water
  • 1 bouquet gami (garlic, thyme, bay and black peppercorns)

Lovage Oil

  • 2 bunches lovage
  • 250ml olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste

Sea Vegetables

  • 50g rock samphire
  • 50g marsh samphire
  • 30g sea beet
  • 30g sea purslane

To Finish

  • 12 Nasturtium leaves
  • 12 sea purslane
  • 12 borage shoots
  • 12 land of sea shoots
  • 12 Pennywort
  • Lemon zest and juice

Method

  1. To make the brine: Blend ingredients together and mix the water. Place the fish portions in the brine for 7 minutes. Then remove, pat dry, wrap in cling film to shape, vacuum pack them and cook for 14 minutes in a 54ºc water bath.

  2. For the bass braising liquor: Sweat the shallots and mushrooms in the butter until tender; do not colour. Add garlic, thyme and bay along with the Noilly Pratt, reduce by half, add the stock and bring to the boil, reduce by half again then pass through a fine chinois and emulsify.

  3. To make the pasta: place the flour and salt into a food processor. Turn on the machine and gradually add the eggs and olive oil until a fine crumb is achieved. Then turn the dough out on to the work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Tightly wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Once rested, roll and work the pasta using a pasta machine to a finished thickness of 2mm. Cut into 2cm x 2cm squares. Take each square and roll around a 2mm dowel from one point to the other and secure with a little water. Remove the dowel and place on a pasta drying rack. To cook the pasta, cook in seasoned boiling water for 3 minutes until tender. Refresh and store until later.

  4. For the Shellfish: Wash all the shellfish under running cold water for 20 minutes. Drain the water. Place 3 small lidded pans on the stove and heat. Divide the mirepoix between the shellfish. One at a time, add the shellfish to the pans with the mirepoix and 50ml of white wine in each; quickly replacing the lids. Cook on a high heat until the shellfish from the shells and clean and trim them. The razor clams need to be cut on the diagonal (ususally 5 slices per clam). Set aside in the fridge.

  5. For the Shellfish Broth: Wash and finely slice the veg. Place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until 1/3 reduced. To finish the broth use th shellfish cooking juices. Season to taste.

  6. For the Coco Beans: Place all the ingredients in a cocotte and bring to a simmer. Season and cook gently until the beans are tender. Once ready, cool the beans in a liquor and store in the fridge for later.

  7. For the Lovage Oil: Wash and pick the lovage. Place all the ingredients into a Thermo Mix and blend on full speed for 3 minutes at 70ºc. Season and cool down over ice bath. Once cool, hang in muslin cloth for 12 hours in the fridge.

  8. For the Sea Vegetables: Wash, trim and pick the sea leaves. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds and refresh.

  9. To Serve: Place the sea bass portions into the braising liquor for 3-4 minutes. Mix together the coco beans, shellfish, sea vegetables and Garganelli to make the Minestrone. Lightly warm through. Season and finish with a little lemon juice and fresh zest. Arrange the Minestrone in the centre of a bowl. Place the sea bass on top with the herbs and shoots. Bring the broth to the boil and, right at the end add 2 tablepsoons of lovage oil.

Related Recipes:

Stuart Pate’s smashed liquorice meringues with berries and chocolate cream Fergus Coyle’s Mussel Masala with coconut, ginger and green chillies Nigel Haworth’s newspaper wrapped treacle salmon, spring onion, pickled ginger, coriander
  • Demonstration Chefs
  • Christmas Market
  • Festival Map
  • Contact Information
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Credits
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Please note that dogs are not allowed in the festival marquees (except guide dogs).

Sign up for the newsletter

Sign up here to be among the first to hear news and updates about the Padstow Christmas Festival.



© 2017 Padstow Christmas Festival.

7ads6x98y