Gourmet Oven Roasted Cod with Queen Scallops, Pancetta and Samphire- Served with Prawn Veloute

Ingredients

Prawn Veloute:

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and add:

100g empty langoustine shells (heads included)

1 small carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped

1 fresh tomato, chopped

1/2 small fennel bulb, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

 

The Main:

3 or 4 thin rashers of pancetta

3 or 4 portions of cod

1 pack Fishbox queen scallops

1 pack samphire

---

Method

Start by making the Prawn Veloute.  This can be gently reheated later.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and add all the ingredients. 

Saute for 5/6 minutes.

Stir in 11/2 tbsp tomato puree and cook through for a minute.  Deglaze pan with 150ml dry white wine and 2 tbsp cognac.  Reduce until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Pour in 300ml ready made fish stock, 1 small star anise, 1 sprig each of thyme, tarragon and basil.  Bring to the boil and simmer gently for approx 25 minutes.  Finally stir in 150ml fresh single cream and reduce again for a few minutes.

Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Remove langoustine heads, but leave remaining shells in pan.  Using a hand blender, roughly break down the contents of the pan, before passing through a fine sieve in to a clean pan.  This will take some effort - but is well worth it.  Season to taste if required and set aside until required (refrigerate if not to be used immediately).

 

When ready to serve:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees

Finely chop 3 or 4 thin rashers of pancetta and fry in a small pan until crisp and the fat has been rendered; this will be used to cook your scallops later.  Put to one side.

Put another 3 or 4 whole rashers (depending on number of servings) on a baking tray in the top of the oven and cook until crispy.  Drain on some kitchen paper and put to one side.

Prepare the cod by placing on a baking tray and seasoning with salt and pepper (preferably with Hebridean sea salt with seaweed) and drizzling with a little olive oil.

10/15 minutes before serving, place cod in preheated oven and bake (should take between 10/12 minutes).  Meantime, start to gently reheat the veloute, warm up the pancetta pieces and in a separate pan stir fry the samphire.  When the fish is cooked, allow to sit for a minute or two while you quickly fry off the scallops with the pancetta pieces.

Assemble the dish in large bowls, starting with the samphire, laying the cod on top and scattering the scallops and pancetta pieces around.  Top each piece of fish with a crispy pancetta rasher (which you can reheat quickly with the fish if you wish).  Finally pour the warm veloute in to individual jugs, to be poured around or over the cod as required.

 

Serve with some crusty bread to mop up the delicious flavours!