Pollock Recipe with Celeriac and Mussels

A meaty white fish with a surprisingly delicate flavour, pollock often finds itself playing second fiddle to cod or haddock. Nigel Mendham allows this underrated fish to shine in his striking seafood recipe, though, cooking the fish in a water bath to ensure perfectly tender flesh. The pollock is paired with the salty flavours of mussels and sea vegetables which contrast beautifully against the earthy celeriac and crunchy hazelnuts.

Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Pollock

4 pollock fillets, each about 140g
100g of sugar
100g of salt
1 lemon, zested
1 sprig of fresh thyme
4 white peppercorns
500ml of water

Celeriac slices

1/2 celeriac, peeled and sliced thinly on a mandoline
1 pinch of salt
1 dash of olive oil

Celeriac batons

1/2 celeriac
1 knob of butter
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 pinch of rock salt

Mussels

1kg mussels, cleaned
1 stick of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
375ml of white wine
1 bay leaf
4 white peppercorns

To serve

1 handful of salty finger leaf
50g of roasted hazelnuts

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Mandoline
6cm round cutter
Vacuum bags
Bar sealer
Water bath
Apple corer

Preheat a water bath to 85°C

Begin by preparing the sliced celeriac. Stamp out rounds from the slices using a cutter, then season with salt and brush with a little olive oil

1/2 celeriac, peeled and sliced thinly on a mandoline
1 pinch of salt
1 dash of olive oil

Seal the celeriac discs in a vacuum bag and cook in the water bath for 6 minutes. Remove from the bag and refresh the slices in a bowl of iced water. Keep the water bath at 85°C

Cut out batons from the remaining half of celeriac using an apple corer. Seal in a vacuum bag with the butter, thyme and salt, then cook for 30 minutes in the water bath

1/2 celeriac
1 knob of butter
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 pinch of rock salt

Meanwhile, make a simple marinade for the pollock by mixing together the sugar, salt, lemon zest, thyme, peppercorns and water in a large bowl. Add the pollock fillets and leave to marinate for 20 minutes

100g of sugar
100g of salt
1 lemon, zested
1 sprig of fresh thyme
4 white peppercorns
500ml of water
4 pollock fillets, each about 140g

Once the celeriac batons have been cooking for 30 minutes, remove the bag and reduce the temperature of the water bath to 54°C

Rinse the marinade off the pollock and pat the fillets dry. Seal in a vacuum bag and cook for 15 minutes in the water bath

Place the vegetables for the mussels in a large pan and place over a medium heat. Allow to sweat down gently with the bay leaf and peppercorns, stirring regularly to ensure they don't colour

1 stick of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 white peppercorns

Pour in the wine, stir well and bring up to the boil. Add the mussels, then cover with a lid and allow to cook for 2–3 minutes until all (or almost all) the mussels have opened – discard any unopened shells. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside ready to serve

375ml of white wine
1kg mussels, cleaned

Bring a pan of water to the boil over a medium heat. Add the salty finger leaves and blanch for 30 seconds then drain. Meanwhile, chop three quarters of the roasted hazelnuts in half

1 handful of salty finger leaf
40g of roasted hazelnuts

To serve, add a few slices of the celeriac to each plate and top with the pollock fillets. Scatter over the celeriac batons, mussels and hazelnut pieces before dividing the salty finger leaves between the plates. Grate over the remaining hazelnuts to garnish and serve immediately

10g of roasted hazelnuts

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Nigel Mendham

Nigel Mendham has proved himself to be as adaptable as he is talented, prospering in restaurants all over Britain and winning great acclaim for his deftly classical cuisine.

Pollock with celeriac and mussels

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