Cod Cheeks, fermented honey, smoked butter, pickled mussels recipe

Sean Wrest

Sean Wrest

18th February 2021
Sean Wrest

Cod Cheeks, fermented honey, smoked butter, pickled mussels recipe

60 min

Cod Cheeks, fermented honey, smoked butter, pickled mussels recipe from Michelin-starred Roots

Ingredients

cod cheeks

  • cod cheeks

Roast mussel stock

  • 2kg mussels, rinsed 500ml water 500ml white wine

Per litre of stock

  • 30g kombu, rinsed 30g dried sliced shiitake Roast mussels

Smoked butter sauce

  • Per litre of roast stock/ vegetarian dashi 333g smoked butter 166g normal butter 2.4g xanthan gum lemon juice to taste

Fermented honey glaze

  • 2kg honey 2.5kg water 7g sachet d47 yeast oldstead honey maldon mead glace

Cauliflower Puree

  • 1kg prepped cauliflower (approx 3 heads) 200g butter 200ml milk 100ml whipping cream maldon

Kombu vinegar

  • 900g rice wine vinegar 100g kombu, rinsed and dried

Tempura batter

  • 120g strong white flour 80g rice flour 4.8g xanthan 3.21g baking powder 750ml sparkling water

Method

Cod cheeks

Cure for 8 - 10 min in maldon depending on size, rinse and dry

Roast mussel stock

Add mussels to a scorching pan and steam in wine & water. Cover.

When cooked transfer to colander, reserving liquor

Pick down mussels onto a tray and roast at 200c. 11 min 0% humidity

Weigh cooking liquor and add proportionate quantities of kombu
shiitake and cep.

Deglaze roasting tray with small quantity of stock and add roast mussels to the stock

Bring to boil, cover and infuse for 20min

Press lightly through chinois, then pass through 2 layer muslin

Smoked butter sauce

To make sauce, bring stock and butters to a simmer and transfer to a thermomix

Add xani and blend for 2 min speed 10

Season with lemon and maldon (be wary of overseasoning as stock can be salty), pass through chinois and chill.

Fermented honey glaze

Combine honey and warm water in demijohn

Add yeast with 50ml warm water (according to packet instructions)

Reduce mead to a glace and use to season honey. Finish with maldon

Cauliflower Puree

To prep cauliflower first break down into florets. Finely slice the florets taking as much of the fluff and as little of the stalk as possible.

Add cauli and salt to foaming butter and sweat until tender 4-5 min

Add milk, increase heat, cover with a
cartouche and cook until liquid has evaporated and cauli is fully broken down

Transfer to thermo, add cream and blend speed 10 3-4 min

Kombu vinegar

Bag vinegar and kombu under full pressure

Steam at 65c. 1 hour

Macerate overnight then pass through chinois

Tempura batter

Mix dry ingredients then add water whilst whisking to ensure smooth batter

Transfer to an ISI gun and charge with 1 canister. Keep refrigerated.

Pickled mussels

Rinse mussels in cold running water to remove sand

Steam 100c. 2 minutes and pick over ice, taking care to remove beards

Pickle in kombu vinegar 1 hour before service

Crispy sea lettuce

Rinse thoroughly and dry on j cloth

Fry at 170c. until crisp, translucent but still green

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.