Tartare
- 320g wild bass fillet, skinned & pin boned
- Sea salt
- 10ml cold pressed rapeseed oil
- 5ml elderflower vinegar
- 1g fresh elderflower or elderflower capers

Joshua Cook
Wild bass tartare, cucumber gazpacho, wet garlic, almonds & elderflower
Cucumber gazpacho
Wash then roughly chop up all the ingredients except for the avocado & the herbs, & mix them all together in a large bowl. Leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.
The next day, place all the ingredients from the bowl in a liquidiser along with the avocado & herbs & blend until smooth, season well with salt & pass through a fine sieve. Place in the fridge until cold.
Toasted almond & wet garlic puree
Preheat an oven to 160 degrees & toast the flaked almonds on a baking tray for 8-12 minutes or until evenly golden.
Add the toasted almonds to a small pan with the almond milk & bring to a boil. Once boiled take off the heat & leave to cool for 1 hour before placing the contents into a plastic tub & refrigerating overnight.
The next day, place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan & cover with cold water. Bring the garlic cloves to a boil & strain off the water. Repeat this process 2 more times.
After the third & final boil place the garlic back into the pan & strain the almond milk infusion into the pan. Add 50ml of water, bring the mixture to a boil & immediately reduce the heat to its lowest setting & cook the garlic mixture down to a puree.
Blend the garlic mixture in a liquidiser until smooth, season with sea salt & pass through a fine sieve. Place in a small plastic tub & refrigerate until cold.
Tartare
Put the bass on a metal tray & place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up & kill any surface bacteria (DO NOT FREEZE).
When cold, dice the bass into 1cm cubes with a sharp knife & place in a mixing bowl with the other ingredients & mix thoroughly. Set aside for 8-10 minutes so the lime & salt lightly cook the fish.
Divide the cucumber gazpacho between 4 bowls, place the garlic & almond puree in the centre & top with the bass tartare. Garnish with toasted almonds, fresh mint & elderflowers.
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