I know I've said it before but I will say it again and again and again, Icelandic fish is the best! And I am so lucky to be able to get some from time to time :) My parents are coming in a few weeks and they will be bringing some beautiful fish for me and probably some lamb and other things that I need to put in the freezer. So I need to clear out the freezer by eating all the amazing Icelandic food that is already in there.... So there will be Icelandic fish and lamb, smoked trout and other things on my family's plate for the next few weeks, lucky us!
When I was thinking of what to do this time, I had it in my mind that I wanted to have everything white, white fish, white sauce, potatoes and celeriac. And also when you have good fish like I did you don't want to do to much to it. And you don't want what you server with it to over power the star of the show, the fish! This came out beautifully, the fish was nice and flaky on the inside and crispy on the outside. The mash and sauce worked perfectly and in the end I threw in a bit of green to liven it up and because I love broccoli :) You can make this for a simple everyday meal or a fancy dinner party, it is not to difficult but the flavours are beautiful and complex.
You can use any type of firm fish, I used cod but what ever looks nice at the fishmongers is great. The main thing is to have fresh fish.
For the fish
1 kg cod fillet
3-4 tablespoons white flour
3 eggs
50 gr finely grated Parmesan cheese
100 gr white breadcrumbs, I use panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
oil for frying
Start by cutting the cod fillet into pieces and season with salt and pepper. Put the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Mix together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Dip the fish in flour, the eggs and then the breadcrumbs. Fry in the oil until nice and golden brown on both sides.
Mashed potatoes and celeriac
1 small celeriac or half a big one
potatoes, a few quite large ones is great
50-100 gr butter, the more the better :)
1/2-1 cup milk
salt and pepper
Peal the potatoes and celeriac and cut into smaller pieces and cook in lightly salted water until nice and tender. I use about 50/50 potatoes to celeriac. You could use just one of them and make a regular potato mash or just use the celeriac on its own. When they are cooked, remove the water and let them steam for a bit. Heat the milk and the butter in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Season with salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes and celeriac until smooth and add the milk and butter a little at a time. I like my mash nice and buttery and a bit thick but you use as much milk and butter as you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Beurre blanc sauce
1 cup white wine
1 shallot or 1/2 red onion
1/2 lemon
200 ml double cream
50 gr butter
salt and pepper
I know the name of the sauce is very fancy but this is a classic French sauce. There are many ways to make it and I just do it my way, It's simple and anyone can do it. Start by putting the wine, finely chopped onion and juice from half a lemon in a saucepan and reduce until about 4 tablespoons remain. This is the difficult part, waiting patiently for the sauce to reduce.... When it has reduced enough, pour in the cream and let that come up to a simmer. Lower the heat and whisk in the butter a bit at a time and season with salt and pepper.
I ended up wanting something green with this and my go to veg is broccoli. I love broccoli, my kids love pesto and this is a great way to combine the two so everyone gets what they like. What I do is I steam the broccoli until a bit tender, 7-10 minutes should do the trick. I mix together 1 tablespoon of fresh pesto (you can use what ever pesto you have), 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half a lemon and a bit of salt and pepper. Pour this over the broccoli and it tastes so good :)
I really hope you try this one, it looks and tastes like you have spent all day cooking when you actually haven't :)