The alternative menu: Sam Moody is Executive Head Chef at The Bath Priory. Here he has come up with something a little different for Christmas Day.
Main course
8 portions
Ingredients for the fish:
1 x 3-4kg turbot, filleted and skinned, head trimmed
1 sliced onion
1 leek
100g button mushrooms
200ml dry sherry,
100g butter
50g melted butter
Sea salt
Creamed leeks:
3 white of leek
Double cream
Sauce:
1 shallot sliced
30g unsalted butter
150g button mushrooms sliced
500ml Gewürztraminer wine
500ml fish stock
500ml cream
Salt
Lemon juice
Method:
1. Sweat the onion in the butter with a pinch of salt, add the leek and the mushrooms, cook for 10minutes, no colour, add the sherry and reduce by ½, set aside.
2. Line a large tray with tin foil and silicon paper, lay the green of leek out to make a flat bed, place the onion mix on top, ensure the top and bottom fillet of the turbot are together and place on top of the onion mix.
3. Brush with melted butter, season with the sea salt, wrap the green leek, then the paper and seal tight with the foil. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, remove, ensure the turbot has reached 60°C. Loosen the foil and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
4. On a separate tray line with silicone to stop it sticking place the turbot head, season generously and cover with olive oil, bake at 180°C for 20mins.
Creamed leeks:
1. Chiffonade the leeks, wash well, but do not dry.
2. Place in a pan and cover with double cream.
3. Over a high heat, bring to the boil with a pinch of salt.
4. Pass though a colander.
5. Place the cream back onto the stove and reduce on a medium heat until thin.
6. Add the leeks back into your pan, adjust seasoning.
Sauce:
1. In a saucepan sweat the shallots in the butter with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sweat for a further 5 minutes.
2. Add the fish stock and reduce by half, separately reduce the wine by a third and add to the reduced stock.
3. Now add the cream, bring to a simmer, cling film and infuse over a low heat for 20 mins.
4. Pass through chinoise and correct seasoning. For the caviar the choice is yours, there are some sustainably produced Beluga and Osetra caviars on the markets which are very expensive. Alternatively you could use Avurga which is smoked herring caviar and will work very well in the sauce.
To serve
Place the sherry onion mix onto the base of your dish, place the turbot on top, and then the head, add all of the liquid left in the foil from the cooking of the fish to your sauce base, adjust seasoning, whisk well, place into a warm jug, evenly space your caviar over the turbot (this way everyone gets a fair share). Pop your creamed leeks into a serving dish. I served mine with buttered new potatoes with chives. Mash would work great and a good roast potato is welcome with any meal.
