Ingredients
Serves 4John Dory filets à la Normande
For the fish stock
Bones from 2 John Dory (or similar white fish) cut into large pieces
250 ml dry white wine
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 stalks celery
1 sprig fresh thyme
10 white peppercorns
For the filets à la normande
500 g mussels
1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
200 ml dry white wine
100 g small, very white button mushrooms, stems trimmed
20 g butter, plus extra to butter the dish
Salt and pepper
½ lemon, juiced
4 John Dory filets, about 160 g each, skin on
150 ml fish stock
200 ml cream
100 g green prawns, cooked and halved
4 large oysters, opened and juice reserved
Beetroot Salad
Serves 2
8 small beetroots
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
Beetroot marinade:
125 ml extra virgin olive oil
25 ml red wine vinegar
1 clove chopped garlic
Salt
Pepper
Cumin powder
1 tbsp fresh herbs
Green Salad
Handful, mesclun salad (watercress, oak leaf, Belgium endive julienned, rocket etc.)
Vinaigrette:
25 ml wine vinegar
1 lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
100 ml walnut oil
Croutons
2 slices crusty baguette
2 Yarra Valley dairy goat cheese
Walnuts to serve
Method
John Dory filets à la Normande
1. For the fish stock, rinse the fish bones, place in a saucepan with the white wine and just cover with water. Slowly bring up to simmering temperature, skimming well. Add the onion, celery, thyme and peppercorns. Simmer for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and infuse for a further 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and set aside.
2. For the filets à la Normande, wash the mussels and de-beard them. Place the mussels in a saucepan with the diced shallot and 100 ml of the white wine and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and steam for 5 minutes, or until they open.
3. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and remove the mussels from their shells. Set both liquid and mussels aside.
4. Place the mushrooms in a small saucepan with the butter, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of water and a splash of lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and reserve the cooking juices.
5. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Butter an ovenproof dish large enough to hold all 4 fillets (or use 2 dishes). Season with salt and pepper, then place fish in the dish. Add the remaining 100 ml of white wine, 150 ml of fish stock and the reserved mushroom juices. Cover with baking paper (aluminium foil provides too much insulation) and cook for about 5 minutes. The fish will not be cooked through.
6. Turn off the oven, Remove the fish fillets to a plate and cover with aluminium foil. Return to the oven to keep warm.
7. Make a sauce by pouring the cooking juices from the fish and the reserved mussel liquid into a pan and reducing by half over moderately high heat. Add the cream and reduce until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the reserved mussels and mushrooms and the cooked prawns to heat through in the sauce. Add the oysters and their juices to the sauce with a little more of the lemon juice.
8. To serve, spoon the sauce and garnishes over the fish fillets
Beetroot Salad with Warm Yarra Valley Goat’s Cheese and Walnut
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Wash the beetroot, rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and wrap each beetroot in foil, cook in oven until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, let cool slightly and peel while they are still warm.
Mix all the ingredients of the marinade, fold in the beetroots, cover and keep refrigerated.
Lightly brush the baguette slices with olive oil, place under the broiler of your oven and brown on both sides, cut the goat cheese in half and place on top of the bread, return to the oven until the cheese is warm.
For vinaigrette: In a bowl mix well together, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard, slowly add the walnut oil.
Toss the salad green with the vinaigrette.
To serve:
Place the beetroot salad on a large plate without the marinade, place the salad on the top, add the goat cheese croutons, scatter with walnuts, drizzle with the marinade and serve.