POLLOCK BRANDADE WITH SEAWEED SCONES
This recipe for garlicky and lemony brandade (a whipped-up fish mousse) provides pollock with the perfect ‘oomph’. It’s best made and eaten straightaway, so bake the scones in advance.
Makes 16 nibbles
200G FLOURY POTATOES, PEELED
10 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND CRUSHED 600ML FULL-FAT MILK
2 BAY LEAVES
500G POLLOCK FILLET, SKINNED AND PIN-BONED
200ML FRUITY OLIVE OIL, PLUS A DRIZZLE TO FINISH
3 TBSP FINELY CHOPPED FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY
2 LEMONS, JUICE OF 1 AND SEGMENTS FROM THE OTHER
SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
SEAWEED FLAKES, TO FINISH
FOR THE SEAWEED SCONES
225G SELF-RAISING FLOUR AND 4G SEA SALT
55G UNSALTED BUTTER, CUT INTO SMALL CUBES 25G MATURE CHEDDAR, GRATED
4 TSP SEAWEED FLAKES
150ML FULL-FAT MILK, PLUS EXTRA FOR BRUSHING
1 Cut the potatoes into large, even chunks and place in a saucepan. Cover with water, add salt and 5 garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until soft.
2 Meanwhile, pour the milk into another pan and add the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then add the fish. Take off the heat and leave the fish to cook in the residual heat of the milk for 6 minutes. Remove the fish and flake into a food processor; reserve the milk.
3 Tip the potatoes into a colander to drain and dry. Gently warm the olive oil and remaining 5 garlic cloves in a pan.
4 Purée the fish in the processor; with the motor running, slowly pour in the warm oil and the reserved milk through the funnel. Add most of the parsley, saving a little.
5 Add the potatoes to the mixture and blitz for 30 seconds. Finally, add the lemon juice and a good sprinkling of pepper. Scrape the brandade into a bowl and give it a good stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6 For the scones, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, salt, butter, cheese and seaweed. On a low speed, slowly add the milk until the ingredients come together as a dough; do not overwork. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently roll out to a 3cm thickness.
7 Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Using a 5cm plain cutter, stamp out 8 rounds from the dough and place on the lined tray. Brush the scones with milk and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
8 Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Bake the scones for 10 minutes until they are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack.
9 To serve, cut the scones in half and top each half with brandade. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the parsley and seaweed. Serve with the lemon segments. Alternative fish: haddock, coley, hake or pouting.