ROBIN ARMSTRONG (COSMOGRAF)

On the menu: The Hay-Man’s Bream

“I got into cooking about 10 years ago after being challenged by my wife to come up with something exciting to eat on a Saturday night. I’m a big fan of the new wave of British chefs and the way they take classic ingredients and give them a contemporary and progressive flavour. I guess it’s very much like my approach to writing music…”

Ingredients (serves 2):

Sea Bream Fillets, 100g fresh peas, 100g French beans, 100g potatoes, 1 egg yolk, 200ml olive oil, 1 tsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 100ml vegetable stock, 50ml double cream, 1 tbsp tarragon leaves, 25g butter, salt and pepper

Preparation:

“Peel the potato and dice into 1cm cubes then add to boiling water. Cook until tender, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 20 minutes at 210°C (Gas Mark 7). Whisk the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard together in a bowl for one minute, then slowly add the olive oil to make a mayonnaise – don’t add the oil too quickly, otherwise the mixture will split. Season with salt.

Gently heat the stock in a saucepan. Stir the cream into the mayonnaise then whisk in the stock a little at a time and set aside.

To cook the fish, oil a medium frying pan with olive oil, season the bream fillets and lay them skin side down. Fry while adding the butter cubes and baste to coat the flesh of the fish. I like to blacken the butter and crisp the skin and edges of the fish for extra crunch. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Peel the asparagus spears and blanch them with the peas and trimmed French beans for two to three minutes. To finish the sauce, add the tarragon, reheat and serve in warmed bowls with the potato cubes, peas and asparagus. Lay the fish on top.

Sea bream is my favourite fish and I call this recipe ‘The Hay-Man’s Bream’ after my latest album, The Hay-Man Dreams. The sauce is very prog, and can be a challenge to get it perfect!”