Bacalhau

If you know anything about Portuguese cuisine you will know that bacalhau (salted cod) is an obsession. We believe there are thousands of ways of preparing this delicious cured fish which is as close as one can get to a national dish. Here, we combine the flavourful bacalhau with a sweet roast celeriac puree and stewed leek and seaweed mix. This recipe uses the sous vide technique to highlight bacalhau’s soft and creamy texture. We prepare this recipe using the Anova but it will work with any sous vide machinery. Picture show an (optional) foam made of mussel juice and soy lecithin.

2 large bacalhau portions/postas (soaked for three days in cold water)

2 cups of roast celeriac (peel and cut a celeriac in cubes and roast with a little olive oil and salt for 40 minutes, turning occasionally)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Three leeks (sliced and washed)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed

Sea salt

For the parsley and garlic oil

1 small bunch of fresh Parsley

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 peeled clove of garlic

Small pinch of salt

Serves 4

1. Remove the bone from the bacalhau to make four boneless pieces. Place in ziplock bag with a little olive oil. Set the Anova to 55º and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the leeks in low heat with the butter and a little salt. Soak the wakame in hot water for 10 minutes. To serve mix the leeks and the seaweed to make a bed for the cod.
3. Make the celeriac purée by blending together with almond milk and gently warming up just a few minutes before the cod is ready.
4. Make the parsley and garlic oil by blending all ingredients with a hand blender.
5. If making the foam use concentrated mussel juice, add soy lecithin (0.5% the weight of the liquid) and use a hand blender to foam. The foam (or air) is spooned out to the plate.
6. Plate by placing a layer of the celeriac purée, a bed of leek and wakame and the sous vide cod. Spoon a little parsley and garlic oil and foam if using and serve immediately.

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