Last December, on a trip to Copenhagen, I visited the critically acclaimed restaurant Fiskebar or Fish Bar restaurant. The New York Times described it as "perhaps Copenhagen's hottest new restaurant, drawing raves both for its chic interiors and loyally Danish seafood creations like tartare of Jutland trout and blue mussels from Holbaek Fjord, steamed in apple cider." A meal I had at Fiskebar was similar to the above recipe I found perusing for Spring dishes. It combined a cut of fish on a bed of leeks and other vegetables, paired with mushrooms and a sauce. Fiskebar's of course kicked things up several notches with poached halibut instead of salmon, mushroom mouse dollops around the plate, and the leeks rolled in black truffle flakes. Paired with a wonderful clean burgundy, the results were sublime. Seeing the recipe below in Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook made me think of my Fiskebar experience and so I gave it a try. Needless to say I did not replicate Fiskebar's truffle flakes, or attempt a mushroom mouse, but I did merge Fiskebar's poaching of the fish with Portale's pan searing on one side to give a nice crust. I also prefer white fish to salmon, and so I substituted a nice piece of cod. Also, Portale calls for ramps, which are a kind of onion seasonal in the Spring. Those were not available at my local store, but I did find baby vidalia onions which have a similar bulbous leek look and a mild taste. Serves 2.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh peas
2 baby vidalia onions, white and a little bit of green parts, cut in half lengthwise
2 leeks, white and a little bit of green parts, cut into 1/2 inch lengths and rings separated
4 fingerling or baby gold potatoes
4 tbsp butter
4 morel mushrooms (if desired), ends trimmed and caps halved lengthwise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 salmon, cod or halibut filets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp minced chives
pinch of chervil
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm in the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the peas and cook for 4 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process. Repeat with the onions and leeks. Drain the vegetables and set them aside, reserving 1 cup of the remaining cooking liquid. If including the morels, melt 2 tbsp of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the saucepan used for the vegetables, bring the reserved vegetable cooking liquid to a boil. Add the cream and cook for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to prevent it from boiling over. Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not quite smoking. Add the fish (skin side down if salmon) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to brown one side. Remove the fish and place in the broth in the saute pan with the uncooked side down. Cover and poach a few more minutes to complete the cooking process. Remove the cooked fish to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, stirring to incorporate. Drain the potatoes and slice them into 1/2 inch rounds. Add the potatoes, peas, onions, leeks, mushrooms and any juice to the sauce and heat, stirring gently to heat through. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, chives and chervil. Spoon the mixture out to plates or bowls. Top with the fish. Spoon out more sauce if desired. Serve.
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