FLOWER POT KITCHEN: SUCCULENT PAN FRIED COD IN LEMON BUTTER WITH CHUNKY TARTARE & CAPERS IN A TOASTED CIABATTA BUN

9 Feb 2012

SUCCULENT PAN FRIED COD IN LEMON BUTTER WITH CHUNKY TARTARE & CAPERS IN A TOASTED CIABATTA BUN

INGREDIENTS
Thick fillet of cod or firm white fish
50g butter just melted
Dash ooil
1 lemon zested & juiced
100g fresh soft breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
Ciabatta rolls
Flat leaf parsley fine chopped
HOMEMADE TARTARE
15 capers roughly chopped
1 tsp fine chopped dill or parsley
2 tbsp mayo
2 cornichons fine chopped
Fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper

FIRST MAKE THE TARTARE
In a bowl place the mayo, capers, cornichons and herbs, add some of the lemon juice and taste, if you feel it needs more lemon or more mayo adjust accordingly. Season to taste. If you like you can add some lemon zest into the tartare.

Heat a non stick pan medium hot. Take the cod or white fish fillets and paint with some of the soften butter, sprinkle over some of the lemon zest, season with sea salt and pepper then gently and lightly coat in the fresh breadcrumbs. Add the butter to the hot pan with the ooil and pan fry the cod. We are only going to turn this fillet once, so don't be tempted to touch it too soon, we want the fillet to cook just over half way before turning. Once cooked squeeze over the lemon juice and place a lid on the pan or a sheet of tin foil, to keep warm while we load up the roll. Toast the ciabatta rolls in the oven and get ready to assemble.

Take the ciabatta roll and cut in half, spread the tartare like butter on both sides of the roll, on the bottom place the fillet of fish and top with the tartare, you can add crispy lettuce if you like.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.