A tempting tale of two food heroes to serenade spring, Michel Roux Jr pairs seasonal Skrei cod with the humble cauliflower for a lavish looking dish that any foodie could cook in the comfort of their own home.

Serves 4

Prep: 35 mins (plus 2 hours infusion time)
Cook: 55 mins

Ingredients

Poaching ingredients
4 Norwegian Skrei cod fillets (deboned and skinned) from Whole Food Market, Selfridges, Booths, Harrods and quality fishmongers 
1 lt milk
1 tbsp salt

To prepare the curry infused oil
100ml rapeseed oil
1 tsp curry powder

To prepare the pickled radishes (fills a ½ litre jar)
1 bunch radishes
Pinch of mustard seeds
2 crushed black peppercorns
200ml water
200ml white wine vinegar
2 tsp fine salt
3 tbsp honey

To prepare the roasted cauliflower
150g large cauliflower florets
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of chilli powder

To prepare the cauliflower purée
Drizzle of olive oil
400g cauliflower florets
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp chopped garlic
300ml milk
1 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp extra thick double cream
Zest of half a lemon
Coriander cress for dressing
Salt and pepper
(The pickled radishes and infused oil can be prepared days beforehand and stored in sterile jars)

Method

Place the oil in a saucepan and gently heat to 60°C. Stir in the curry powder and cover the pan with cling film. Set aside to infuse for two hours.

Rinse and trim the radishes. Slice finely or for extra crunch, quarter. Place in ½ litre jar with mustard seeds and peppercorns.

Bring the water, vinegar, salt and honey to the boil in a pan. Once at a rolling boil pour into the jar of radishes. Cool to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl. Combine with the oil, chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Spread onto a baking tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes until charred. 

For the purée, put olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Sweat the cauliflower for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and garlic and sear for a further 2 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for 10 minutes until tender and ¾ of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a blender and purée with butter and cream. Once silky smooth, season with salt, pepper and lemon zest.

For the fish, pour the milk into a pan and season with salt. Place over a gentle heat. Once simmering, delicately add the Skrei and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the fish from the milk and serve immediately with the purée and cauliflower. Garnish with pickled radishes and herbs.

ENDS 

Get involved on @NorwaySeafood #Skrei2017

Images available in high resolution and credited to Norwegian Seafood Council. For more product information/availability queries, recipes or photography, please contact Jocelyn Sowden (Née Barker), Senior PR Manager at Norwegian Seafood Council UK on js@seafood.no or +44 (0)7464 706098

2017 Availability
Whole Foods Market, Booths, Selfridges and Harrods, in addition to quality fishmongers are stocking Skrei subject to availability from February through to April 2017. Skrei is also available to enjoy in top Michelin-star and fine dining restaurants in London and across the UK. 

Making Quality-Labelled Skrei Both Special & Sustainable
Only available between January and April each year, Skrei is a migratory cod, which journeys thousands of miles annually from the Barents Sea to Northern Norway. Fishing is a way of life for many Norwegians and each year, this annual phenomenon is met with great excitement and celebration.

Skrei is such a revered product in Norway that it has its own grading standard. Hundreds of millions of Norwegian cod migrate each year back to their spawning grounds of Lofoten and Vesterålen, yet only a small percentage of all landed cod will be branded with the prized dorsal fin Skrei tag, which acts almost like a seal of approval or quality assurance. 

Only the very best of the fresh Norwegian cod catch (10-13%) will be labelled as Quality Skrei, having to meet stringent quality standards, however no fish that are caught are wasted; an exemplary example of the Norwegian fisheries management system - Norway banned discards over 27 years ago. Norwegian fishing is a perfect example of man working closely with the environment - all Norwegian cod is MSC certified and the Barents Sea provides Norwegians with the largest growing cod stock in the world. 

Thanks to its epic journey through icy and dark waters, Skrei is lean and rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which makes it a hugely versatile, healthy and wholesome food, caught in its prime and in perfect condition. Quality-Labelled Skrei has firm flesh, with obvious fat lines defining the large bright white flakes which melt away during cooking. The fish can be prepared in a variety of ways and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. 

Always Ask For Quality-Labelled Skrei 
• Caught fully grown - as a large mature cod before it has spawned (approx. five years old)
• In pristine condition, with no scratches, bruising or injuries – the fish must look as good as it tastes
• Packed by trained staff within 12 hours of being caught 
• Stored on ice at a temperature between 0° and 4° Celsius
• Third party quality controlled by the Fishery Sales Organisation
• Approved sustainable by Marine Stewardship Council
• Whole, fresh Skrei is required to have the Skrei brand fastened to the forward dorsal fin and put in a branded Skrei box

A Foodie Perspective
Quality-Labelled Skrei has firm flesh, with obvious fat lines defining the large bright white flakes which melt away during cooking. The fish can be prepared in a variety of ways and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. 
For a main course, why not try brining some of the loin, then roasting and serving with a little braised fennel and anchovy. With such a delicate, yet full flavour to the meat, the fish can be served simply, with nothing more. After just a short time in the oven, the muscle and fat between the flakes will melt away and you can just push each one off with your fork.

For a more traditional approach, serve Skrei simply with boiled potatoes and steamed carrots – letting all the flavours of the fish do the talking. And if you are feeling adventurous, the classic way to prepare Norwegian Skrei is called “Mølje,” which is a simple, popular dish. To prepare this dish, in separate pots, poach the fish, liver and roe in lightly salted water; then serve with boiled potatoes. Skrei tongue and roe are considered by many to be a prized delicacy.

Top Skrei Cooking Tips From Ambassador Michel Roux Jr

• To Pan fry Skrei: “Make sure the Skrei is dry and the pan very hot. Add a little vegetable oil to the pan and carefully place the seasoned fish in the pan. Once lightly seared, then add lots of butter and baste with frothy bubbling butter. To test if cooked use a skewer, it should go through the fish easily”

• To Poach Skrei: “To poach Skrei perfectly, rule nº1 is to quickly bring the poaching liquid to the boil then turn down the heat to a very gentle simmer for the rest of the cooking duration, otherwise the fish will be tough and dry”

About the Norwegian Seafood Council

www.seafoodfromnorway.co.uk  
www.codfromnorway.com  
http://barentssea.seafood.no  
@NorwaySeafood #Skrei2017

Founded in 1991 by the Ministry of Fisheries, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) builds awareness of and educates the public on seafood from Norway. Headquartered in Tromsø, the NSC carries out Norwegian Seafood promotional, media, marketing and public relations campaigns and is a resource for market information in more than 20 different markets. Its efforts are financed by the Norwegian seafood industry itself. As the world's second-largest exporter of seafood, Norway provides quality, nutrient-rich seafood to over 150 different countries and is the world's largest joint marketer of seafood. 

About the Norge Logo

Norge is Norwegian for 'Norway' and this logo is a guarantee that the product is of Norwegian origin. The logo can only be used on products caught, farmed and processed in Norway and on licensed products in foreign markets.