MARKET FISH AND PICKLED MUSSELS
WITH SMOKED POTATO SWEET CORN AND BASIL
Miro’s Head Chef, Liam Summers was born and raised in Christchurch amongst a very art, garden and, of course, food-focused family.
Prior to Miro, Liam was Sous chef at Pegasus Bay winery for five years. He loves the produce Canterbury has to offer and how Christchurch is developing its own food scene.
“In my relatively short career, people in Canterbury are now so open to tasting different flavours and produce, as a chef, it’s so great to see.”
Market fish, pickled mussels, smoked potato sweet corn, and basil – a dish that makes the most of the end of summer produce. Pickled mussels are such a Kiwi thing and can make a delicious starter or canape.
SERVES 4
Begin by pickling the mussels; bring sugar and vinegar to the boil, steam mussels open in a very hot pot with a lid. Separate the meat from the shells and add the steaming liquor to the vinegar/sugar solution. When cool, add the mussel meat, sliced chilli, and shallot.
For the smoked potato cream, add all the ingredients to a pot with a generous pinch of salt. Simmer with a lid on for one to two hours or until the potatoes are cooked. Make sure the potatoes are submerged to ensure that they cook evenly (the pot may need topping up with water and milk in equal quantities. Once cooked, blend the potatoes in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth in consistency and set aside in a pot to reheat when cooking the fish.
To cook the corn, bring a large pot to a rolling boil with a good pinch of salt and blanch for 3–4 minutes at this end of the season; if you’re not sure if it is cooked or not, try some. Once cooked, refresh the corn in icy water and slice the kernels off with a kitchen knife.
To assemble, gently reheat the potato cream and cook the fish in a hot pan with a neutral oil such as canola skin side down; the skin protects the delicate flesh from the hard heat. Lower the temperature and continue to cook gently until the flesh is two-thirds cooked then flip the fillet to the flesh side and continue cooking until it is just cooked through. Lay the potato cream in the bowl or plate, mix the mussels, corn, and basil. Place on potato cream and then add the fish fillets. Enjoy with good friends and Chardonnay.
Fish
600g skin-on fish fillets, ask your fish supplier what is good
3 cobs of corn stripped of their husk
A handful of basil leaves to garnish
For the pickled mussels
1kg mussels
Bottle of dry white wine; to drink while cooking and 100ml to steam open the mussels
100ml white wine vinegar
40g caster sugar
1/2 a red chilli
1/2 a shallot, finely sliced
For the smoked potato cream
250 Agria potatoes, skin on sliced approximately 1cm in width and smoked till golden brown
250ml milk
150ml water
100g butter