Pan-Roasted Wild Turbot with...Pan-Roasted Wild Turbot with Smoked Shellfish Dashi and Yuzu Emulsion

Crispy line-caught wild turbot resting on charred baby leeks, enveloped in a rich smoked shellfish dashi broth and finished with a silky yuzu-brown butter emulsion.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Smoked Shellfish Dashi: Roast the prawn shells at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes. In a saucepan, combine 800ml water and kombu; bring to 60°C (140°F) over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove kombu, add roasted shells and katsuobushi, bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, strain through a fine-mesh chinois, and season with smoked sea salt.

2. 02

   Prepare the Yuzu-Brown Butter Emulsion: In a small saucepan, melt 100g of cultured butter over medium heat until brown and nutty (beurre noisette). In a separate pan, reduce white wine and minced shallot until nearly dry. Whisk in the browned butter and fresh yuzu juice until fully emulsified. Keep warm.

3. 03

   Blanch the baby leeks in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then shock in ice water. Drain, pat dry, and char quickly in a smoking-hot skillet with a drizzle of clarified butter until lightly blackened on the outside.

4. 04

   Score the skin of the turbot fillets lightly. Season generously with Maldon sea salt.

5. 05

   Heat clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan over high heat. Place turbot skin-side down, press gently for 10 seconds to ensure skin contact, and cook for 3-4 minutes until skin is golden and crispy. Add remaining 50g butter to the pan, flip the fish, and baste for 1 minute until just translucent in the center.

6. 06

   To Plate: Arrange two charred baby leeks in the center of shallow warm bowls. Top with a piece of pan-roasted turbot. Spoon yuzu emulsion around the plate, garnish with fresh samphire, and pour the warm smoked dashi broth tableside around the fish.