Seared Fish With Creamed Kale And Leeks Food

SEARED FISH WITH CREAMED KALE AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Prepare your fish: Pat the fish dry, then salt the skin side to help draw out moisture. Set on a plate and refrigerate, uncovered.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Prepare your kale: Pull the leaves off the stems and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Wash vigorously, drain, then set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium. Add the leek, thyme and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the cream and bring to a boil over high. Continue to cook on high until thickened, about 5 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve set over a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, strain the sauce, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. (You should have about 1/2 cup sauce.) Set aside the solids and return the sauce to the saucepan. Whisk in the mustard and stock concentrate, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
• Discard the thyme sprigs and stir the cooked leek mixture into cooked rice, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Once the sauce is done, blanch the kale in the boiling water until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain and rinse under cold water. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess liquid. Add to the strained cream, then season with salt and pepper. Cover, and warm over low, stirring occasionally.
• Cook the fish: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Pat the fish dry a second time, then season the skin with pepper, and the flesh with salt and pepper. Add to the hot oil, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crispy and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and cook until the outside starts to turn golden, but the thickest part of the fish is still slightly translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Divide the rice (if using), creamed kale and fish among plates and serve immediately.

STEAMED FISH ON KALE

Steps:

• Wash greens and shake dry, allowing some water to cling to leaves. Cut into rough sections, 3 or 4 inches long; cut off and discard any stems thicker than 1/4-inch. Put greens in a deep skillet that can be covered, along with wine, garlic, half the butter, and some salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high, cover and cook, checking occasionally to make sure mixture does not dry out, until greens are just about tender, 10 minutes or so. Put fish on top of greens, season with salt and pepper, and dot with remaining butter. Re-cover, and cook until fish is done and greens fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.

CREAMY SALMON, LEEK & POTATO TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 8 mins. Drain and leave to steam-dry in a colander for a few minutes. Toss the potatoes with ½ of the oil and plenty of seasoning in a baking tray. Put in the oven for 20 mins, tossing halfway through the cooking time.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry for 5 mins, or until beginning to soften. Stir through the garlic for 1 min, then add the cream, capers and 75ml hot water, then bring to the boil. Stir through the chives.
• Heat the grill to high. Pour the creamy leek mixture over the potatoes, then sit the salmon fillets on top. Grill for 7-8 mins, or until just cooked through. Serve topped with extra chives and capers and a salad on the side, if you like.

CREAMED KALE

Steps:

• Blanch the kale in lightly salted water until tender, rinse in ice water, drain and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the kale, cream and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, or until the cream has reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SKATE WINGS WITH CABBAGE AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Rinse fish and pat dry. Combine yellow onions, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet. Add the skate wings and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, remove pan from heat. Remove 1 cup of the liquid into a small nonreactive saucepan and set aside. Cover the skillet and set aside until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile steam the cabbage until cooked, about 10 minutes. Bring the reserved cup of liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil for another minute. Swirl in the butter a few pieces at a time, and keep the sauce warm over very low heat. To serve, drain the skate on a towel. Remove the skin from both sides. Place 2 wedges of cabbage on each of 4 warmed dinner plates. Place skate on top of cabbage. Spoon sauce over the fish, sprinkle with leeks and serve immediately.
• Wine: Manzanilla La Gitana Sherry