Terroir's local fish of the day

Craggy Range's Giants Winery

Craggy Range's Giants Winery is a not to be missed stop on the Hawkes Bay, NZ, Wine Trail.

Terrôir

Gourmets schedule their visit around meal time at its restaurant, Terrôir, and I found out why. When Chef shared the recipe for that night's dessert, a Lemon Thyme Semi Fredo with Gingerbread and Rhubarb Confit, it proved to be all but impossible to recreate so I asked for another.

This may be the local whatever-they-caught-today, but the recipe transforms it into anything but ordinary.

Terrôir Local Fish of the Day

Makes 4

You will need just under 2 pounds of fresh fish fillets divided into 4

Caramelized fennel bulb lentils

2 cups Puy (French - green) lentils                  2 (scant) quarts water

2 bay leaves                                                        Salt

Cook the lentils from cold water with bay and salt, simmer for 30-40 minutes, strain.

3 medium-large fennel bulbs                             1/3 cup (generous) olive oil

1½ cups finely diced onion                                2 TBS finely diced garlic

2 lemons - finely grated zest                            

Trim fennel bulbs, removing green fibrous stem  and reserving the green herb.

Finely dice the fennel.

In a large saucepan combine the fennel, oil, onion, garlic and lemon zest, sweat for 40 minutes on low heat. Once soft, increase the heat and caramelize.

Stir into the cooked lentils.

To serve, gently reheat the lentils and add chopped flat parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, fennel herb, salt and pepper

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Crab and Lemon Sabayon

1/8 cup (1 oz.)  crab stock                               1/4 cup (scant) dry white wine

Pinch of saffron                                                  1 lemon,  juiced

½ lemon zest                                                      Salt and pepper

1 egg yolk                                                           1/2 cup (scant) butter

dash of cream

Over a water bath, whisk the egg yolk, saffron, lemon juice and zest together until thickened.

Reduce wine and crab stock together by half, add a splash of cream and reheat to a simmer.

Take off the heat and whisk into egg yolk mixture till smooth and then melt in the butter until completely smooth. Rest in a warm place until ready to use.

To serve, cook the fish, reheat the lentils, spoon the sabayon over the plate and add the finished lentils to the plate. Serve with a selection of baby seasonal vegetables - baby leeks, carrots, fennel, beets etc. -  then the fish. Finish with some fresh watercress tips.