Pollakloin and shrimp with kroepoek breaded in foamed crustacean stock with fried asparagus

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 300 g fish (pollakloon)
• 2 prawns (size 16/20)
• 30 g chips (Kroepoek crab chips), finely pureed
• 500 g asparagus, green
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• butter
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 500 ml stock (crustacean stock from shrimp shells)
• 4 cl whiskey (bourbon)
• 6 cl dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
• 1 dashes lemon juice
• 1 tbsp butter, ice-cold pieces
• 100 ml cream
• 1 tsp tomato paste, if desired
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

I made the sauce stock myself from collected and frozen shrimp shells and heads. It doesn’t always have to be lobster shells; these ingredients can also be used to create a very flavorful base for sauces. If you don’t want to go to the trouble, you can use ready-made stock from the fishmonger, but you’ll have to lower your flavor expectations somewhat. To make the sauce, bring the stock to a boil and reduce it by about half or less. This is due to the reduction that had already taken place during the preparation of the stock. Add the whiskey and vermouth, reduce again a little, and season with lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the butter and melt it. Shortly before serving, add the cream, heat but do not boil, and froth the sauce with a mixer. The froth gives the sauce more volume while still being full of flavor. Less liquid is needed, thus saving calories. Using this method and the specified quantities, it will also serve about 6 people. If the finished sauce is too light, stir in a little tomato paste. Peel the lower third of the asparagus, halve the stalks lengthwise, and fry in a mixture of 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil at medium heat at most. Turn the asparagus over frequently, sprinkle with a little sugar, and season the slightly firm stalks with salt and pepper. To make the fish coating, crush the crab crackers, grind them finely in a mortar and pestle, or puree them in a blender, and season with salt and pepper. Add the fish fillets, skin-side down, and the shrimp on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a pan, sear the fish on the breaded side for about a minute, then reduce the heat to half. As soon as the fillets are half cooked, as you can tell by looking at the sides, add a little salt to the fish, turn it over, and let it cook on a platter. Once the fish fillets have been turned, the shrimp can be added to the pan, as they require a much shorter cooking time and should remain slightly translucent in the center after cooking. To serve, place the asparagus on the plates, place the fish and shrimp next to it, pour the sauce over the asparagus, and sprinkle with parsley. I often serve this with mashed potatoes, mixed with some of the butter, olive oil, and asparagus liquid from the pan, or with some shellfish sauce, coarse sea salt, and parsley. * For making the shellfish stock, see my recipe “Homemade Crustacean Stock.”