Skrei fillet fried on the skin with caper jus and a variety of vegetables

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g fish fillet(s) (skrei fillet, winter cod), with skin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 400 g asparagus (green Thai asparagus)
• 3 carrots
• 100 g sugar snap peas
• 100 g broccoli
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper
• 30 g capers
• 20 g raisins
• 20 g leek, the white part
• 1 cl vinegar (white wine vinegar)
• 50 ml dry vermouth (e.g. Noilly Prat)
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 100 ml fish stock
• curry
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp sugar
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Nutmeg, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

First, prepare the caper jus. Finely chop the leek and sauté it in a little olive oil until translucent. Deglaze with vinegar, then with vermouth and white wine, and reduce by half. Add the raisins, capers, and 1 teaspoon of curry powder, top up with the fish stock, and reduce the liquid by about a third. Purée the stock with a hand blender and pass it through a fine sieve. Finally, carefully whisk in 80–100 ml of olive oil and season the sauce with salt, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, a little lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. It is important that the stock does not boil and that the olive oil is added drop by drop, then in a thin stream. Otherwise, the sauce could curdle and become flaky. While the caper jus is simmering, prepare the vegetables. Cut the carrots into diamond-shaped pieces and cut the broccoli into small florets. Blanch both in boiling water for one minute, and the asparagus and snow peas for 10 seconds. Drain through a sieve, rinse in ice-cold water, and drain well. Dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Score the skin-side of the fish fillets with a sharp knife. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and briefly sear the skin-side down, then reduce the heat to medium. After about 4 minutes, turn the fish over and finish cooking over low heat. You can easily see the cooking progress on the sides when the translucent flesh slowly turns white. The fillet is done when it is almost cooked through, leaving only a thin, translucent stripe inside. Salt the fish. Meanwhile, melt butter in a second pan, add the vegetables, and heat over low heat. Toss occasionally and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on plates, place the skrei fillets on top, and pour the sauce over them. Boiled potatoes go very well with this dish.