Pan-fried John Dory with turnips and chestnuts
A luxurious dish that makes the most of seasonal turnips and chestnuts.
Ingredients
For the confit turnips
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú butter, diced
- 500g/1lb 2oz turnips, peeled and grated, then squeezed in a clean tea towel, juice reserved
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 8²µ/¼´Ç³ú salt
- large pinch finely crushed black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
For the turnip milk sauce
- 900³¾±ô/1½±è³Ù milk
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú turnips, peeled and chopped into 1cm/¼in pieces
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 2 tsp salt
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 200ml/7fl oz fresh turnip juice (reserved from the confit turnips)
- 50g/1¾oz creamed horseradish sauce
For the chestnut sauce
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú butter
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 150g/5½oz chopped confit chestnuts
- 25ml/1fl oz white wine vinegar
- 150ml/5fl oz Madeira
- 300ml/10fl oz chicken stock
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the John Dory
- 4 200g/7oz John Dory fillets, skin-on, pin-boned
- olive oil, for drizzling
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
To make the confit turnips, place a large shallow pan on a medium heat. Add the butter, and once melted, add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over a low heat for about an hour, or until the turnip starts to caramelise and the liquid has evaporated.
Turn up the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the turnip is golden-brown. Drain the turnip in a colander and set aside.
To make the turnip milk sauce, place the milk, turnip, cream, salt and sugar in a saucepan and cook slowly over a low heat until the turnip is tender. Add the turnip juice and horseradish and blitz in a blender. Pass through a sieve twice and keep warm in the saucepan.
Roast the whole chestnuts in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and peel when cool enough to handle. Slice very thinly using a mandolin and set aside for garnishing.
Meanwhile, to make the chestnut sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, thyme and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook for a minute, add the vinegar and reduce untill almost dry, then add the Madeira. Reduce by a third then add the stock and cream. Simmer for 5–8 minutes then blend, pass through a fine sieve and place in the fridge.
To cook the John Dory, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and fry skin-side down for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Rest for 2 minutes and remove the skins before serving.
To serve, heat the butter and 100ml/3½fl oz water in a small frying pan and once hot cook the rounds of turnip for 2 minutes, until just softened.
Place a spoonful of confit turnip on each plate and place the cooked fish on top. Spoon the turnip milk sauce over the top and garnish with the turnip rounds, a few slices of raw turnip dressed in turnip oil, the shaved roasted chestnuts and a dollop of chestnut sauce.