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Pan-fried John Dory with turnips and chestnuts

Preparation time
overnight

Cooking time
1 to 2 hours

Serves
Serves 4

By Tom Aikens

From Saturday Kitchen 

Ingredients

For the confit turnips

  • 75g/2½oz butter, diced
  • 500g/1lb 2oz turnips, peeled and grated, then squeezed in a clean tea towel, juice reserved
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 8g/¼oz salt
  • large pinch finely crushed black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves

For the turnip milk sauce

  • 900ml/1½pt milk
  • 300g/10½oz turnips, peeled and chopped into 1cm/¼in pieces
  • 200ml/7fl oz double cream
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 20g/¾oz caster sugar
  • 200ml/7fl oz fresh turnip juice (reserved from the confit turnips)
  • 50g/1¾oz creamed horseradish sauce

For the chestnut sauce

  • 20g/¾oz butter
  • 75g/2½oz 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

  • 3 chestnuts, tops crossed
  • 25g/1oz butter
  • 1 medium-sized turnip, peeled, sliced and cut into rounds
  • 2 baby turnips, peeled and finely sliced on a mandolin
  • turnip oil or olive oil for drizzling

 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

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