By Lisa Allen, executive head chef at Northcote restaurant
Serves two
SEABASS:
2 x 70g thick pieces of wild seabass, skin on
Salt
Olive oil
SORREL OIL:
200g fresh sorrel, picked
200g rapeseed or vegetable oil
CHARRED LETTUCE SAUCE:
6 heads gem lettuce
Rapeseed oil
Salt
Sorrel oil (see recipe above)
LEEKS:
2 young garden leeks, root on
30g leek juice (extracted by juicing the outer tops of the leeks)
10g water
1g salt
2g sugar
5g butter
SORREL AND YUZU EMULSION:
2 eggs
300g sorrel oil
8g salt
10g lemon juice
60g crème fraiche
10g yuzu juice
GARNISH:
Oxalis iron cross
Oxalis iron cross flower
Blackened charred lettuce
SEABASS:
Place the seabass onto an oven tray, skin side down, and season to taste with salt and olive oil. For the best results, cook in a combination oven with half steam and half roast for six minutes. However, 180°C for five to six minutes in a fan oven will work just as well.
SORREL OIL:
Blitz the sorrel and the oil together in a blender for about six minutes until the sorrel is really broken down. Pour the mixture into some cheesecloth and hang to extract the pure sorrel oil.
CHARRED LETTUCE SAUCE:
Cut the lettuce in half and season with salt and rapeseed oil. Place the lettuce into a dry, non-stick pan and sear until the edges of the lettuce are charred. Leave to cool then put through a juicer. Season the juice with salt and sorrel oil.
LEEKS:
Cut the leeks into 6cm long pieces, leaving the root on. In one pan, heat the leek juice, water, salt, sugar and butter.
Put the leeks into another pan with a little of the leek juice mix, cover with a lid and simmer for four to five minutes until tender.
Once cooked, remove the leeks from the pan and set aside to cool. Reserve the liquid for reheating when ready to serve. Cut the root from the end of the leeks and deep fry until golden and crispy. Cut the leeks into three equal ‘barrels’ and reheat in the liquid for serving. Season with salt
SORREL AND YUZU EMULSION:
Boil the eggs for four and a half minutes then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.
In a small jug, use a stick blender to blitz the eggs into a purée. Slowly add half (150g) of the sorrel oil while still using the hand blender, then add the salt, lemon juice, crème fraiche and yuzu juice.
Slowly and continuously pour in the remaining 150g sorrel oil, ensuring the emulsion doesn’t spill out.
TO ASSEMBLE:
In the middle of a shallow bowl, place a spoonful of the yuzu and sorrel emulsion and scatter with a couple of charred lettuce leaves.
Next, add a good spoonful of the lettuce sauce over the top and rest a piece of seabass on top.
Finish the dish with the crispy leek root and garnish with the oxalis and more charred lettuce bits.