Turbot terrine
A light, vibrant starter from the head chef of Camille
Recipe Meta
Prep
20 mins
Cook
40 mins
Serves
10 as a starter
Difficulty
Hard
Ingredients
- 1 turbot
- 4 large leeks
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 100g butter
- 2 tbsp capers
- Parsley, dill and chervil, to serve
- 2 lemons, zest and juice, for dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil, for dressing
Method
Skin and fillet the turbot and remove the gills from the head. Reserve the head and bones for your stock. Trim the leeks and reserve their tops
Break up the turbot offcuts into chunks. Transfer to a pot with the chopped shallot and herbs, barely cover with water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-60 mins.
Strain, then reduce the stock until roughly a fifth of its original volume. Season well with salt and pepper.
Melt half the butter, toss the leeks in the butter, then steam for 8 mins until skewer-soft.
Use the remaining half of the butter to coat the turbot. Season, then steam the fish for 10 mins until just cooked.
Split the leeks lengthways with a knife, cutting down only as far as the core. The outer layers should open up into large rectangles, with each core remaining as a tight cylinder.
Lay out clingfilm so that it’s the same length as your terrine mould and four times the width. Lay out the leek rectangles on top so they cover the whole of the clingfilm, overlapping each other slightly. Transfer the leek-covered clingfilm into the terrine mould – it should be overhanging the mould on the two long sides. Add the remaining leek rectangles to fill in the ends.
Now layer your steamed turbot meat into the mould, scattering capers and leek cores throughout. Season accordingly with salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. The terrine should be slightly bulging out at the top. Pour in the warm fish stock, then wrap over the overhanging edges of the leek rectangles to seal the top.
Press overnight in the fridge. Once pressed, serve the terrine with a salad of parsley, dill and chervil. Toss the herbs in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Finish with the lemon zest.