Snapper and beetroot lasagne by Nick Honeyman.
Recipe by Nick Honeyman, Paris Butter & Le Petit Leon, Auckland
Servings: 4. Prep Time: 45 mins. Cook Time: 4-6 mins. Skill Level: Moderate
2 large fresh beetroots
(red or yellow)
4 pickling onions
1 clove garlic
1 snapper fillet, skinned (or any white-fleshed fish, 300g approx.)
30g butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
20g chopped fresh parsley
200g brie
50g parmesan, finely grated
A couple of handfuls of freshly picked greens
Gluten free
Wash beetroot, place in a deep pot and cover with water. Add a tablespoon of sea salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until cooked, around 35 minutes. Strain beetroot and peel off the skin straight away by rubbing them with a piece of paper towel. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, cut beetroot into thin ribbons around 2mm thick. Irregular shapes are fine: it's the thickness that is important. Lie them on a tray and keep warm until needed.
Peel onions and shave on a mandolin or slice finely with a knife, making sure to cut them across the grain to give perfect ringlets.
Finely chop garlic and cut snapper into fine dice (1cm).
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Place butter, oil and onions in a heavy-based saucepan. Gently heat the pan over a medium heat, seasoning the mixture with salt at the beginning to draw the moisture out of the onions. They will cook in 4-6 minutes over a medium heat; you do not want any colour but do want them to be translucent.
Strain onions out of the pot, reserve and keep warm, returning the cooking liquid to the pot. Add garlic. Cook gently over a low heat until garlic takes on a light caramel colour, then add snapper and remove the pan from the heat. The snapper will cook in the residual heat of the pan - it will be ready as soon as it takes on a white colour. Season with lemon zest, chopped parsley and sea salt.
To plate, cut brie into four pieces, placing one in the centre of each plate and pushing it down with the back of a spoon until about 2cm high. Place serving plates in the oven for 3 minutes, then remove and cover brie with beetroot slices, then a layer of onion and a layer of snapper and a few greens. Repeat this one more time, then finish with beetroot slices on top. Season with olive oil and a little lemon zest, and finish the plate with a good amount of parmesan.
Tip: Take time in the cutting of all of the ingredients - this is a very important part of the cooking process and is often where the dish falls down.
Recipes from Made With Love: 100 of the World's Best Chefs, Cooks and Food Artisans and the Food They Make for the People They Love, Echo Publishing, $49.95.
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