Nothing slow about today, well at least not on my station. Instead of making the cod, Pandora and I switched, so that we can practice making the other dish. The wild stripped bass with the smoked shallot sauce and celery root apple puree with sautéed mustard greens and oyster mushrooms will go down as one of my favorite (yes, we all know there are many) dishes that I have tried in culinary school. First of all, the puree and sauce go so perfectly together, they could be confusion for Dr. Evil and Mini Me. I made both of them from scratch today because if on the final I get this dish I want to be able to chop Suey it all the way to Japan!
Cooking the bass is pretty simple. We season it with salt, pepper, and add some flour on the skin side to ensure that it is as crispy as KFC Fried Chicken. There is not much to prep beforehand besides the sauce, puree, mushrooms, and cleaning the mustard greens. At service though, oh boy buckle up because this dish is like the neighborhood bicycle, everyone wants to give it a try! Yes, I’m guilty of it too.
After crisping the skin up on the flattop, into the oven it goes to cook throughout inside. Plating is fun because there are a lot of components, but none outshine the king himself sitting on his throne of mustard greens- Bass himself.
Last day at poissonier is tomorrow and then off to saucier! Slow this down, it’s going by too too too fast!
Love,
E