SPRING // Recipe for four
Green almonds, purslane and fried fish throats
Green almonds are a favourite of mine; they have a completely different taste to older almonds. I particularly like the husks, which, when young, are full and sweet. These are great to pickle as well. Ask your fishmonger to give you some throats from either snapper or hake (you need the bones and two heads as well for the glaze). If you can’t buy fish throats, sand whiting or even cod cheeks are good alternatives.
GREEN ALMONDS
20 young green almonds
30 ml (1 fl oz) rice vinegar
20 g (3/4 oz) honey
Remove the green husks from the almonds. Keep the almonds in a damp towel until ready to use and thinly slice the green husks. Mix together the rice vinegar, honey and 40 ml (1¼ fl oz) water to make a pickling solution and add the green almonds and husks. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for about 2 days for the flavours to develop before using. Can be stored for up to 1 week.
FISH GLAZE
600 ml (21 fl oz) grape seed oil
2 large fish bones and fish heads (snapper is perfect)
1 smoked pork hock
500 ml (17 fl oz) white wine
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the fish bones and heads until brown and crisp. Put the fish bones and heads, pork hock, white wine and 200 ml (7 fl oz) water in a deep saucepan, then cover and simmer for 4 hours. Strain and leave in the fridge to separate, then remove the fat layer from the top of the stock. Return the pan to the heat and reduce the stock for a further 2 hours to make a glaze.
CHILLED ALMOND MILK
300 g (10½ oz) blanched almonds
310 ml (103/4 fl oz) full-cream cow’s milk
20 g (3/4 oz) salt
1 tablespoon linseed (flaxseed) oil
4 g (1/8 oz) gellan gum
3 g (1/8 oz) iota carrageenan
Finely blend the blanched almonds. Put the milk in a pan with 200 ml (7 fl oz) water and add the almonds. Heat to 55°C (131°F) and then cover and put in the fridge overnight. Strain the almond milk into a heavy-based saucepan and add the salt, linseed oil, gellan and iota. Heat to 84°C (183°F), stirring continuously. Strain onto a tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to set. Purée until smooth and then keep chilled.
FISH THROATS
4 large fish throats (from snapper or hake)
100 g (3½ oz) potato starch
500 ml (17 fl oz) grape seed oil
5 g (1/8 oz) fennel salt
Lightly coat the fish throats in potato starch. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and shallow-fry the fish for about 4 minutes until crisp. Season with the fennel salt.
PLANTS TO FINISH
5 sprigs purslane, including stems
Rue
Clean the purslane by picking off the leaves. Keep the stems to use as well.