Salt cod & prawn stuffed piquillo peppers, squid ink rice, aioli

Yield 4

Author Steven Farhall

Prep time

4 H & 30 M

Cook time

20 Min

Total time

4 H & 50 M

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Salt cod & prawn stuffed piquillo peppers, squid ink rice, aioli

You don’t find salt cod in uk supermarkets which is a shame but you can achieve the same texture and flavour without the need for rehydrating the cod with fresh cod fillet. This recipe flavours the cod with saffron which gives it a distinct yellow colour which works great with the red of the piquillo pepper. Prawn gives us the protein to bind the salt cod into a mousse like filling and we use the head and shells to make a bisque to cook the rice. Squid ink or cuttlefish ink is really easy to get hold of these days and gives the rice a rich sea flavour.

Ingredients

For the salt cod

• 250g cod fillet
• 25g sea salt
• 25g caster sugar
• 0.5g (pinch) saffron strands
• 50ml sherry

For the filling

• 500g king prawns (head on, shell on)
• 2 egg whites
• 100ml double cream
• 8 cooked piquillo peppers (from a tin)

For the prawn bisque

• heads and shells from the king prawns
• olive oil
• 3 banana shallots
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick celery
• 1/4 fennel
• 1/2 stick leek
• 2 bay leaves
• 100ml brandy
• 1tbsp tom puree
• 3 garlic cloves
• sea salt

For the squid rice

• olive oil
• 1 squid tube diced
• 3 shallots
• splash sherry
• splash brandy
• 150g Arborio rice
• 200ml fish stock
• 200ml prawn bisque
• 1tsp squid or cuttlefish ink
• sea salt

For the gremolata

• 50g flat leaf parsley
• 1 lemon rind, grated
• 1 clove garlic, grated

For the aioli

• 8 cloves garlic
• 3 egg yolks
• 250ml pomace oil or (1/2 olive 1/2 rapeseed oil)
• squeeze lemon juice
• sea salt

Instructions

For the salt cod

1. Remove any skin and bones from the cod fillet and cut into big chunks
2. In a bowl mix up the salt, sugar, sherry and saffron strands to make a paste
3. Add the cod pieces and coat thoroughly
4. Leave in the fridge to cure for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
5. Remove the cod from the cure and place into a baking tray
6. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil, cover with foil, and bake for 20minutes at 180oC.
7. Once cooked flake the meat into a bowl with a little of the cooking liquid in the pan so its not too dry.

For the filling

1. Peel and de-head the prawns and reserve the shells for the stock.
2. Cut down the back of the prawns and remove any black veins that remain
3. Put the prawns into a blender with the egg white and blend to a paste
4. Slowly add the cream while blending to thin and smooth the paste
5. Place the paste into a bowl and combine with the flaked salt cod.
6. Stuff the filling into the piquillo pepper shells

For the bisque

1. In a pan fry off the prawn shells and head, crushing them with the end of a rolling pin to release their juices.
2. Deglaze with the brandy and add the rest of the ingredients and cover with cold water
3. Bring to the boil and skim off any impurities
4. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour
5. Strain the bisque through a muslin cloth and reserve

For the squid rice

1. Pre-cook the arborio rice. Put the rice into a pan of water and bring to the boil and cook on a high heat for 8 minutes. Refresh under cold water and keep until required.
2. In a separate pan, cook the shallot with the finely diced squid in the olive oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the alcohols and reduce by half. add the fish stock and bisque and reduce by half again.
3. Add the pre-cooked rice and cook until the rice is fully cooked, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the squid ink and mix in until you have a nice black colour and the consistence is not too wet and not too stiff.
5. You can correct the seasoning here but be aware the stuffed peppers will be salty.

For the aioli

1. Wrap the garlic cloves in tin foil with a dash of olive oil and bake in the oven 180oC for about 25 minutes. the garlic cloves should be soft and mushy when squeezed.
2. In a measuring jug or round plastic container add the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic cloves and salt.
3. With a hand blender briefly blend the mix.
4. Slowly add the pomace oil while blending to emulsify the mix into a thick mayonnaise
5. Taste the mayonnaise and adjust the seasoning. If the garlic is a bit too much for you add a little more oil.

For the gremolata

1. Chop the parsley finely onto a chopping board
2. Grate the lemon rind and garlic over the parsley with a microplane
3. Chop the lemon and garlic into the parsley and reserve until required

To cook and serve

1. Place the stuffed peppers on an oiled baking tray and cook in the oven for 10-12minutes at 180oC. You can leave them like this or you can blister the peppers with a blowtorch before plating.
2. Spoon the squid rice on your serving plates and dot some aioli on the rice with a sprinkling of gremolata.
3. Place 2 stuffed peppers per person onto the plates and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Recommended Products

Sara Saffron Highest Grade A+, 100% Authentic Saffron Threads, 4 Grams

Poseidon squid ink, Tinta Calamar, Nero di seppia , 180 gm jar

Mas Portell Wood Roasted DOP Piquillo Peppers 225 g (Pack of 2)

Wild black cod misshapes