Poached Skate Grenobloise with Sautéed New Potatoes and Autumn Truffle

When was the last time you had fish with bites that melted in your mouth? How long has it been since you come across a fish recipe with a taste that left you craving for it for days? If you are looking for one such recipe to satiate your desire for seafood that brings to life the notion of bliss on tongue, this dish is going to impressive everyone beyond your wildest imaginations. Imagine the magic you will be creating with truffle-scented potatoes, skate wings and the finger-licking good caper sauce. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.

Recipe

This recipe serves 4. The cooking time is 20 minutes and preparation time is 35 minutes.

Ingredients

Skate wings (with trimmed edges) 4 small
Sea salt A pinch
Black peppercorns 10
Star anise 3
Cayenne pepper To taste
Bay leaf (fresh) 1
Sprig parsley 1
Sprig thyme 1
Lemon (sliced and peeled) 1

Ingredients for serving

Salad leaves A few
Lemon juice 2 tablespoons
Olive oil (extra virgin) 1 teaspoon

Ingredients for the potatoes

Olive oil 1 tablespoon
New potatoes (cooked, sliced and peeled) 400 grams
Bacon lardons (blanched) 40 grams
Truffles (fresh and grated) 20 grams
Spring onions (sliced finely with the green part) 4
Crushed juniper berries 3-4
Chervil (chopped) 1 tablespoon
Butter 20 grams
Black pepper To taste

Ingredients for the Grenobloise

Butter (unsalted) 200 grams
Crushed capers 1 tablespoon
Vinegar of red wine A generous dash
Lemon juice ½ lemon
Parsley (chopped) 1 tablespoon
Garlic croutons (small) 2 tablespoons
Black pepper To taste

Instructions

Take a large saucepan and place skate wings in it. Add water enough to immerse the wings completely. Add the herbs, lemon slices and seasonings. Cook the mixture until it starts to boil. Allow it to simmer for 1 or 1 ½ minutes. Take the pan off the flame and let the skate wings stay in the hot stock for about eight to ten minutes.

In the meanwhile, start frying the potatoes. Take a large frying pan with oil in it and place it over medium heat. Now add the slices of potatoes and fry them for about one to two minutes until they turn golden. Now fry it for another minute after adding blanched lardons. Now app spring onions, chervil, truffle and juniper berries. Add butter at the last and fry for just 30 seconds. Add pepper and salt to taste and transfer the potatoes to a serving dish.

For making the Grenobloise sauce, add butter in the same pan you have used for making potatoes. Melt the butter over flame until it gets a golden brown tinge and starts bubbling. Now dash in capers and cook the mixture for a few seconds only. Use lemon juice and vinegar to deglaze the pan and finish the dish by showering parsley and croutons. They should be seasoned to taste. Now remove the pan from heat at once and pour the mixture into a jug.

Drain all the water from the skate and discard the bones. Transfer it to warm platters. Add potatoes and use the sauce for dressing. For garnishing, use salad leaves dashed with lemon juice and olive oil.