Thought for Food

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Carpaccio of Smoked Cod with Tomato Salsa

When we woke up on Saturday morning the sun was shining through the window, gently caressing our faces with a summery warmth I had almost forgot existed. It instantly put me in a good mood. In fact, under the present circumstances, I could not imagine a better morning - lazing in the sun listening to Rick Wakeman on Planet Rock. Perfect.
Unfortunately, my morning poker game was anything but perfect. I was kicked out of the competition after a mere 5 minutes. But on a day like this nothing could bring me down. Besides, the good thing about my early exit from the tournament was quite apparent: Food shopping could be done while the shops and market stalls were still well stocked and not too busy.
My first stop was the fishmonger on Meath Street who had some very nice looking (and as I know very tasty) monkfish. I know we've only recently had monkfish, but when opportunity comes knocking, I just have to answer. I also stocked up on organic yoghurt and some fresh tortellini with sun-dried tomato and goat cheese filling. Then I headed on to Temple Bar market.
Despite the sunshine, spring is still a few weeks away and Jenny's vegetables reflected that. Her stall was stocked largely with the usual suspects - kale, spinach, cabbage, beetroots, carrots, turnips, spuds... Much to Lofty's delight, I also scored a nice big portion of purple sprouting broccoli - this season's first harvest I was told (yes, all of it). Apart from that, I bought a big bagful of greens and roots. Although I complained last week that I was sick of getting the same vegetables week in week out, once I'm there and see the stuff on offer, I don't really mind it that much. The alternative is Dennis who, apart from a few very nice bits and pieces, is currently selling such things as under-ripe strawberries and ageing imported asparagus. Why would I want that? Jenny's vegetables might be samey, but they are always fresh, taste lovely and can be used for a wide variety of dishes. So, if you're an inventive cook, your dinners will never be samey.
Especially if you stop by the fishmonger as well. If don't buy anything on Meath Street that can not be kept in the fridge for a day or two, I make a point of checking out the fish stall in the market. If you go early, it is always well stocked, and the man is very friendly and knowledgeable. And what's even more important, he sells wonderful fish at a good price. Don't get me wrong, he's by no means cheap, but would you really want to eat cheap fish? No, me neither. I bought two tuna steaks, cut freshly in front of my eyes, deep red in colour and glowing (don't worry, not in a shiny way) in the morning sun. The two together came to €6 - a very reasonable price in my opinion. A colleague of mine is a regular customer at Lidl, a shop which I despise for its social and environmental policies, not to mention the assault it mounted on everything I hold dear in food. There, she pays nearly as much for frozen tuna steaks from god-knows-where, caught god-knows-how and probably un-cookable by my standards. The most important thing about fresh tuna is not to overcook it. It wants to have that lovely sticky, brown crust on the outside, but it definitely needs to be pink on the inside. Frozen tuna is brown before you start cooking it and tends to go dry and flaky when cooked. You might as well go for tinned.
But back to the good fish. The stuff on offer was so nice, I could not get myself to walk away with just one dinner's worth. The gentleman in front of me had bought a filet that had caught my eye - cream coloured, fairly firm and slightly shiny. It turned out to be locally caught, undyed smoked cod, which he enthusiastically advertised as great for eating raw. That was all the persuasion I needed. Lofty and I are both great fans of the subtle flavour of raw fish, but have so far stayed away from it here in Dublin for lack of a reliable, affordable source.
But no longer. Dinner tonight was set - carpaccio of smoked cod. But what to serve on the side? I wanted something that would add flavour to the dish, but did not risk overpowering the fish. How about a few crisp lettuce leaves, briefly fried in hot, frothy butter and a generous helping of tomato salsa? The sunshine must have got to me; this dish is totally out of season! It should be eaten on a warm August night, accompanied by a glass of crisp white wine, by people sitting on a balcony, watching the sunset. Unfortunately, it is March and the temperatures have just dropped below freezing again. We rarely drink wine, especially not at home, and our flat is fairly cold and sorely lacking a balcony. Our current situation calls for soups and stews rather than carpaccio. But I really craved the latter. I solved the dilemma by serving a shop-bought crab and lobster bisque as a starter, which I had jazzed-up with a few spices and a bit of cream.

For the carpaccio:
400 g very fresh, sushi quality smoked cod (make sure that your fishmonger understands how you want to use the fish; it's not enough for it to be fresh, it has to be expertly gutted on the boat to prevent any contamination and should really come from clean waters)
For the lettuce:
1/2 small head of crispy lettuce, such as baby gem or Monet lettuce (make sure not to pick any strongly flavoured varieties, such as chicory, or small, volatile leaves, such as rocket)
1 tbsp butter
For the salsa:
1 tomato, diced
½ onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
½ lime, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
chopped coriander if you feel that salsa is incomplete without it and are sure that it won't kill the flavour of the fish
salt and pepper to taste

For the salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir well, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside for at least ½ hour to let the flavours mix.
In the meantime, using a very sharp knife, cut the fish into thin slices. Remember, the sharper the knife, the easier the task. And the thinner the slices, the nicer the result.
Finally, when you're ready to dish up, melt the butter in a large shallow frying pan over medium high heat. When it is beginning to go frothy, add the lettuce and fry, keeping the leaves in constant motion, until they are just beginning to cook, about 1 minute. They will not be hot, just slightly warm and buttery. Do not allow them to wilt!
Put the lettuce in the middle of a plate, arrange the fish on top and drizzle the salsa on or around it. Serve with grilled ciabatta slices or freshly baked baguette.

Christine at 10:01 pm

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