King Tilapia, Mussels and Yellow Curry Mouclade Recipe
BAP-certified Regal Springs' King Tilapia is a world away from the regular tilapia you may have had in the past, with a firmer texture and bright white flaky flesh.
- 4 Regal Springs King Tilapia fillets, BAP-certified, approx. 180g each
- 4 tbsp of flaky sea salt
- 1 lemon, zested
- 5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 1 tbsp of mild curry powder
- rapeseed oil, for coating
- 1 knob of unsalted butter
- 200g of apple cider vinegar
- 100ml of water
- 50g of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp of pink peppercorns
- 125g of rock samphire
- 125g of salty fingers
- 50g of fresh lovage
- 50g of spinach
- 150ml of rapeseed oil
- 50g of tapioca
- 375ml of water
- 1 1/2 tsp squid ink
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 100g of gluten-free self-raising flour
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- white pepper, to taste
- 80ml of water
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 200ml of dry cider, ideally Cornish
- 1/2 tsp dashi powder
- 400g of live mussels, washed and debearded
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 30g of unsalted butter
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of yellow curry paste
- 1 pinch of saffron
- 100ml of coconut cream
- Begin by pickling the sea veg, as this can be done weeks in advance. Add the vinegar, water, sugar and pink peppercorns to a saucepan and warm until the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool to room temperature
- Add the samphire and salty fingers to a jar or container and pour the cooled pickling liquid over them. Store in the fridge until needed
- Up to 3 days before you want to serve, make the lovage oil. Blanch the lovage and spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in iced water. Squeeze as much excess liquid as you can out of the leaves, then put in a blender with the rapeseed oil and a pinch of salt
- Blitz for a few minutes until bright green, then pour into a sieve lined with muslin or a piece of kitchen paper and leave to strain in the fridge overnight
- You can make the squid ink crackers a few days in advance too. Add the tapioca, water, squid ink and a small pinch of salt to a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the tapioca is translucent (about 15 minutes), then spread the mixture out into a thin layer on a tray lined with baking paper
- Use a dehydrator or an oven set to 50°C to dehydrate the mixture overnight
- The next day, heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan over a high heat, or preheat a deep-fat fryer to 210°C. Break the sheet up into shards and deep-fry in the oil until puffed up. Keep in an airtight container until needed
- To make the bhaji batter, add all the ingredients (except the oil) to a bowl with a pinch of salt and white pepper and whisk into a thick batter. Transfer to a squeezy bottle
- Bring a small pan of oil up to 170°C. Drizzle the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, then keep in an airtight container until needed
- On the day you plan to serve, make the sauce. Add the cider, bay leaf, thyme and dashi powder to a large saucepan and bring to the boil
- Add the mussels, cover and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until they open (discard any that don't)
- Strain the mussels into a colander set over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Pick the mussels from their shells and reserve the meat on a tray
- Pat the tilapia fillets dry. Mix together the salt, lemon zest, thyme and curry powder, then use it to coat the tilapia fillets. Set aside for 40 minutes to firm up and very lightly cure
- Meanwhile, add the butter to a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until softened
- Add the yellow curry paste, cook out for a few minutes, then add the saffron and pour in the reserved mussel liquor through a fine sieve. Stir in the coconut cream and leave to reduce for a few minutes until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then either keep warm or set aside to reheat before serving
- Cook the leek until it is burnt and blackened all over – you can do this directly over a gas hob or under a hot grill
- Meanwhile, heat up the 50ml water in a small saucepan, then whisk in the butter and dashi powder to make an emulsion. Keep this warm for right before serving
- Once cool enough to handle, remove the blackened layers of the leek and chop the sweet softened centre into bite-sized pieces. Set aside
- Put a large frying pan over a medium heat. Rinse any excess cure off the tilapia fillets and pat them dry. Coat them with rapeseed oil. Add them to the pan, cook for 3 minutes, then flip and throw in a generous knob of butter. Continue to cook, basting constantly, for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through
- While the fish cooks, gently reheat the sauce. Add the sea vegetables and picked mussels to the dashi emulsion to warm through and drain some of the pickled sea vegetables
- To serve, add the warmed sea vegetables to each bowl, then put the tilapia fillet on top. Fill the bowl with the sauce, then garnish with the pickled sea veg, mussels, leeks, some diced apple, the squid ink crackers, the crispy bhaji pieces, a drizzle of the lovage oil and oyster leaves
It's the hero of this recipe, which is a play on fish, chips and curry sauce – but done the Jude Kereama way. Crispy bits of bhaji batter, a yellow curry mouclade, sea vegetables, squid ink crackers and a gaggle of other wonderful garnishes make this a very special dish indeed.
Note: there are lots of garnishes with this dish, so make them in advance to save yourself a lot of work on the day of serving. Pickle the sea veg, make the crackers and crispy bhaji batter and make the lovage oil at least a day before. The sauce can be made in advance and reheated before serving too.
Begin by pickling the sea veg, as this can be done weeks in advance. Add the vinegar, water, sugar and pink peppercorns to a saucepan and warm until the sugar dissolves.
Leave to cool to room temperature Up to 3 days before you want to serve, make the lovage oil. Blanch the lovage and spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, then refresh in iced water.
Squeeze as much excess liquid as you can out of the leaves, then put in a blender with the rapeseed oil and a pinch of salt Blitz for a few minutes until bright green, then pour into a sieve lined with muslin or a piece of kitchen paper and leave to strain in the fridge overnight
You can make the squid ink crackers a few days in advance too. Add the tapioca, water, squid ink and a small pinch of salt to a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the tapioca is translucent (about 15 minutes), then spread the mixture out into a thin layer on a tray lined with baking paper
Use a dehydrator or an oven set to 50°C to dehydrate the mixture overnight The next day, heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan over a high heat, or preheat a deep-fat fryer to 210°C.
Break the sheet up into shards and deep-fry in the oil until puffed up. Keep in an airtight container until needed
To make the bhaji batter, add all the ingredients (except the oil) to a bowl with a pinch of salt and white pepper and whisk into a thick batter. Transfer to a squeezy bottle Bring a small pan of oil up to 170°C.
Drizzle the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, then keep in an airtight container until needed On the day you plan to serve, make the sauce.
Add the cider, bay leaf, thyme and dashi powder to a large saucepan and bring to the boil Strain the mussels into a colander set over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Pick the mussels from their shells and reserve the meat on a tray
Pat the tilapia fillets dry. Mix together the salt, lemon zest, thyme and curry powder, then use it to coat the tilapia fillets.
Set aside for 40 minutes to firm up and very lightly cure Add the yellow curry paste, cook out for a few minutes, then add the saffron and pour in the reserved mussel liquor through a fine sieve. Stir in the coconut cream and leave to reduce for a few minutes until thickened.
Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then either keep warm or set aside to reheat before serving Meanwhile, heat up the 50ml water in a small saucepan, then whisk in the butter and dashi powder to make an emulsion.
Keep this warm for right before serving Once cool enough to handle, remove the blackened layers of the leek and chop the sweet softened centre into bite-sized pieces.
Set aside Put a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Rinse any excess cure off the tilapia fillets and pat them dry. Coat them with rapeseed oil.
Add them to the pan, cook for 3 minutes, then flip and throw in a generous knob of butter. Continue to cook, basting constantly, for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through
While the fish cooks, gently reheat the sauce. Add the sea vegetables and picked mussels to the dashi emulsion to warm through and drain some of the pickled sea vegetables
To serve, add the warmed sea vegetables to each bowl, then put the tilapia fillet on top. Fill the bowl with the sauce, then garnish with the pickled sea veg, mussels, leeks, some diced apple, the squid ink crackers, the crispy bhaji pieces, a drizzle of the lovage oil and oyster leaves
