Acknowledged as one of the finest chefs in the world, Raymond Blanc's commitment to sustainably sourced seafood led him to sign up as a supporter of Seafood See Life right from day one, and to be a guest speaker when the the campaign launched with an event at Old Billingsgate fishmarket earlier this year.
Why is sustainability so important to him? "Protecting the diversity of fish in our seas is as important as looking after wildlife on land. Those of us who are passionate about cooking and serving seafood will be equally passionate about using only sustainable species, as the fish we cook and eat now will determine what we have in the future."
Find out more by watching a video of his speech at the Seafood See Life launch event.
M Blanc has also kindly agreed to share two of his favourite fish recipes with us - only to be made from sustainable ingredients of course!
Grilled fillet of mackerel with parsley and watercress purée
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
| For the herb pureé | ||
| 25g | parsley leaves, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute then refreshed with iced water, drained and chopped | |
| 15g | butter, unsalted | |
| 15g | 1 tbsp | shallots, peeled and finely chopped |
| 50g | watercress, stalks removed, washed drained & chopped | |
| 50ml | whipping cream | |
| 10g | Pommery mustard | |
| 2g | 2 pinches | salt |
| ½g | 1 pinch | white pepper, freshly ground |
| For the mackerel | ||
| 200g | 2 | mackerel fillets, bones removed, skin lightly scored |
| 15ml | 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| 10ml | squeeze | |
|
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
||
Method
Cooking the parsley: Preheat the oven to 180°C. On a high heat, in a large saucepan, bring the water to the boil and add the flat parsley, cook for 4 minutes until tender, lift with a slotted spoon into iced water, strain and reserve.
Making the herb purée: on a medium heat, in a large saucepan, soften the shallots in the butter for 5 minutes without any colour. Turn up the heat to high, add the watercress and spinach, and cook for 2 minutes stirring from time to time until wilted. Add the blanched parsley, cream, salt and pepper, stir, return to the boil and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the contents of the pan into a food processor and purée for 30 seconds to a coarse puree. Taste and correct the seasoning if required. Spread the herb puree onto a large tray to allow to cool down quickly to prevent the loss of colour, reserve.
Grilling the mackerel: pre-heat your grill on full power. Season the mackerel fillets lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and place skin side up onto a baking tray and position under a hot grill for 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets, remove from the grill and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the mackerel fillets.
Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing, Raymond!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
| Ingredients | ||
| 1.8kg | best–quality mussels, washed, debearded* | |
| 1 | onion, finely chopped | |
| 2 | bay leaves | |
| 8 | sprigs of fresh thyme | |
| 15g | unsalted butter |
|
| 100ml | dry white wine | |
| 2 tbsp | whipping cream | |
| 25g | fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped | |
Method
Cleaning the mussels: Wash the mussels under cold running water, but don’t scrub the shells or the colour will transfer to the juices during cooking, giving them an unappetizing grey appearance. If any of the mussels float, it means they are not very fresh, so discard them. Press the shells of any open mussels together with your fingers; if they don’t close, discard them. Scrape off any barnacles from the mussels with a sharp knife and pull out the 'beards', then drain well.
Cooking the onion and herbs: Over a medium heat, in a large pan, soften the onion, bay leaves and thyme in the butter for 1 minute.
Cooking the mussels: Add the mussels and white wine, cover the pan tightly with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the mussels open.
Finishing the dish: Stir in the cream and chopped parsley, then serve in a large dish or 4 soup plates. Give finger bowls to your guests and lots of good French bread to mop up the wonderful juices.
Chef's Note: * Mussels and clams must be very fresh. A clear indication of their freshness is that the shell should be closed and heavy with sea water.
More: hear from other top chefs who are supporting Seafood See Life »
