serves
24
prep
1:10 hour
cook
1:25 hour
difficulty
Ace
serves
24
people
preparation
1:10
hour
cooking
1:25
hour
difficulty
Ace
level
Ingredients
To marinate fish
400 g black bream, filleted, trimmed, deboned, halved lengthways (bones reserved)
400 g monkfish fillet, trimmed, halved lengthways (bones reserved)
400 g red mullet, filleted, trimmed, deboned, halved lengthways (bones reserved)
300 g John Dory, filleted, trimmed, deboned, halved lengthways (bones reserved)
120 ml olive oil
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 pinches of saffron powder
4 rosemary sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
15 g salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
20 g fennel leaves
For the bouillabaisse jelly
120 ml olive oil
140 g onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, skin on, crushed
70 g carrot, washed, peeled, finely sliced
70 g fennel, washed, finely sliced
30 g celery, washed, finely sliced
10 g sea salt
800 g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp whole white peppercorns
2 star anise
2 strips orange peel
2 pinches saffron powder
200 ml white wine, boiled for 2 minutes
5 ml Pernod, brought to boil
1.5 kg reserved fish bones, roughly chopped
700 ml cold water
8 gelatine leaves, softened in cold water, drained
For the fennel
300 g garden fennel bulbs, pulled into pieces
400 ml water
100 ml olive oil
1 g orange zest, dried, crushed
1 thyme sprig
1 g star anise
1 g fennel seeds, toasted
5 cardamom pods
4 g salt
5 g caster sugar
5 ml lemon juice
For the onion
2 medium onions, cut into 6 pieces
100 ml olive oil
2 pinches of saffron
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 pinches of sea salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
6 g caster sugar
1 rosemary sprig
1 thyme sprig
50 ml chardonnay vinegar
For the eggplant
5 g salt
2 g white pepper
10 g sugar
2 medium eggplants (aubergine), topped, tailed, halved lengthways, flesh removed to leave a 3 mm shell
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
40 ml sherry vinegar
2 rosemary sprigs
2 garlic cloves, sliced
For the terrine
6 baby zucchini (courgettes), cut into 2 cm pieces, blanched for 30 seconds, refreshed in iced water
24 pitted semi-dried olives
32 quarters sun-blushed tomatoes, roughly chopped
For the saffron vinaigrette
pinch of saffron threads or powder
1 garlic clove, sliced
100 ml olive oil
70 ml water
large pinch of salt
¼ pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
pinch of caster sugar
For the garnish
10 ml olive oil
110 g white onions, cut into 1mm rings
large pinch of saffron threads
1 bay leaf
pinch of salt
pinch of finely ground black pepper
6 small baby zucchini (courgettes), finely brunoise (1-2 mm dice)
2 medium plum tomatoes, puréed with 1 tbsp olive oil, strained
Marinating time 3 hours
Chilling time overnight
Instructions
To prepare fish and marinade, place all fish in a large container. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours, to marinate.
To make jelly, heat half of olive oil in a large saucepan on medium. Add onion, garlic, carrot, fennel and celery, and cook for 5 minutes, to sweat. Season with salt. Add chopped tomato, spices, orange and saffron. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add boiled wine and Pernod, bring to boil and simmer gently. Heat remaining olive oil in a separate sauté pan on high. Cook reserved fish bones, in five batches, for 1 minute. Add bones and the water to vegetable mixture and bring to boil. Skim surface and gently simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes. Pass through a fine conical sieve into a clean saucepan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 120°C. Evenly space fish on a large tray. Pour hot bouillabaisse liquid over fish, cover with foil or a lid and cook in oven for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer fish to a clean tray. Refrigerate until needed. Strain liquid through a fine sieve and season to taste.
To finish jelly, heat 400 ml of cooking liquid and gelatine in a small saucepan on low, until dissolved. Pour into a bowl set over crushed ice and stand until thickened slightly and "oily".
To make fennel, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover surface with circle of baking paper and cook for 20–25 minutes, until soft.
To make onion, place all ingredients, except vinegar, in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes, to sweat. Add vinegar, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, without colouring. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature.
To make eggplant slices, season flesh sides of eggplant with salt, pepper and sugar. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan on medium heat. Gently cook half of eggplant, skin sides down, for 2 minutes, ensuring even contact with pan. Turn and cook flesh sides for 1 minute. Repeat with remaining eggplant. Deglaze pan with vinegar, rosemary and garlic. Pour sauce over eggplant and leave to cool.
To build terrine, line inside of terrine moulds with plastic wrap. Layer with eggplant, allowing pieces to extend 5cm above rim on each side. In a large bowl, mix together cooked fish, fennel, onion, zucchini, dried olives, chopped tomato and jelly. Evenly divide mixture between moulds and gently press down with a hand. Top up with remaining jelly. Fold over eggplant pieces and refrigerate overnight, to set.
To make saffron vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat. Gently warm for 2 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and season to taste.
To make garnish, heat oil in a small pan on medium. Cook onion, saffron, bay leaf, salt and pepper for 3 minutes, to sweeten onion. Remove from heat and set aside.
Slice terrine into 1.5 cm-thick pieces and place on serving plates. Spoon puréed tomato around plate, top with onion, chopped zucchini and olives. Top with saffron vinaigrette then serve.
Note
Plan ahead. Order all fish well in advance. Ask your fishmonger to scale, gut and fillet the fish, and to give you the bones for the stock.
For 400 g prepared bream fillets, you need 2 x whole bream (600 g each).
For 400 g prepared monkfish fillet, you need 1 x 1 kg monkfish tail.
For 400 g red mullet fillets, you need 3 x 400 g whole fish.
For 300 g John Dory fillets, you will need 1 x 1 kg whole fish.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.