Michelin-Level Cod, At Home

Welcome back to Like a Chef; lifting the lid on restaurant cooking for you at home.

Have you ever had that feeling when you try to recreate a restaurant dish at home and it just ends up disappointing? Happens to us all. Restaurants have so many tweaks and hacks that they use in the kitchen that result in near-perfection — but home cooks just don’t see what they are. Today, we’re unveiling the method for a perfectly cooked cod, restaurant-style.

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Jack & Will

I’ve eaten a lot of cod in my time. I’ve also cooked a lot of cod in my time. If you asked me the best method? I’d have to give it to Gordon. The confit cod served at Gordon Ramsay’s three-Michelin starred restaurant is the perfect glossy, delicate fish that almost shimmers in the light like a rainbow. The secret? It’s what chefs call pearlescence. It happens when light bounces off the microscopic layers of muscle tissue. It’s the visual sign that you’ve achieved a perfectly tender fish, with a smooth and succulent bite. It only happens when cooked below a certain temperature, so you’re walking a fine line: if you don’t cook it enough, it’ll be raw, if you cook it too high, the fish will turn opaque and lose the beautiful pearlescence. Don’t worry, we’ve got a few tricks to help you out.

Ingredients:

• 2x 200g Cod fillets

For the Brine

• 2L Water

• 200g fine salt

For the Beurre Noisette

• 1kg Unsalted butter

Method:

For the Cod

1. Remove the skin from the cod fillets

2. To make the brine, pour half the water into a pan along with the salt and aromats

3. Bring to a simmer, whisking the brine until the salt has completely dissolved

4. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the water to bring it down to room temperature

5. Place the cod pieces into the brine for 10 minutes

6. Remove the cod, pat dry and wrap snuggly with J-cloth before transferring to the fridge for at least 30 minutes

For the beurre noisette

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a medium-low heat

2. Once melted, turn the heat up to medium and continue to cook until the butter temperature reaches 180°C and the solids start to turn black

3. Remove from the heat, allow to infuse for 30 minutes before passing through a fine muslin cloth

To cook the fish

1. Remove the cod from the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature

2. Set your oven to 45°C

3. Once the butter has cooled to 45°C, pour it over the cod fillets in a high sided loaf tin or tray

4. Confit for around 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the cod loins read 45°C

5. Carefully remove from the beurre noisette and allow to drain for a minute before serving

Thanks for reading!

Jack & Will

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