Rockfish and Puff Pastry
Recipe Contributed by Shane Wescott
“Rockfish en Kelp” was inspiring, creative and got him 3rd place in the 2019 Catch and Cook Competition. I mean… who cooks puff pastery, in a fire pit turned dutch oven, on a windy beach?! Shane… That’s who. Fun Fact: This photo is the front page of a feature article done in Spearing Magazine on the competition.
This dish is a modification from the French Loup en Croûte. “The Loup en croûte is a famous French dish that was introduced in the Seventies from the oldest 3 Michelin starred restaurant; Paul Bocuse at L’Auberge Du Pont de Collonges near Lyon, France.” (www.Brunoskitchen.net, Chef Bruno Albouze has a recipe that I used as one of the baselines for my modified recipe, especially his butter sauce. His youtube video is great to get the concepts down) I cooked this recipe in a 12” cast iron Dutch oven over charcoal but the recipe can easily be modified for a kitchen, a “***” indicates the suggested modifications for cooking style.
INGREDIENTS
Fish and pastry
2 rockfish fillets of equal size (or other white fish preferably wild caught by spear)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 Pound of baby spinach (slightly more than a heaping cereal bowl full will do)
2 sheets of freezer aisle puff pastry (dimensions per sheet should be larger than fillet size)
1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs
Chef Albouze Butter Sauce
1/3 Cup chardonnay
1/3 Cup red wine vinegar (don’t cheap out)
2 sticks of high-quality butter (I used Irish, Salted) IMPORTANT don’t buy crap butter
A few sprigs Thyme
2 Tablespoons finely chopped tarragon (no stems)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro (light stems but not as strict)
3/4 of a finely chopped shallot (roughly 2 tablespoons)
Method (“***” indicates a recommended modification for cooking style)
Remove puff pastry and allow defrosting. Pastry will need roughly 30 minutes to defrost enough to handle without cracking, but if it becomes too warm it will be too sticky. Heat roughly 35 charcoal briquettes for cooking, I utilized a charcoal chimney, a tool any cook utilizing charcoal should invest in to eliminate lighter fluid. Utilizing heating charcoal and a frypan sauté the spinach and garlic with the olive oil until completely reduced in size, about 5 minutes. Total yield will be roughly one cup. Allow spinach/garlic mixture to dry on paper towels, pat if necessary to remove excess liquid, spinach will remain damp with oil. Finely chop spinach garlic mixture and transfer to a small bowl. Add ricotta, one egg, and mix with heavy salt and pepper (if desired add spices or other chopped vegetables like cooked carrots to stuffing here).
Create a platform that will hold your pastry off of the bottom of your Dutch oven, I used a small disposable 6”X4” baking tin from the grocery store but any small baking tin or even a lattice of 5-6 foil balls would work to create a few inches of separation from the bottom of the oven. Place closed Dutch oven atop 10 cooking ready charcoals to preheat.
Use one or two less/more coals for different sized Dutch oven. Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on parchment paper and pat dry both fillets of fish. Salt and pepper a side of the fillet and lay it in the center off the pastry seasoned side down. Add enough dollops of stuffing to have an even ¾ inch coating on the entire fillet. Top with the other fillet then salt and pepper it as well. Crack the other egg into a bowl and scramble to create an egg wash. Brush this wash on the pastry around your fish as glue, then lay your other sheet of puff pastry on top of the fish and seal it around the fish and stuffing. Be sure to try and get all of the air that you can out before sealing so the pastry doesn’t bubble oddly. Press around the edges to ensure a good seal. With a knife or other sharp tool cut whatever shapes you want out of the pastry. Ensure your pastry will fit in your Dutch oven and on your platform without touching the sides. Also ensure to leave about a half inch away from the fillets to ensure they stay sealed. I like to create a fish shape with the scales and fins. Anything you carve into the pastry will show as long as it is about as deep as a normal papercut, be careful not to puncture your fish pocket.
Feel free to glue excess pastry onto your creation by wetting one side with the egg wash. I like to glue on an eye, mouth, and gills and some chefs like to get very intricate with fins and extra tail pieces. When you are satisfied with your creation brush the entire exposed pastry liberally with egg wash and transfer the whole pastry (Including the parchment paper) into your Dutch oven.
Close Dutch oven lid and place 19 coals on the top. The total will now be 10 on bottom and 19 on top. Bake for 35 minutes.
While pastry is baking with small fry pan on remaining charcoal, reduce Chardonnay, vinegar, and shallots to about three tablespoons of liquid. Th en add softened butter and melt whisking constantly. Add cilantro, tarragon, and thyme sprigs. Wisk constantly to ensure the mixture thickens into a golden and creamy texture roughly 10 minutes. This sauce is hard to get just right and you may have to play around to get the consistency where you want it. I suggest good quality and softened butter and lots of mixing. Never place cold dairy in a warm sauce.
Spoon sauce onto serving plate to create your Monterey bay water and place finished pastry on top so it can appear to be swimming through it. Garnish with tarragon and thyme “kelp” or if you’re feeling bold, which I hope you are, try utilizing the edible bull kelp from the California waters.