Confit of Cod with Piperade and Parma Ham
Sous vide oil-poached cod served on a piperade of peppers with crispy Parma ham. Works wonderfully with a side of asparagus too!
Ingredients
| 450 g | cod loin, taken from the centre cut |
| — | sea salt, as required (Maldon if you have it) |
| 200 ml | vegetable oil or any other neutral, unflavored oil |
| 30 ml | olive oil |
| 4 slices | parma ham, very very thin |
| 30 ml | olive oil (for the piperade) |
| 3 | red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped |
| 1 | orange or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped |
| 2 | echalion (banana) shallots, peeled and finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped |
| — | salt and pepper to taste |
| 2 | sprigs thyme, stripped for leaves |
| 50 ml | white wine |
| 15 ml | balsamic vinegar |
| 5 ml | light muscovado sugar |
Instructions
- Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 115F/46C.
- Cut the cod loin into four portions, sprinkle each generously with sea salt, and set aside, refrigerated, for 1 hour until the flesh has firmed up and moisture has been drawn from the fish.
- Meanwhile, prepare the piperade:
- On the stovetop, put the olive oil into a heavy-based saucepan and set over a high heat.
- Add the chopped peppers, shallots, and garlic to the oil; season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and the picked thyme leaves and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in the wine and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook, until the liquid has all but evaporated.
- Add the sugar, stir to combine, and turn down to a low heat to gently sweat the vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are tender and cooked through.
- While the piperade cooks, turn back to the cod:
- Blot the pieces of cod with paper towel (kitchen paper) to remove the excess moisture and salt and put them into a cooking pouch.
- Add the oil and vacuum seal on Gentle/Moist settings, if available. (Watch as the oil climbs the pouch and force the seal, if needed, before oil enters the vacuum chamber.)
- Submerge the cod in the water bath to cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the flesh is opaque.
- Before serving, crisp the ham:
- On the stovetop over high heat, add the olive oil to a skillet/pan.
- When the oil begins to smoke, add the slices of Parma ham and cook until they shrink and look crispy.
- Remove the ham from the pan and drain on paper towels/kitchen paper. Don't worry if the slices look a little soft at this stage, as they will crisp more once out of the pan. To serve:
- Center a mound of the piperade on the plate.
- Top with a piece of cod loin, straight from the pouch, and a slice of the Parma ham and enjoy! This works wonderfully with a side of asparagus too!
From http://blog.sousvidesupreme.com/2014/11/confit-of-cod/#sthash.ILA44E8x.dpbs