Eckart Witzigmanns recipes: Crisply fried pike-perch on mountain lentils and Dijon mustard sauce

Eckart Witzigmann's culinary Notes

Crisply fried pike-perch on mountain lentils and Dijon mustard sauce

Preparation:

Remove the fine bones from the pike-perch fillets using small tongs or tweezers.
Scratch the skin with a razor blade
Carefully sprinkle salt and pepper over the fish and dribble a little lemon juice over them.
Cover with Clingfilm and place in a cold place.

The pike-perch fillets will be fried just before serving on hot plates.

Heat the olive oil in a Teflon pan, place the pike-perch fillets in, skin side down, and fry until crisp for about 5 minutes. Shake off the oil, turn the fish over, add a piece of butter as big as a walnut along with the bacon slices and continue to fry for 3 minutes.

P.S.:
Cod and salmon will both go wonderfully with the mountain lentils and Dijon mustard sauce instead of pike-perch.

Preparing the mountain lentils:

Wash the lentils in cold water and drain.
Pour into a pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Blanch for about 5 minutes, then place in a sieve to drain.
Cover the blanched lentils with chicken stock or water and slowly bring to the boil. Add the sautéd shallots and the bouquet garni, the star anise and the clove of garlic. Only add salt in the last 20 minutes. The cooking time depends on the quality of the lentils – around 40 minutes.
Fry the small cubes of smoked bacon, add the garlic, onions, carrots and celeriac and sweat for about 5 minutes before adding the tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the cooked lentils in a sieve (do not throw away the liquid). Remove the shallot, garlic, star anise and bouquet garni.
Place the softened lentils, finely chopped smoked bacon and vegetables in a pot, season until piquant with balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.
Finally, add the finely chopped anchovy fillets, capers, marjoram and finely grated lemon rind.

Dijon mustard sauce:

Slowly cook the shallots with the white wine and vinegar until they are soft and the liquid has almost completely been absorbed. Add the single cream, stir in the ice-cold butter pieces, season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Sieve, add both types of mustard and stir over a gentle heat. Do not allow to boil. Finally add the lightly whipped cream.

KartPotato rösti:

Peel the potatoes, slice finely, then cut into fine strips and season with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a Teflon pan, shape the potato strips into 4 thin cakes and press down with the spatula. Fry until crisp and golden on both sides, place on kitchen paper to drain. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestion:

Arrange the mountain lentils in a circle on hot plates, place the crisply fried pike-perch fillets on them with the skin up, place the bacon on top and pour the Dijon mustard sauce around. Sprinkle finely chopped chives over the top.

Further Information

IngredientsJournal

for 4 people

4 back fillets of pike-perch, scaled
4 very thin slices of high-quality bacon
Salt
Ground white pepper
3 dess. spoons olive oil
2 dess. spoons butter
1 unsprayed lemon

Mountain lentils:

100 g mountain lentils
1 shallot
1 small bay leaf
2 cloves
1 bouquet garni, comprising parsley stalks and bunches of thyme Approx. 0.3 l chicken broth or vegetable stock
Ca. 0,3 l Geflügelfond oder Gemüsebrühe
1 star anise
Salt
1 unpeeled garlic clove