I don’t think any chef sets out to create a “signature” dish. It’s a dish that, from the moment the first plate leaves the kitchen, it takes on a life of its own – and most importantly, gets people talking. My haddock velouté made its début at JAN many years ago and I could see immediately that we had a hit on our hands. Since then, it made an appearance at the Studio in Cape Town, and most recently, was reincarnated as a soup at JAN Franschhoek. It’s the kind of dish that, no matter the time of year, you can’t get enough of – the definition of a crowd pleaser – and the perfect way to kick off a wintry dinner with friends.
Nasturtium and Haddock Soup
SERVES: 6 | PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes | COOKING TIME: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
for the soup
100 g butter
30 ml olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 baby fennel, thinly shaved
80 g sundried tomatoes, in oil
20 g nasturtium flowers
3 sprigs basil
500 ml cream
750 ml milk
500 g smoked haddock, portions
15 ml lemon zest
15 ml lemon juice
100 g matured cheddar, grated
To taste Maldon salt
To taste freshly ground black pepper
for the garnish
100 g chorizo
4 baby fennels, thinly sliced
10 g chives, finely chopped
6 sprigs curry leaves, deep fried
5 ml lemon zest
2 granny smith apples
METHOD
for the soup
To a medium saucepot, add the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the finely chopped onions and thinly shaved fennel. Allow to simmer while stirring occasionally, when the mixture starts to caramelise, add the sundried tomatoes (drained from the oil), and simmer for another 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the haddock, nasturtium flowers, basil, milk, and cream, simmer for 30 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow to infuse and remove the haddock, blend all the ingredients together and strain into a clean pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the lemon juice and zest just before serving.
for the garnish
Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Remove the skin from the chorizo and slice into thin disks. Place on a baking tray and cook until crisp. Remove from the oven, allow to cool down, and chop finely. Slice the baby fennel very thinly and place it in ice water. Chop the chives very finely and mix with the chopped chorizo and lemon zest.
Use the apple to either slice into thin slices, or spiralise and freeze.
Serve the garnishes in separate bowls and allow each guest to garnish their soup as needed.
SHOP THE RECIPE
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