Cod in crust with spring onions, lentils and crispy bacon

Paco Morales

For 4 people

4 100 g cod pieces
1 l of sunflower oil
200 g of potato starch

2 l of mineral water
12 g of fine salt
4 fresh spring onions

100 g of green Puy lentils
1 l of mineral water
6 g of fine salt

100 ml of cod stock
100 ml of meat base
fine salt

1 kg of cod skin
1.2 l of mineral water

5 kg of knee bones
5 kg of beef breast
1 kg of carrots
1 kg of onions
1 kg of leeks
1 l of aged red wine
10 l of mineral water

100 g of crispy bacon
 

 

Cod
Check that the cod is medium salted. Make two thick square portions. Place in the fridge. Pour the potato starch into a big container and set to one side. Heat the oil in a pan to a constant temperature of 190 ºC.

Fresh onion
Clean the spring onion stems and remove the first layer of skin. Bring the water to the boil and drop in the whole spring onions. Cook for 4 minutes. Cook, cut in half, remove the tougher outer layers and cut into 4 cm slices, with 5 portions per person. Set to one side.

Green lentils
Place the lentils in a pan with the fine salt and mineral water. Cook for 15 minutes. Leave in the cooking water until it cools. Eliminate any ruined lentils. Divide into portions of 15 lentils per person. Set to one side.

Base
Unite the two bases and add fine salt to taste. Set to one side.

Cod stock
Place the skins and the water in a pan. Cook on a low heat for 3 hours. Filter through a Chinoise sieve and then in a Superbag. Set to one side.

Meat base
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC, toast the knee first, followed by the beef breast cut into large slices and, lastly, the peeled and thickly sliced vegetables.
Reduce the red wine before it takes on a caramel consistency.
Divide all the ingredients between three 45 l pans.
Bring to the boil and gradually lower the heat for about 5 hours. It is important to remove the froth every 20 minutes.
When the time is up, filter through a Chinoise sieve without pressing too hard. Place in the fridge. The day after, reduce by more than a half to obtain a good consistency. Store in the fridge in a vacuum pack for 12 hours. Set to one side.

Crispy bacon
Place the rashers of bacon between two sheets of sulphur paper for in the oven at 160 °C, for 15 minutes. Dry well and then place in the dryer, dry again and grind into a powder.

Finish and presentation
Hydrate the cod in water and coat with the potato starch. Fry at 190 °C for 3 minutes. Place the spring onion, lentils, crispy bacon and then the cod on a plate. When ready to serve, add the juice to contrast the potato starch.