Skrei with hibiscus miso, beet and macadamia granola

The skrei season has begun (always from the beginning of January to the end of April) and the winter cod can be found virtually everywhere on the menus and fortunately also at the vast majority of fishmongers.

It comes from the world’s largest cod stocks in the Barents Sea, in the northeastern Arctic. At around five years of age, the fish reaches sexual maturity and migrates to the coasts of Norway – its birthplace – to spawn during the winter months. When the cod reaches this stage of life, they are called skrei, derived from the Old Norwegian word “skrida” for wandering. Not entirely without reason, as he covers around 1,000km on his journey. This results in good muscle tone and firm meat texture of the very finest quality.

A few days ago I had the opportunity to try some exciting recipes around the skrei. I particularly liked an interperation by Tanja Grandits. It is a more complex dish with various components and steps – but the result is impressive. And, as is the case for Tanja Grandits’ creations anyway, in the truest sense of the word!

The ingredients

For the miso marinade

60g light miso paste
1 egg yolk
30g brown sugar
50ml sake
25ml sherry
1/2 tsp hibiscus powder

For the miso hollandaise

125g butter
60g light miso paste
2 egg yolk
75g whole egg
1 tablespoon reduced beetroot juice with hibiscus

Beet

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red curry paste
10 juniper berries, crushed
5dl coconut milk
2dl beetroot juice
Salt
2 red onions, finely sliced and briefly blanched
300g cooked beet, peeled and diced
200g barley, cooked in vegetable broth for about 15 minutes.

Macadamia Granola:

200g macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons rose water
2 Msp. Salt
1 Msp. Hibiscus powder
1 tsp. ground Szechuan pepper
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Mix all ingredients for the miso marinade well. Season the skrei fillets with salt and fry briefly on both sides in oil. Brush with the miso marinade and finish cooking in the oven at 175 degrees for 4 minutes.

Make the miso hollandaise just before serving! Melt the butter and heat to 60 degrees. Mix the remaining ingredients and blend in the butter. Pour the hollandaise into an isi Gourmet Whip .

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic, ginger, curry paste and juniper in it for 2 minutes.Deglaze with the coconut milk, add the beetroot juice and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the onions, beet and barley and bring to the boil once.

Roast the macadamia nuts in the oven at 160 degrees for 5 minutes. Mix the rose water with the remaining ingredients to make a marinade. Add the warm nuts to the marinade and mix well. Place nuts back on a baking sheet and dry at 70 degrees for 3 hours.

Beet, thinly sliced, briefly fry and dry in the oven at 80 degrees for 2 hours.

100g barley, boiled, dry overnight in the oven at 70 degrees. Then deep fry.

Chop nuts, break beet and mix with barley.

Arrange curry in a bowl, put fish on top, granola on top and put miso hollandaise on top of skrei. Dust with hibiscus powder.