Would you like to experience a new type of fish? If so, tusk is definitely worth a try. Living in the depths of the sea and feasting on crustaceans, its flavor is reminiscent of lobster. If tusk isn't available at your local grocery store, consider checking out your nearest fish market. Tusk is often caught unintentionally in Norway. By consistently requesting this fish, we can help increase its value as a fantastic ingredient. I discovered mine at Knutstad & Holen in Hamar.
Ingredients
- 3 x small potatoes
- 1 handful chives
- 2 dl dry white wine
- ½ x lemon
- 1 dl creme fraiche
- 50 g dairy butter
- 150 g tusk
- 1 clove garlic
- 150 g frozen peas
Method
- Boil a pot of salted water and add the potatoes. Depending on their size, they may need to cook for 10–25 minutes. Check for tenderness by inserting a fork into the potato; if it goes in easily, they're ready.
- Prepare the sauce. Mince the chives and squeeze the lemon juice. Note: Distribute the lemon juice between the sauce and the pea puree. In a saucepan, combine the chives, half of the lemon juice, and dry white wine. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Add the cream fraiche to the sauce and whisk while simmering for 2 minutes.
- Dice the butter and add them one at a time to the sauce, stirring until melted.
- Prepare the fish by removing any bones and patting the fillet dry with paper towels. The bones in tusk can be quite tough, so it may be easier to cut them away with a knife rather than using tweezers. Season the fish with salt on both sides.
- Heat neutral oil in a frying pan over high heat. Sear the fish for the first 2 minutes on each side until golden. Then add a generous knob of butter, garlic, a little more chives, and baste the fish with the melted butter while continuing to cook over medium heat for 2–4 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. It's better to slightly undercook than overcook the fish, as it will continue to cook while resting.
- Remove the fish from the pan and let it rest on the serving plate.
- Boil a small pot of water and add the peas. Let them simmer for 2 minutes.
- You can use some of the pea water to thin out the puree if it becomes too dry, so save some to a bowl. Drain the rest of the water.
- Add a generous knob of butter and the remaining lemon juice to the peas. Blend the peas with an immersion blender until smooth, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Warm up the sauce again and arrange everything nicely on a serving plate. You can add extra peas and fresh chives for a finishing touch. Doesn't it make you crave more? Tusk is the real winner here! ;)
