The Nordic
Fine de Claire oysters · miso black cod, pak choi & shiitake
Draft recipe. This method has not yet been cooked and timed against a finished box by our chef. Times and weights will be confirmed before the first Founding 100 delivery.
In the box
- ·6 Fine de Claire oysters, unopened, in a mesh bag
- ·2 × 160 g black cod (sablefish) fillets, skin on, in miso marinade
- ·2 heads baby pak choi
- ·120 g shiitake mushrooms
- ·Mignonette sachet (shallot, red wine vinegar, cracked pepper)
- ·Toasted sesame & samphire sachet
- ·1 lemon
From your kitchen
- ·Neutral oil
- ·Salt
- ·An oven and a heavy oven-proof pan
- ·A folded tea towel and a short blunt knife for the oysters
Method
- 01
Take the cod out of the fridge
Lift the fillets out 20 minutes before cooking and let them come toward room temperature. Cold fish straight from the fridge cooks unevenly — the outside overcooks before the centre is warm. Leave the marinade on; do not rinse it.
- 02
Heat the oven to 220 °C
Conventional, not fan, if you have the choice. The miso glaze wants top heat to caramelise rather than moving air to dry it out.
- 03
Open the oysters
Fold a tea towel over your palm, sit the oyster cup-side down in it, and work the knife into the hinge at the pointed end. Twist rather than push — the shell opens with leverage, not force. Run the knife under the meat to free it, and pick out any shell chips. Keep the liquor in the shell; it is most of the flavour. Sit them on crushed ice.
- 04
Sear the cod, then finish it in the oven
Get a film of oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Lay the fillets skin-side down and leave them alone for 3 minutes — they will release when the crust forms. Then transfer the whole pan to the oven for 6–8 minutes. Black cod is done when the flakes separate under light pressure and it reads about 55 °C in the thickest part.
- 05
Pak choi and shiitake
While the fish is in the oven, halve the pak choi and slice the shiitake thickly. Sear them in the same style of pan on high heat with a little oil for 3–4 minutes, pak choi cut-side down first. You want colour and bite, not a stew.
- 06
Rest and plate
Rest the cod 3 minutes off the heat. Serve the oysters first, with the mignonette, while everyone is still standing. The cod follows on warm plates with the greens, scattered with the sesame and samphire, and a lemon wedge.
Watch this
Miso burns. It is sweet, and under a hot grill it will go from lacquered to bitter in under a minute. If the top is darkening faster than the centre is cooking, drop the oven to 190 °C and give it longer.
At the table
- —Serve the oysters immediately after opening — within 20 minutes, on ice, and never in advance.
- —Warm the plates. Black cod loses its texture the moment it hits a cold plate.
- —The oysters are the reason to sit down together. Open them in front of your guests, not in the kitchen.
The Founding 100
We compose. Your kitchen cooks.
The Nordic arrives raw, portioned and chilled, with this card in the box. AED 350 per person.