Kingklip stuffed with crayfish in a mushroom crust with crayfish sauce
6 x 180 g portions filleted kingklip salt and milled black pepper
300 ml Fish Stock (page 209)
boiled new potatoes, blanched asparagus tips, steamed baby carrots
deep fried sliced leek and fresh dill fronds for garnish
Crayfish Stuffing
1 crayfish, 150 g-200 g
250 g button mushrooms, sliced 30 g butter
45 ml cream
Mushroom Crust
75 g butter
2 spring onions, finely sliced
200 g black mushrooms, finely chopped freshly squeezed juice of 'l2 lemon
250 ml soft wholewheat breadcrumbs 15 ml chopped fresh herbs (thyme, dill, parsley)
50 ml vegetable oil
5 ml chopped fresh basil
120 g Mirepoix (page ##)
60 ml tomato purée
500 ml Fish Stock (page ##)
beurre-manié (soft butter and flour mixed to a smooth paste)
Crayfish Stuffing: Cook the crayfish in boiling water for 7 minutes. Remove meat from tail and body and cut into strips. Reserve cooking liquid and shells.
In a medium saucepan sauté the mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in the crayfish meat, add the brandy and flame. Add the cream and simmer uncovered until reduced to a binding consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
Mushroom Crust: Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan and sweat the spring onion until tender. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the excess liquid (retain for the sauce). Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and remaining butter.
Crayfish Sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and brown the reserved crayfish shells. Add the reserved cooking liquid, basil, mirepoix and tomato purée and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Add the brandy, flame, then simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Ad the fish stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, bring to t boil and whisk in sufficient beurre-manié to thicken nicely. Season with salt and pepper.
Set the oven at 220 °C. Cut pockets in the kingklip fillets and fill with stuffing. Place in a buttered casserole, season with salt and pepper and spread with mushroom crust. Add the fish stock and bake for 5-8 minutes until cooked.
To Serve: Spoon hot crayfish sauce on warm plates. Place kingklip on top and arrange vegetables around. Garnish with deep fried leek and dill. Serves 6
