FLORIS Kitchenstory No. 7

Sometimes it has to be done quickly and you have little time to cook. I thought so the other day when I looked in my fridge.
I discover

an organic cucumber,
two lettuce hearts,
Organic bacon
and a rest of spring onions.

Well, then there is a fresh cucumber salad today. I can fry the bacon with the two fried fish fillets, which I would prepare
in beer batter.

Plaice with bacon tastes good too, so why not also baked fish with bacon? My decision is made - I have not regretted it ;)

Fried fish fillet in beer batter with fried bacon and fresh cucumber-dill salad and wedges (for 2 persons):

Ingredients for the beer batter:

•    90 g Flour
•    1 Egg Yolk
•    90 ml Yeast Wheat
•    ¼ teaspoon Salt
•    ½  tablespoon melted butter
•    1 Egg white

Ingredients for the cucumber salad:

•    1 Cucumber
•    Salt
•    50 g Milk yoghurt natural
•    50 g Cream double or sour cream
•    1 ½ tablespoon White wine vinegar
•    Small pinch of sugar
•    Some pepper
•    2 tablespoon very good olive oil
•    ½ Bunch of dill

Ingredients for the wedges:

•    400g waxy potatoes
•    Olive oil
•    Spices (e.g. salt, pepper, paprika powder, rosemary)

Furthermore:

•    400 g  fish fillet e.g. from pike-perch or pollack
•    0,5 l Frying oil
•    Some lemon juice
•    Salt
•    Pepper
•    50g organic lean bacon cubes

Preheat the oven to 200 Graf and mix the cooked potatoes in a bowl with olive oil and the spices. Then spread it on a baking tray and put it in the oven. After about 20 minutes, when they are crispy brown, they can be removed.

For the beer batter, sift the flour into a bowl and mix with the egg yolk, wheat beer and salt to a smooth dough. If lumps form, push the dough through a fine sieve. Stir the butter into the batter. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt just before baking and fold them under the beer batter.

For the cucumber salad, wash the organic cucumber and cut it into thin slices on a vegetable slicer. Place these slices in a bowl, season with salt and let them steep.

Sweat the bacon well in the pan and set aside.

Mix yogurt with white wine vinegar, sugar, pepper and olive oil. Wash the dill, spin dry and chop. Squeeze the cucumber slices well, set the liquid aside and use it for other purposes. Dress the cucumber with the yogurt dressing and dill and season to taste.

Rinse fish fillets cold, dab dry and check for bones. Heat frying oil in a pot to about 160 degrees. Season the fillets with some lemon juice, salt and pepper and pull them through the batter. Fry the fish pieces in hot frying oil in portions for about 8 minutes. Grease the fish on kitchen paper and serve hot with cucumber salad and bacon.

Have fun recooking!

Tom Horenburg
Chef
FLORIS Catering GmbH

Missed previous FLORIS kitchen stories?

Kitchenstory No. 1: Ursel's chicken broth - against scratching in the throat! (by Kerstin Vlasman) Read it here.

Kitchenstory No. 2: Great films against boredom! - Culinary cinema tips from the FLORIS chef personally. Read it here.