Wild garlic focaccia with a cod sauce

We're going to make a chefs comfort food dish! Good bread and sauce, the perfect combo! It's a cod & wild garlic sauce with a cod loin, pickled wild garlic flowers and a wild garlic & pistachio focaccia.

The pickled wild garlic flowers

	Wild garlic flowers
250 grams	white wine vinegar
150 grams	water
150 grams	sugar

Start by separating the flowers from the stems. You can keep both. Now mix the white wine vinegar with the water, the sugar and the wild garlic stems. Now bring this to a boil. Meanwhile transfer the flowers into a preserving jar. When the liquid in boiling pass it through a fine sieve into the jar and then label the jar. Now close it up and then you can keep it in your fridge for weeks or even months. They have the perfect balance of freshness and the beautiful garlic flavor.

The sous-vide cod

First slice the loin of a cod filet just beside the bones. Then make an incision at the tail and pull the skin tight. Now remove it together with any other bones or membranes. Do the same with the belly side of the fillet. Now cut away the thinner parts. These with the other trimmings we are going to use for the sauce. The cleaned thin fillet we’re not using today, but it’s so good! Then take the thick loin and fold the thinner part to create an even sized loin. Now season it well with salt, turn it over and season the other side as well. Then take some thin foil and cover your worktop with two or three layers. I always make the surface a bit damp so the foil sticks. Now place the cod at the bottom and roll it up as tight as possible. You should already feel the tension. Then make a knot of one side and use the other side to make the roll even tighter. Make a knot on that side as well and then trim both sides. Now cook the cod sous-vide at 46 degrees Celsius for 23 minutes. You can do this in a sous-vide bath or in a steam oven. Once it’s cooked directly cool it down in a generous amount of ice water and let it set overnight in your fridge. Make sure it stays submerged in ice cubes for the best result. The next day you can feel it has firmed up nicely and then you can cut the cod into the desired thickness. This method is perfect for bigger parties and for busy restaurants. Now remove the foil and place the portioned cod on a tray. Then cover it and keep it in your fridge for later.

The wild garlic and cod sauce

4	shallots
4 grams	salt
200 grams	cod trimmings
100 grams	white wine
900 grams	vegetalbe broth
500 grams	cream
3 sprigs	thyme
2 grams	black pepper grains
2 grams	coriander seeds
2 grams	fennel seeds
40 grams	wild garlic leaves

First cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now slice them in thin slices. Then drizzle some oil in a pan and glaze the shallots with the salt. Once they have softened add the cod trimmings and pan fry them for a couple of minutes. After that deglaze the pan with the white wine and also add the vegetable broth, the cream and the thyme. Then mix the black pepper grains with the coriander seeds and the fennel seeds in a tea sieve. Now I always hang it on a little magnet on the outside of the pan. Then let the sauce reduce for around a third. Once it has reduced remove the spices and the thyme. Then add the wild garlic leaves and blend it till smooth. Do this with a hand blender or in a blender, but make sure it’s a 100% smooth. Now pass the sauce through a fine sieve and use a ladle to make this a bit easier. Then give it a taste for seasoning. I added a splash of rice vinegar to balance some of the fattiness in the sauce, but this is purely personal. Now keep the sauce in your fridge for later.

The wild garlic focaccia

300 grams	bread flour
210 grams	water
5 grams	sugar
4 grams	dry yeast
8 grams	salt
	Olive oil

Mix the bread flour with the water, the sugar and the dry yeast. Now knead this with a dough hook for 5 minutes on a low speed. Then add the salt and knead it for another 3 minutes. After drizzle some olive oil in a bowl and fold the dough from the outside to the bottom to create a nice ball. Place it in the bowl, cover it with foil and let it proof at room temperature for at least 1 hour or till doubled in size.

20 grams	wild garlic leaves
70 grams	olive oil
1/2	lemon
20 grams	pistachios

Meanwhile mix the wild garlic leaves with the olive oil, the zest from half a lemon and the pistachios. Blend this till smooth. Once the dough has doubled in size repeat the same folding process once more to remove all the air we just gained by proofing it. Then place it on a tray that’s covered with parchment paper. Drizzle some of the wild garlic puree on top and spread it. Then spread the dough a bit as well, cover it and let it proof for another hour. After that drizzle the remaining puree on the dough and press your fingers in the dough every couple of centimeters. Now season it with some flaky salt and also add some of the pickled wild garlic flowers we just made. Then bake it at 190 degrees Celsius for around 25 minutes. You’ll end up with such a beautiful and delicious focaccia. Definitely worth the wait! Then portion it to the desired size. Now it’s best to serve it straight away, but otherwise heat it up at 200 degrees Celsius with a splash of water for around 3 minutes.

How to finish the dish

First cover the cod and heat them up in an oven that’s 70 degrees Celsius for around 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile mix the warm sauce with some wild garlic oil. I already made some in my last video, so click on the link for the recipe. Now give it a gentle mix and then add a couple tablespoons in a bowl. Place the warm cod on top and season it with flaky salt. Then add a couple wild garlic flowers as well.