4 X 300g halibut steaks
A little olive oil
For the mashed potato:
1kg potatoes (Desirée are perfect)
100 g butter
200 ml double cream
Salt and pepper
For the pickled cucumber:
1 cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible
250ml dry white wine
250ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp dill seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 allspice berries
A few dill stalks
4 tsp sugar
For the Sandefjord sauce:
200ml double cream
2 star anise
200 unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp chives finely chopped
1 tbsp dill finely chopped
The grated zest of 1 lemon
Maldon salt
fresh black pepper
Peel the potatoes and boil them until tender (about 15-20 min), then pass them through a mouli or mash by hand. Heat the cream and butter and whip into the potato. Season well and reserve.
To pickle the cucumber, gently heat the vinegar, the sugar, spices, dill stalks and white wine until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely. Pour this over the cucumber slices and refrigerate in a sterilised jar until needed.
To make the sauce, add the star anise to the cream and set to reduce by half over a gentle heat. To finish the sauce, remove the anise, then quickly whisk in the butter piece by piece until you have a smooth, thickened creamy sauce. Stir in the herbs and zest, season well and keep the sauce in a warm place until needed.
To cook the fish, simply brush with olive oil, season and grill or pan-fry for a few minutes each side until just cooked through. Serve.
