courtesy David Sanford, Chef/Owner of Belle Clementine
serves 6 as an appetizer
start to finish: 20 minutes
Edible Seattle May/June 2012
Rillettes are a rustic sort of pâté, usually made from land animals—pork, rabbit or duck that is braised until fall-apart tender, then whipped with additional fat to make a luscious spread. Dave riffs on this very traditional idea, using black cod for a coastal variation. Your black cod should be scaled, cleaned of fins and gutted, but still whole. If you use filets or steaks for this recipe, you’ll miss out on tons of flavor provided by the collar and bones when cooking. Roasting will render the fat of the fish beautifully—and you’ll want all of that flavorful (and healthy) fat for the rillettes.
1 1/2 pounds roasted fish from 1 four-pound black cod
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon lemon zest
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 stick (8 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 425°. Rub the fish inside and out with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. The fish will cook fairly quickly at this temperature, with variation of course depending on its thickness. Check the fish after 5-6 minutes. The skin should be sizzling, and the flesh should no longer be translucent; you want to catch it when the meat pulls easily off the bones in tender hunks, but before it pulls apart in dry flakes.
Once the fish is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones. Be sure not to overlook any of the small, fatty morsels around the fish collar. Pick through the meat carefully to remove the bones. You’ll end up with about 3 pounds of roasted fish. Use 1 1/2 pounds for the rillettes, and reserve the rest for another use. (It makes terrific sandwiches.)
Add 1 1/2 pounds of fish pieces, chives and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Pulse a few times until the mixture has an even texture (medium to fine shreds) and the herbs are evenly distributed. Add the butter to the food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again briefly. The mixture should be creamy, but not entirely smooth, with nice flakes of black cod throughout.
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as necessary, mixing by hand with a spatula at this point. Remove the rillettes to a ramekin or other small serving dish.
Serve with toasted baguette.
gluten-free (with gluten-free bread)