I've been intrigued with fermentation for a while now and finally got around to trying it. As pine mushrooms were in season, it's the first thing that I thought I'll try fermenting*. The fermented mushroom was then used in the sauce to pair with John Dory, inspired by a dish I had at Moonah recently. The result was phenomenal, it was packed with umami, had a lovely level of acidity, rounded with the earthy saffron like aroma from the fresh pine mushrooms and depth from homemade chicken stock. Definitely a dish I'll make again.
* The book that I used for fermentation was 'The Noma's Guide to Fermentation', it was such an interesting read that explains the basics of fermentation as well as the science behind it. Highly recommended.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2
Ingredients
John Dory
- 2 John Dory fillets
- salt
- butter
Fermented Pine Mushroom
- 1 large pine mushroom
- 1% non iodised salt
Fermented Pine Mushroom Sauce
- 1 large fermented mushroom diced and with juice from fermentation reserved
- 3-4 medium sized pine mushrooms diced
- 2 cups chicken stock*
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
- xanthan gum
* I used homemade chicken stock which makes a world of difference. The recipe is shared at the bottom if interested.
Method
8 Days Prior
1. Start fermenting the large pine mushroom 7 days prior to the cook. Freeze the mushroom in the freezer overnight. This will help release more liquid from the mushroom which will give you more of the delicious fermented mushroom juice.
2. Add 1% of non iodised salt to the mushroom, place it in a vacuum bag and keep it in a warm place over the next 7 days to let it ferment.
On the Day
1. Open the vacuum bag, dice the fermented mushroom and reserve all the liquid.
2. Start by making the sauce. Melt the butter in the pan, add diced fresh pine mushrooms and fermented pine mushrooms, sautée for 5 minutes until soft. Deglaze with white wine and cook until there is about 1 tablespoon of liquid left. Add the chicken stock and cook over medium heat until the liquid has reduced down to about 1/3 cup. Take out the diced mushrooms, set aside and keep warm. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and a touch of sugar to taste. Turn the heat off the sauce, add 2 pinches of xanthan gum, let it sit and bloom, then mix well and return it to boil. Adjust the amount of xanthan gum until it achieves the desired consistency. Pass the sauce through a sieve, set aside and keep warm.
3. Heat some butter in a pan, season the fish generously with salt, and place skin down on the pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side, tilt the pan and spoon the melted butter over the fish fillets until it's just cooked.
4. To assemble, place some diced pine mushrooms on the plate, top with John Dory and serve with the sauce. Enjoy!
Homemade Chicken Stock
- 1 kg chicken wings
- 1/2 kg chicken feet (for gelatin)
- 1/2 cup sliced onions
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 4 twigs fresh thyme
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the chicken wings on a single layer and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until golden brown. Check every 30 minutes and flip the chicken wings to make sure they are well browned.
2. In a large stock pot, sauté the onion, celery and carrots in some oil until well caramelised. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further minute. Add the chicken wings, chicken feet, bay leaves and thyme and top with water until it's fully covered. Bring it to boil then reduce to simmer and cook it for at least 3 hours. The longer you cook it for the more flavours it release. You can bag the excess stock into portion sizes and freeze them for next cook.