Cod tartare with apples, curry oil and crispy kale

 This starter, featuring cod, kale and tart apples, seasoned with aromatic curry oil and rich, creamy crème fraîche, is both beautiful and delicate. The dish is a guaranteed success, is super easy to make and is the perfect alternative to the classic New Year’s cod we all know and love.

Ingredients

Apple sauce
2 large Belle de Boskoop apples
A little honey to taste
A pinch of salt to taste
Curry oil
100 ml olive oil
3 tbsp Madras curry powder
Kale
4–5 kale leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of salt
Cod tartare
300–400 g skinless cod fillet (fresh, then frozen for at least 24 hours)
A little salt and pepper to taste
The juice and zest of 1 organic lemon
1 bunch of chives
1 Mutzu apple
Serving
1 1/2 dl crème fraîche (38%)

See video guides here

Instructions

Apple sauce

Cut the Boskoop apples in half and remove the cores. Place them on a baking tray, cut-side down. Bake in the oven at 160 degrees for about 20 minutes until they are tender and puffed up. Remove them from the oven and peel off the skin. Place the purée in a bowl and season with a little honey and salt. The purée should not be too sweet. Set it aside and leave it to cool. 

Curry oil

Gently heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan, add the curry powder and fry briefly. Pour it into a coffee filter and let it drain slowly – alternatively: pour it into a narrow bowl and let the curry settle until the yellow oil rises to the top, then pour the clear yellow oil into another small bowl. 

 Kale

Rinse, dry and remove the stalks from the kale. Toss the kale leaves in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread the kale out on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven at 120 degrees for approx. 8–10 mins until crisp and dark green. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray. 

Cod tartare

Finely dice the cod into tiny cubes using a sharp knife and place them in a bowl with a little salt. Season with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and freshly ground pepper, and mix the cod cubes/tartare thoroughly. Cut the Mutzu apple into small cubes and mix them together with the finely chopped chives into the tartare, then season again. Leave the tartare to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. 

Serving

Place a spoonful of crème fraîche in the centre of each plate, then a spoonful of apple compote on top, and finally arrange the tartare over the top. Finish by drizzling 1–2 spoonfuls of the curry oil over each portion of tartare and top with the crispy kale leaves. Serve immediately.