Cod with Trotters & Broad Beans

This fish course recipe comes from Nigel Haworth of Northcote Manor in Lancashire. His contemporary take on traditional English ingredients won the judges' hearts and earned him joint first place in the fish course finals of Great British Menu 2008 on BBC2.

Serves 4

For the Trotters

    2 suckling pig trotters (550g) (singe before cooking)
    140g streaky bacon  
    2 litres chicken stock
    100g carrot
    50g celery
    100g onion
    5g parsley stalks
    Sprig thyme

To serve

    4 x 60g pieces cod (skinned and pin boned)
    40g new season broad beans (shelled)
    40g new season peas
    60g seam tripe (cut into 3cm strips), now known as pig tripe.

Method

Put the trotters and bacon in a heavy bottomed pan, cover with cold water then bring to the boil, refresh in cold water to remove all the scum. Clean the pan, put the trotters and bacon back in and add the remaining ingredients. Cover with the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours. Allow the stock to cool.

Remove the trotters and discard the rest of the ingredients, then pass the stock through a muslin cloth, put the stock in the fridge to set up, (it will form a jelly). Once set you can easily remove any excess fat.

Carefully pick the meat and skin off the trotters, discard all the bones and cartilage. Reserve the meat and skin and break into small pieces.

Put the cod in a vacuum bag or tightly wrap in a douuble layer of clingfilm, twisting the ends tightly like a cracker, and cook in a water bath at 47c for 20mins.

Put 80g of trotter with the tripe, peas and broad beans in a small heavy bottom pan, add 200ml of the reserved stock and carefully bring to the boil. Remove the ingredients from the stock with a slotted spoon and distribute evenly between four bowls.

Remove the cod from the bags or clingfilm and place whole on top of the broad beans, peas, tripe and trotters. Spoon over the remaining stock and serve immediately.