Back of pearly cod & celery in all its states, fermented milk & lovage chive oil

Winner of the Dotation Gault&Millau, chef Alexandre Papin is offering a 5-course blind menu in his restaurant, originally a barn, in La Bernadière, in which this recipe has already appeared.

This recipe from Alexandre Papin, chef at La Pap restaurant in La Bernadière, comes from the special issue of Gault&Millau magazine, in which you can discover 109 chefs' recipes. These chefs have opened their establishments in the last 18 months and shared their favorite recipes with us. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it easy.

Serves 4
Preparationtime: 50 min
Cooking time: 1 h
Resting time: 30 min

Ingredients for Alexandre Papin'sCod & Celery Backs

For the celeriac purée

½ celeriac
75 g butter
50 cl milk
Salt and pepper

For the celeriac whistles

4 celery stalks
White stock
Butte r

For the cod

600 g cod fillets
100 g coarse salt
30 cl olive oil

For thecelery/roasted garlic/hazelnut condiment

50 g diced celeriac
30 g garlic
30 g roasted hazelnuts
Hazelnut oil

For the fermented milk and lovage sauce

1 bunch chives
A few lovage leaves
10 cl olive oil
20 cl Ribot milk

Finishing and garnishing

4 celery tiles
4 red mustard leaves , cut into circles
Celery leaf powder
Celery root pickles

Steps for Alexandre Papin'sCod & Celery Backs

Celery root purée: Peel the celery root, rinse and cut into large cubes.Place in a saucepan, cover with 50 cl cold water and 50 cl milk, add salt and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and cook for around 30 min. drain and blend, then add the diced butter. Season with salt and pepper, stir and keep warm.
Celery stalk whistles: Peel the celery stalks to remove all the filaments. Cut into 3 cm whistles. Blanch the celery in 20 g/l boiling salted water for a few minutes, then cool immediately in iced water. When ready to serve, glaze with white stock and butter (fryin butter, then add stock and reduce).
Cod: Remove the skin from the cod fillet and cover with salt for 30 min. Desalinate under running water. Cut into 4 cobblestones and immerse in olive oil at 50°C for 15 minutes.
Celery/roasted garlic/hazelnut condiment: Roast the celery and garlic separately (over high heat) until golden-brown. Crush the hazelnuts and mix. Season to taste.
Fermented milk and lovage sauce
In a bowl, finely blend the chives with the lovage and olive oil. Strain through a fine sieve . Set aside in a cool place.
Heat the Ribot milk to 40°C, season and drizzle over the green oil.
Finishing: Place a tablespoon of celery purée at the bottom of the plate. Arrange the celery whistles on top, followed by the fish. Arrange the condiment on top of the cod, followed by the finishing touches. Finish by pouring the pearl sauce all around.