Normandy-style fish – cider, shallots, cream- is one of the oldest poaching techniques I know, and it translates well to South Australian ingredients. The bearded rock cod came from Cape Jaffa. The cider is Adelaide Hills apple. The Goolwa Pipis are the twist – usually their own dish, steamed hard and fast, but folded in here through the cream sauce instead. The method is French; everything else is local.
⏱️ Preparation Time: 15 minutes
🍳 Cooking Time: 20 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 6
👩🍳 Cooking Method: Induction or Gas stovetop, Steam Oven or Combi Oven
📝 Ingredients:
- 900gm bearded rock cod fillet, skin removed, cut into 6 portions (150gm per person)
- 300gm Goolwa Pipis
- 15gm salted butter, for the pan
- 3 French shallots, thinly sliced
- 500ml Adelaide Hills dry cider
- 200ml Tweedvale cream
- A few drops of lemon juice
- 20gm finely chopped (1 tbsp), flat-leaf parsley
- Sea salt and white pepper to taste
👩🍳 Method:
- Melt the butter in a wide, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat, induction setting 4 or a low-medium gas flame. Scatter half the sliced shallots across the base.
- Lay the bearded rock cod portions on top of the shallots and scatter the remaining shallots over the fish. Season with sea salt and white pepper.
- Pour 375ml (+/-) of the cider in around the fish – it should come about three-quarters of the way up the portions, not cover them completely. Cut a circle of baking paper to fit the pan and make a small hole in the centre. Lay the cartouche directly on the surface of the liquid – the hole allows a controlled amount of steam to escape and the liquid to reduce gently as the fish poaches.
- Bring the cider up to a gentle simmer (75°C – gentle movement, no surface bubbles) with the bearded rock cod already in the pan, induction setting 5 or a low-medium gas flame, then poach for 10-12 minutes once at temperature. The bearded rock cod is ready at an internal temperature of 48-52°C, when the flesh turns opaque and just yields under light pressure – check the thickest portion first.
- Alternatively, warm the cider and shallots in a saucepan on the stovetop to around 75°C before pouring into a solid (unperforated) steam oven tray with the cod. Set the steam oven or combi oven to 75°C and poach for 10-12 minutes.
- While the cod poaches, bring 200ml of the same Adelaide Hills cider to a rapid simmer in a separate covered pot, induction setting 7 or a medium-high gas flame. Add the Goolwa Pipis, cover, and steam for 4-6 minutes, or until the shells open.
- Once the cod is cooked, carefully lift the portions onto a warm plate, spoon over a little of the poaching liquid, and lay the cartouche back on top to keep them moist while you finish the sauce. Rest for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the remaining poaching liquid into a wide saucepan and bring to a brisk boil over a medium-high heat, induction setting 7. Reduce for 2-3 minutes to concentrate the flavour before the cream goes in – too much liquid at this stage and the sauce won’t thicken properly.
- Add the cream and continue to reduce over a medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Add a few drops of lemon juice and the chopped parsley, and taste for seasoning.
- Return the bearded rock cod to the pan along with the steamed Goolwa Pipis, spooning the sauce over gently to bring everything together before serving.
🥣 Serving Suggestions:
- Spoon the sauce generously over the bearded rock cod and Goolwa Pipis, making sure every portion gets some of the pipis through the sauce.
- Kipfler or chat potatoes steamed until tender (a knife comes out cleanly), then dressed immediately with salt, fresh thyme and extra virgin olive oil while still hot.
- Green beans and baby carrots steamed at the same time (5-7 minutes), refreshed in cold water, and reheated to serve.
- A chilled Adelaide Hills Chardonnay sits well with the cider and cream.
📝 Notes:
- I use a dry Adelaide Hills apple cider and Tweedvale cream here – using the same cider to steam the Goolwa Pipis means the shellfish liquor doesn’t fight with the poaching base when everything comes together in the pan.
- The cartouche controls how much steam escapes during poaching – a tight lid traps moisture and steams the fish rather than poaching it.
- Reduce the poaching liquid properly before adding the cream, or the sauce will stay thin no matter how long you cook it after.
- This works with whatever firm, sustainable white fish is in season – Ōra King Salmon, Barramundi or Murray Cod all poach the same way. I haven’t built this around one named fish, since the scale-fish guideline is about cooking what’s fresh, not chasing a single species.
- Goolwa Pipis can be swapped for Port Lincoln Vongole or blue bearded mussels if that’s what’s fresh and available.
- A splash of fish stock deepens the sauce if you have it – a good-quality fish stock cube in a little hot water works in a pinch.
- Bearded rock cod isn’t centre-cut like salmon, so portions won’t be perfectly even – check the thickest one first and lift thinner ones out early if they’re ready sooner.
🧊Storage:
Fridge Friendly Instructions:
This dish doesn’t reheat well – the cream sauce tends to split and the cod overcooks quickly under any kind of reheat.
If you do have leftovers, they’re better served cold over a salad the next day rather than reheated. Store in a glass container for up to 1 day.
Freezer Friendly Instructions:
Not suitable for freezing – the cream sauce will separate on thawing.
🥗Nutritional – 6 servings:
- Calories – 358
- Kilojoules – 1,498
- Total Fat – 22gm
- Saturated fat – 13gm
- Monounsaturated Fat – 6gm
- Polyunsaturated Fat – 1gm
- Trans Fat – 0gm
- Cholesterol – 95mg
- Sodium – 370mg
- Potassium – 480mg
- Total Carbohydrate – 4gm
- Dietary Fibre – 0gm
- Sugars – 2gm
- Protein – 29gm
- Vitamin A – 10%
- Vitamin C – 4%
- Calcium – 6%
- Iron – 7%
