INGREDIENTS

(serves four) 

30ml olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 aubergine, peeled and cut into half-inch dice
1 level tsp ground cumin
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
½ tsp fresh coriander, chopped
 120g Puy lentils
400ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
4 cardamom pods
1 beaten egg
50g dry or 100g fresh breadcrumbs
100g clarified butter
4 x 175g fillets of halibut, scaled
200ml red wine sauce
150g cooked leaf spinach (optional)
12 halves tomato confit
Aubergine herb crust (aubergines, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, garlic powder, chervil, coriander, parsley - dried and blended) to garnish

METHOD

Heat half the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and sweat off the shallot with the garlic. When soft, remove and leave to cool. Place the pan back on the heat and add the rest of the olive oil and the aubergine and cook quite quickly. Add the cumin, sugar and seasoning, and cook until aubergine is tender, then remove and allow to cool.

In a bowl, mix together the aubergine, shallot and coriander. Wash the lentils and cover with the stock in a small saucepan, then add the bay leaf and cardamom pods. Simmer until the lentils are tender then remove from the heat and strain. Remove the bay leaf and cardamom and mix the lentils into the aubergine. Check the seasoning and pack into four ring moulds and freeze.

When frozen, remove from the ring moulds and coat in egg and breadcrumbs. Keep frozen until required then seal in clarified butter to colour and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven until hot through.

Season and seal the halibut and bake in the oven at 200º C until cooked, but slightly underdone (about 6-8 minutes). Heat the sauce.

To serve, put the galette on a bed of spinach, followed by two halves of tomato confit and the halibut. Garnish with a sprinkling of aubergine herb crust, half a tomato confit and a cordon of the sauce.