Name: Fennel-Cockle Velouté with Blue Shrimp Tartare
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Sherry vinegar; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon citric acid; 1 cup (250 ml) watercress juice (from about 3 bunches, or 1 pound/450 g, watercress); 2 tablespoons brunoised (very finely diced) fennel; 10 to 12 slices seven-grain bread, thinly sliced (about ⅛ inch/3 mm); Decorative flowers (make sure they’re food-safe); 1 pound (455 g) blue shrimp, cleaned, small diced; 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil; 2 tablespoon brunoised (very finely diced) celery; 4½ ounces (135 g) jarred piquillo pepper or roasted red peppers; Salt and white pepper; Lemon juice; ¼ cup (60 ml) dry vermouth, or as needed for finishing; 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, cooked in a microwave on high for 45 seconds; 12 tarragon leaves, roughly chopped; Tobiko (flying fish roe); 3 tablespoons (45 g) warm clarified butter; 2 pounds (900 g) cockles; ⅔ cup (150 g) butter; 2 fennel bulbs, brown exterior pieces discarded, thinly sliced; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 2 cups (500 ml) Riesling; 2 cups (500 ml) Chardonnay; 2 small bay leaves; 8 sprigs thyme; ½ teaspoon (3 g) black peppercorns, cracked; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 2 cups (500 ml) White Chicken Stock

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Gabriel Kreuther

By Gabriel Kreuther

Published 2021

About

This soup is a play on hot and cold and was on our opening menu, but the velouté was made from clams instead of cockles—an equally good option. We make use of what we have and what’s best. We pour the velouté tableside over a disc of rouille, which is a traditional condiment for a bouillabaisse or seafood stew, on which a cylinder of toast holds the tartare. I love the bite of blue shrimp, but if you have access to Santa Barbara prawns, those are fabulous too. Just like the soup, though, th