Professional Food Photography

Some time ago I photographed food dishes for Lee Rogers, a very talented local Cumbrian chef. All of the food dishes Lee creates are beautifully and artistically presented so they are not only a gastronomic delight but also a visual treat too and my job was to show that in the photographs I created.

Make this fish recipe with halibut, savoy cabbage and an almond sauce.

One of the many dishes I photographed for Lee was halibut served on a bed of savoy cabbage with an almond sauce. It looked stunning and I asked Lee if he would mind sharing his knowledge and his recipe so you could make this yourself. Here it is:

The dish can be created in under 30 minutes and the ingredients shown below are for 2 people.
 
Preparation time 30 minutes.
Cooking time 6-7 minutes
 
Ingredients
Ingredients for Lee's halibut, savoy cabbage and almond sauce recipe

Two 6 - 8oz Halibut fish steaks
100g of savoy cabbage, sliced thinly
30g unsmoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
1 shallot
3 - 4 sprigs of thyme
20g unsalted butter
1 tbsp of rapeseed oil
60ml chicken stock
salt and pepper
For the sauce:
75g flaked almonds, save a sprinkle for garnishing
200ml double cream
50ml fish stock
½ tsp salt

Instructions

To prepare the sauce, preheat an oven to 180c. Place the flaked almonds onto a baking tray and toast for approx 5-6 minutes until they turn a golden brown colour. Place the fish stock and cream in a heavy base saucepan and bring up to a gentle boil, toss the flaked almonds (keeping a few aside) into the hot cream and simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the sauce to infuse, season it with salt and then place cling-film over the top for 20 minutes.

Next, finely slice the shallot, savoy cabbage and the streaky bacon, place the oil in a pan on a gentle heat and start to cook the bacon until it becomes slightly crispy, add the shallot and cook for a further minute. Next, add half the butter, thyme and the savoy cabbage and sauté for another minute. Lastly, add the chicken stock and cook until the cabbage is tender (the consistency should be slightly moist but not wet). Check the seasoning and set aside.

Once the sauce has infused, strain through a sieve and check the seasoning to your taste. You should now have your cabbage in one pan and the sauce in another pan ready to be warmed up.

Finally, heat up 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan, bring it up to a moderate heat and season the Halibut with salt. Place the fish into the pan and cook on one side for 3-4 minutes.

When the fish has turned a nice golden colour, turn down the heat, add the remaining butter and baste the fish. Place in the oven for a further 2 minutes until the fish is tender. Heat up the sauce and cabbage then garnish the plate with the cabbage first, place the cooked fish straight from the oven onto the cabbage and pour the hot sauce onto the plate. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds and serve. 

Introducing Lee

Lee Rogers has over 18 years experience as a chef at prestigious kitchens around the world including the five star Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai and the Michelin star restaurant The Vineyard, in Berkshire, as well as in 3 Rosette kitchens such as Longeville Manor, Jersey and Hipping Hall, Cumbria. Lee is passionate about cooking and wine and his recipes are known for their creativity. He likes to source the best local ingredients for the dishes he creates.
He lives in Cumbria with his wife and son.

Get in touch

You can see more of Paul's commercial photography work on the web site and if you would like professional photographs to advertise your own products, services or business, that is something we can do for you. Call in, phone, or email us at the studio so we can discuss things with you and find out more about what you require. You may also wish to consider having professional headshot photos too.
 
Are you planning to use this fish recipe or perhaps you have recently tried it? Let us know! We would love to hear your comments.