Catfish hot dog

Ingredients

• 100 gplain flour
• 3 gbaker’s yeast
• 5 gsugar
• 15 glard
• 2 gsalt
• 50 gstill water
• to tastespring onion greens
• to tasteginger
• to tastegarlic
• to tastered yuzu kosho
• to tastebutter
• ¼ bunchparsley
• 1onion
• ¼ bunchdill
• to tastestill water
• 1 bunchchervil
• 1 knobbutter
• ½leek
• to tastespinach
• 600 gcatfish
• 200 gsmoked catfish
• to tasteprepared spring onion condiment
• 20 gsalt
• 250 gbutter
• 2egg yolks
• 6eggs
• 500 gcream
• to tastered yuzu kosho
• 80 gegg yolks
• 50 gparsley
• 25 ggarlic
• 50 gonion
• 50 gshallots
• 50 gcapers
• 50 ggherkins
• 60 gmustard
• 500 goil
• flowerswild garlic
• to tastechives
• to tasteoxalis

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the bao

   Mix the flour, water and yeast, working the dough by tearing it into small pieces and pressing it together. Add the lard and sugar in the same way, then incorporate the salt. Leave the dough at room temperature for part of the morning, until it has almost doubled in size. Divide into 80 g portions and shape into balls; leave to prove at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Cover well and refrigerate. Steam at 90°C for about 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the condiment

   Grate the ginger and garlic, chop the spring onion greens and mix them together. Slowly cook the mixture in butter.

3. 3

   Cook the greens

   Finely slice all the vegetables and herbs. Sweat the onion in semi-salted butter without colouring it. Halfway through cooking, add the very finely sliced leek. Add a little water so the leek cooks quickly and keeps its colour. Take the pan off the heat, then add the spinach and herbs.

4. 4

   Make the mousseline

   Blend the catfish flesh with the salt, then add the spring onion condiment and the 2 egg yolks and blend until smooth. Add the very soft butter, then the whole eggs one at a time, followed by the very cold cream. Pass the mixture through a sieve and add the yuzu kosho. Transfer it to a piping bag and roll it in cling film to form a sausage. Steam at 85°C on a perforated tray covered with film for about 15 minutes, or poach for 10 minutes in barely simmering water. Cool thoroughly in iced water. To serve, heat the mousseline in the oven for 2 minutes or brown it with a blowtorch.

5. 5

   Make the gribiche

   Blend all the solid ingredients in a Thermomix, then gradually emulsify with the oil as you would for mayonnaise.

6. 6

   Assemble the bun

   Mark the bao bun on a panini press, then cut it lengthways. Put the vegetable mixture in the base and place the catfish sausage on top. Pipe the gribiche over it in a zigzag. Sprinkle with chives and fried onions, then arrange the wild garlic flowers, chives and oxalis.

7. 7

   Plan the preparation

   Make and shape the bao dough, then leave it to prove: the recipe gives 20 minutes plus 2 hours at room temperature, or 45 minutes in an oven. Allow 20 minutes to prepare the vegetable mixture and spring onion condiment. Start the fish filling and shape the sausages (25 minutes, 15 minutes cooking and 30 minutes cooling); blend the gribiche and transfer it to a squeeze bottle (15 minutes). Make the fried onions (10 minutes) and the glaze (5 minutes). Cook and mark the buns (20 minutes), bring the components back to temperature and assemble (5 minutes).

What is a catfish hot dog?

A hot dog is usually a sausage served in a split bun, but this version swaps the conventional sausage for a delicate catfish mousseline and the usual roll for a steamed bao. Bao are steamed buns associated with Chinese cooking; here they provide a soft, gently chewy casing for the fish and vegetables.

The recipe comes from chef Mathieu Pérou of Le Manoir de la Régate in Nantes. Its combination of fish, French gribiche sauce, spring onion condiment and fresh herbs makes it a hybrid of bao-style cooking and a dressed-up hot dog.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 10500 calories, 170g protein, 175g carbs, 1050g fat.

The bao flour supplies most of the carbohydrate, while the lard, butter, cream and oil contribute much of the fat. Catfish, eggs and cream contribute protein, but the listed batch also contains substantial quantities of butter, oil and salt. The quantities appear to make multiple components or portions despite the stated serving count of one, so the nutrition estimate reflects the full listed quantities; for a more balanced plate, serve one bun with extra greens.

Build the bao dough

Dough texture: Work the flour, water and yeast before adding the lard and sugar, then finish with the salt. The method calls for repeatedly tearing and pressing the dough together; aim for an even, cohesive dough before leaving it to rise.

Proofing: The dough should almost double during its first rise. After shaping into 80 g balls, give them another 20 minutes at room temperature before covering and refrigerating.

Keep the greens bright

Onion and leek: Sweat the onion gently in semi-salted butter, keeping it pale rather than browned. Add the finely sliced leek halfway through cooking, with a little water to help it soften while retaining its colour.

Herbs and spinach: Stir these in off the heat, as directed, so they do not cook down as much as the onion and leek. The recipe groups the vegetables and herbs together but does not specify quantities for the spinach or the water.

Handle the fish mixture gently

Emulsifying: Blend the fish with the salt and spring onion condiment first, then add the yolks, soft butter, whole eggs one at a time and cold cream. Pass the mixture through a sieve for a smoother texture before adding the yuzu kosho.

Cooking: Shape the mousseline into a sausage in cling film and steam it at 85°C for about 15 minutes, or poach it for 10 minutes in barely simmering water. The method gives no internal temperature, so follow its stated timings and chill the sausage thoroughly in iced water before handling.

What gribiche adds

Gribiche is a mayonnaise-style sauce made here by blending parsley, garlic, onion, shallots, capers, gherkins, mustard and egg yolks, then emulsifying the oil into the mixture. Its sharp, savoury ingredients contrast with the mild fish and soft bao.

The recipe does not specify the amount of red yuzu kosho or how much of the listed spring onion condiment to add to the fish. Season those components to taste, keeping in mind that the recipe also includes a substantial amount of salt.

Finish and assemble

Bun: Mark the bao on a panini press before cutting it lengthways, as the method directs. Keep the bun warm while you bring the other components back to temperature.

Toppings: Layer the vegetables and catfish sausage in the bun, then pipe the gribiche in a zigzag. Finish with chives, fried onions, wild garlic flowers and oxalis; the method mentions fried onions, though no separate quantity or preparation for them is provided in the ingredient list.

Timing the components

Stagger the work: The recipe's progression suggests making the dough and leaving it to prove while preparing the vegetables and condiment. The fish sausage needs cooking and a 30-minute cooling period, so plan that before the final assembly.

Allow for the listed stages: The progression mentions 2 hours of proving at room temperature or 45 minutes in an oven, while the bao method also specifies a separate 20-minute rise after shaping. These are the recipe's timings; it does not explain how the two proofing instructions fit together.

Serving ideas

Serve the bao as soon as it is assembled, while the bun is warm and the sausage has been reheated. A simple salad or extra lightly cooked greens would complement the creamy filling without adding another rich sauce.

The ingredient quantities appear to make more than one individual serving, despite the listed serving count of one. The recipe does not state how many buns or sausages the full batch yields, so portion the components according to the number of buns you make.

Recipe notes & tips

• Use a scale to portion each bao ball at 80 g.
• Keep the cream very cold when adding it to the fish mixture.
• Pass the mousseline mixture through a sieve before piping it.
• Cool the cooked sausage thoroughly in iced water before reheating.
• Add the spinach and herbs off the heat to help preserve their colour.
• Pipe the gribiche over the sausage just before serving.

Variations

• Adjust the heat: Add red yuzu kosho gradually until the fish mixture has the level of spice you prefer.
• Change the herbs: Use a different mixture of soft fresh herbs if chervil or dill is unavailable.
• Make a smaller batch: Scale the components down together, keeping the same proportions.
• Skip the panini press: Warm the bao without marking it if you do not have a press.
• Serve extra greens: Add more spinach or other cooked greens alongside the bun.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Browning the onion: Sweat it gently in butter and keep it pale.
• Overworking the fish mixture: Add the eggs one at a time and blend only until the ingredients are combined.
• Using warm cream: Keep it very cold so it incorporates as the method intends.
• Boiling the poaching water: Keep it at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil.
• Skipping the chilling: Cool the sausage in iced water before reheating so it firms up.
• Filling the bun too early: Assemble after the components have been brought back to temperature.

How to store

Keep cooked components covered in the refrigerator and use within 2 days; store the bun, sausage, vegetables and sauce separately where possible. Reheat the sausage and bun gently before assembling, and keep the gribiche chilled until serving. The recipe does not give specific storage instructions.

Frequently asked questions