Fish In Jelly

Ingredients

• jelly
• small fish-moulds
• blanc mange
• hog's feet

Method

Make your aspic first. Simmer hog's feet in water for 12–14 hours until the collagen fully hydrates into the liquid—you'll know it's ready when the cooled broth sets to a trembling gel, not a sticky puddle. Strain through muslin without pressing the solids, then clarify by whisking egg white into the warm liquid and simmering gently for 15 minutes before passing through a fine sieve lined with damp muslin again. The result should be completely transparent and pale amber.

Pour half the cooled but still-liquid aspic into a deep glass dish and allow it to set completely—3 to 4 hours in a cool larder, or 2 hours if you have ice. Meanwhile, prepare your blanc mange according to your preferred recipe (almond-based or isinglass-thickened cream both work). Fill the small fish-moulds and let them cool and firm.

Once both the aspic base and blanc mange moulds are solid, this becomes an exercise in jellying in stages. Arrange the filled moulds across the set aspic as if they're swimming in different directions—varied angles look natural, not mechanical. Pour a thin layer of liquid aspic around and over them (just enough to anchor them, roughly 5mm), then stop and wait 30 minutes for this layer to gel. This intermediate set prevents the moulds from drifting when you add the final pour.

Top with the remaining aspic in a single pour, covering the moulds completely. The dish should wobble slightly when moved but hold its shape—this is the desired texture of a well-made moulding. Set for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight, before turning out onto a chilled plate or serving directly from the dish.

The aspic's transparency acts as a window; the blanc mange fish suspended inside create visual drama without tasting heavy. This is a showpiece for a cold course at dinner, not a practical everyday dish. The technique survives because the contrast between the delicate set cream and the savoury aspic clarifies what each element is meant to do.