Celebrating British Asparagus Season

A short trip across the estuary from Padstow is the home of our friends, St Enodoc Asparagus. It’s some of the very best in the business, which, as you may know, is only available for a fleeting month or so each year around May time. Jack raves about the quality of it and at The Seafood Restaurant, we just serve it with a good dollop of hollandaise. It doesn’t need anything more complicated. It can pair very nicely with seafood too – scroll down to find a recipe suggestion from Jack to try at home.

It’s been grown in the same field, tucked up the lane from Daymer Bay and within eye shot of St Enodoc’s famous church and golf course, by Jax Buse and her family for 25 years. We’ve had it on the menu since day one. Daughter-in-law, Nat, who spent some of her former years working front of house at our café on Middle Street in Padstow, now runs the show – hand-picking the crop with a small team each morning before delivering around Cornwall and further afield.

Nat puts the wonderful taste of their asparagus down to three things; the quality of the sandy, mineral-rich soil, their proximity to the water and the longevity of the crop that delivers year after year. Also, you won’t find any artificial polytunnels in use to warm the soil and speed up the growing process. They patiently wait until the air and soil temperatures are optimum for bringing the green spears to life.

There you have it; the very best of spring grown in Cornwall, and this is how Jack suggests enjoying asparagus at home with seafood…

British asparagus with cod, clams and peas

Serves 4

Ingredients

– 4 x 175-200g fillets of cod
– Sea salt
– 200g British asparagus, snapped where they break
– 250g fresh or frozen peas
– 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
– 100g finely chopped shallot
– 200ml vegetable oil
– 175ml dry white wine
– 25g unsalted butter, cubed
– 250g small clams, such as carpetshell, washed

Method

1) Season the fillets of cod generously on both sides with salt and pan-fry skin side down for 3 minutes until golden before flipping to cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2) Then slowly poach the asparagus in around 200ml of veg (or olive) oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan, sprinkle with sea salt and set aside.

3) In a medium pan, fry the shallots and garlic over a medium heat for 3 minutes or until soft and lightly golden before adding the clams and white wine and putting the lid on.

4) After 2 minutes, remove the lid and add the peas and butter. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and then stir through the cooked asparagus until warm.

5) To serve, place the asparagus in the middle of the plate and scatter the clams and peas round the outside. Pour in the sauce in the middle and sit the cod on top. Lovely with a few new potatoes.

Happy Cooking.