Pascal Aussignac's authentic cod fillet recipe is a mainstay of Provençal cuisine for a reason: the flavours of cod loin and a garlicky mayonnaise combine like a dream.
Meanwhile, start on the stock. Fill a large saucepan up with the 1.5 litres of mineral water and place the vegetable trimmings (fennel tops, carrot peel, celery peel) into the pan
1.5l mineral water
4
Rinse the fish trimmings and bones under cold water and add to the pan with the herbs, black peppercorns, salt, halved onion, leek and 1 1/2 of the garlic heads, sliced open. Cover the pan and simmer on a very low heat
After 20 minutes, strain the stock into a clean pan and cook each vegetable one by one in the stock until tender. Set aside the vegetables once cooked, leaving the stock to simmer
1 fennel, sliced into 8 wedges with tops removed for stock
500g of carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks, peel set aside for stock
4 celery sticks, peeled and sliced into thick chunks, peel set aside for stock
6
To prepare the cod, slice the cod into four chunks. Sprinkle a tray with coarse salt and lay the fish on top, sprinkle with more salt to cover the fish. Place in the fridge for half an hour
1 cod fillet, weighing 600g, with trimmings and bones kept
Remove the potato from the oven and scoop out the flesh. Place the 1/2 a head of garlic in a pestle and mash with a mortar. Add the flesh of the potato, 2 tablespoons of the stock and the egg yolk. Continue to crush the mix with the mortar until smooth
Rinse the salt from the cod and poach in the stock on a very gentle simmer. Add all of the vegetables into the broth to warm through after 5 minutes of cooking
10
Arrange the cod and vegetables between plates with hard boiled egg halves, drizzle with the aioli sauce and serve immediately