Ingredients

• ½ cucumber
• peeled
• quartered lengthways and seeds removed
• cut into rectangles
• 25g/1fl oz white wine vinegar
• 35g/1¼oz sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 35ml/1fl oz white wine
• 50g/1¾oz honey
• 1 x 500g/1lb 2oz gammon hock
• 3 garlic cloves
• peeled and left whole
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 5 black peppercorns
• 4 banana shallots
• chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 1g fresh thyme
• leaves picked
• 100ml/3½fl oz white wine
• 50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• 250g/9oz butter
• 1 tsp wholegrain Pommery mustard
• 1 tsp Dijon smooth mustard
• 1½ tsp English mustard
• 2 large waxy potatoes
• cut into 1cm/½in cubes
• 500ml/18fl oz fish stock
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 tbsp vinaigrette dressing (made from 10% vinegar to 90% olive oil and flavoured with tarragon)
• 4 x 170g/6oz hake fillets
• skin on
• ½ lemon
• zest only
• sea salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea purslane and sea aster
• to garnish

Directions

• For the pickled cucumber
• put the cucumber pieces in a heatproof bowl. In a pan
• mix the vinegar
• sugar
• salt
• white wine and honey with 400ml/14fl oz water and bring to the boil. Tip this over the cucumber
• leave for five minutes and then sit the bowl over ice to cool. If cooking on the same day as the ham
• store it in the fridge until needed
• or keep in an airtight container in the fridge if making in advance.
• For the ham hock
• cover the hock in 5 litres/9 pints of water. Bring to the boil
• then remove the hock and discard the water. Place the hock into 5 litres/9 pints of fresh water and add the garlic
• thyme
• bay leaf and peppercorns.
• Bring to the boil and skim off any scum from the surface. Gently simmer with the lid on for about four hours
• or until the meat is tender. Let it cool in the liquor until needed.
• For the mustard sauce
• heat a large frying pan. Once hot
• add the shallots
• garlic
• thyme
• white wine and white wine vinegar. Cook until the volume of liquid has reduced to nearly nothing. Add the cream and reduce again to half the volume.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until emulsified. Strain through a sieve and then mix in the three types of mustard. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
• For the warm potato salad
• put the potatoes
• stock and salt in a large pan and boil until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes then add the chives
• shallots and the vinaigrette. Bring together and keep warm.
• For the hake
• preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Cover the fish in the lemon zest and salt and leave for 15 minutes. In an ovenproof frying pan heat the oil to medium-hot. Wash the zest and salt from the fish. Place the fish in the pan skin-side down and fry for two minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven for three minutes. Remove from the oven
• turn the fish over and leave to rest in the heat of the pan.
• To serve
• put a few spoonfuls of potatoes on each plate and flake three pieces of ham over the top. Place five or so pieces of cucumber around the plate. Put the fish on the potatoes too
• then spoon some of the sauce over the cucumber and around the plate. Garnish with sea purslane and sea aster.