Zander pumpkin patties recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb 12 oz (800 g) red kuri pumpkin (hokkaido) or butternut squash
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons canola oil
• 14 oz (400 g) zander fillet or whitefish, ready for use
• 2 scallions
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil
• smoked salt, freshly ground salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C)or 360°F (180°C) (convection oven). Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into ¾ in (2 cm) wedges. Add to a bowl with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons canola oil then season with salt and pepper. Pour onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake on the middle oven rack for 15–20 minutes until firm to the bite.
2. Remove from the oven and finely dice one-third of the pumpkin. Set the rest aside. Finely chop the zander fillet with a large knife and add to a bowl. Season generously with smoked salt; mix well and cover with plastic wrap, then freeze for 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, cut the scallions in half lengthwise and then into thin slices. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until golden brown then allow to cool. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil with the pumpkin seed oil in a frying pan and sweat the scallions for 3 minutes. Add to a bowl along with the pine nuts and diced pumpkin. Season with smoked salt. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until the fish is ready to come out of the freezer.
4. Remove the fish and pumpkin from the freezer and knead together thoroughly until a dough starts to form, similar to if you were making meatballs. Season to taste, then form 12 patties using moist hands. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large frying pan and fry the patties for 6–8 minutes (in batches, if necessary), flipping once. While they are cooking, sauté the remaining pumpkin in 1 tablespoon canola oil in another frying pan. Serve the patties with the sautéed pumpkin. Goes well with spicy mustard or tarragon-lemon mustard.