This is a dish that I created after being asked by Michael Caines to appear at the Exeter Food Festival! I have done many cooking demos before, but this was a bit different as I was up against a top, real life chef from the South West, in a cook off! Nerve racking doesn't come close but, I am very proud to say, I won!
Since then, I have cooked this many times at home. Wild garlic is abundant at this time of year and we are lucky that we have a lot growing in the garden here at HQ - but you can buy this now in good supermarkets and of course, local Farm Shops. If red mullet (my personal favourite) is not for you, you can easily substitute it for one of your personal favourite fish - sea bass for example would be just as good. Enjoy!
For the dressing...
300ml fresh fish stock
50ml dessert white wine
50gms pine nuts
50gms raisins soaked in dessert wine
2 banana shallots, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 lemon
Squeeze of lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
For the Brocolli, Kale & Wild Garlic...
10 stems of Purple Sprouting Brocolli
Few stems of Kale Sprouts if you can get them
Big handful of Wild Garlic Leaves
Salt & Pepper
For the fish
2 Red Mullet, filleted and pine boned
Olive Oil
Unsalted Butter
For the Herbed Crumbs...
2 slices of good, stale bread
Dessertspoon of Chopped Wild Garlic (or 1 clove if not available)
Olive Oil
Zest of ½ lemon
Salt & Pepper
First Make the Dressing...
Reduce the fish stock by half until the flavour is really concentrated. Then add the dessert wine and reduce again. Add some lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
In a dry frying pan toast the pine nuts until golden. Gently fry off the shallots in oil and butter until caramelised. Drain on kitchen paper. Mix the nuts, raisins and shallots in a bowl.
Make the Crumbs...
Blitz stale bread into crumbs. Chop some wild garlic and add to the mix. Season with salt and pepper and coat in olive oil. Place on a baking sheet in a hot oven (200 degrees C) for about 5 – 10 minutes until crispy. You may need to check the oven from time to time and mix around.
When ready remove from the oven and leave to one side to cool down.
Next Steam the Kale, Broccoli and Wild Garlic...
In a bamboo steamer lay a carpet of Wild Garlic leaves, then add the purple sprouting. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with another layer of wild garlic. Steam for about 5 minutes until starting to tenderise. Then add the thinner Kale spears to the steam and steam for a further 5 or so minutes until tender.
When all these elements are ready, you can cook the fish. Heat a non-stick frying pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Season the fish and score the skin side. Add to the pan skin side down and fry for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, turn the fillets – the residual heat will cook the skinless side. Add a little butter and baste.
To serve...
Mix the sprouting broccoli with the nuts, raisins, shallots and drizzle over the warm dressing. Place in the middle of a bowl/plate. Scatter the crumbs around the outside and place the fish on top.
Enjoy!
