Serves 4
Prep time 1.5 hours
Ingredients
Wild Meagre fillets, 4, approx. 200g each
For the broad bean sauce:
Broad beans, 1kg weight with pod, shucked and blanched
Spring garlic, 1 stalk
Mint, handful
Tarragon, 1 tbsp
Parsley, handful
Lemon, juice of one
Good quality olive oil, 100ml
Salt to season
For the whey sauce:
Whey strained from 500g Greek yoghurt that has been hanging for 2 days. Approx. 200ml
Milk, 200ml
Garlic cloves, 2
1 baby potato, peeled and chopped
Salt to taste
Artichokes::
2 artichokes, trimmed and cleaned down to heart and inner leaves
Lemon, sliced
Parsley, bunch
Olive oil, 4 tbsp.
Water, 200ml
Salt to taste
To garnish:
Fennel, 1 bulb, very finely sliced
Lemon, juice of one
Good quality olive oil, 2 tbsp. + extra
Salt, to taste
Fresh herbs or sea herbs if you can get your hands on them (talk to Natural Preserves)
Method
Set the oven to 190 C. Find a small oven proof dish that fits the artichokes snuggly and add all the artichoke ingredients to it. Cover in foil and bake for 40 minutes rotating halfway. When the time has elapsed, remove from the liquid, cool, and split lengthways into quarters using a paring knife or teaspoon to remove the choke. Heat a grill pan with a little olive oil and frill on each side until you can see the marks. Season with salt and set aside.
For the whey sauce place all the ingredients in a pot on medium heat and reduce by half. Season with salt and blend to a smooth sauce. Allow to cool to room temperature.
For the broad bean sauce blitz all the ingredients to a rough sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and more lemon juice if necessary.
Season both sides of the fish with salt and place, skin side down, in a cold non stick frying pan. Place on a medium heat and cook for 8 minutes or until almost half of it turns opaque. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the fennel with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Leave for 10 minutes. To plate spoon 2 tablespoons of the broad bean sauce on the base of the plate. Split with 2 tablespoons of the whey sauce and a drizzle of finishing olive oil. Squeeze the excess liquid from the fennel and position in the centre. Rest the fish fillet on top and rest 2 quarters of the grilled artichoke on each. Garnish with fresh herbs or saline sea herbs.
