FISHCAKES WITH BUTTER SAUCE

      A classic butter sauce is one of those recipes that, once you’ve mastered, you will use again and again. Yes, there’s a shed-load of butter, but it’s the richness that makes it go so well with all types of seafood. I remember I once spent two weeks just making this sauce over and over in the restaurant I was working in at the time. It was worth all that practice, as I use the same method even now. The sauce can be flavoured with all manner of ingredients from tomato to orange, just change the flavour to suit yourself.

      SERVES 4–6

      300ml (11fl oz) milk

      1 x 200g (7oz) natural smoked haddock fillet

      1 x 225g (8oz) salmon fillet

      115g (4oz) butter

      350g (12oz) mashed potatoes (following method on page 179 but using no butter or cream)

      2 small onions, peeled and diced

      3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

      2 tbsp chopped dill

      150g (5oz) plain flour

      2 eggs, beaten

      150g (5oz) dried breadcrumbs, such as Japanese panko

      2 tbsp vegetable oil

      Salt and black pepper

      FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE

      150ml (5fl oz) white wine

      250ml (9fl oz) fish stock

      1 shallot, peeled and sliced

      150ml (5fl oz) double cream

      50g (2oz) butter, chilled and diced

      2 tsp chopped dill

      1. Pour the milk into a large saucepan, season with salt and pepper and place over a low heat to warm through. Poach the haddock and salmon in the milk for 3–4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the milk and allow to cool.

      2. Meanwhile, melt 75g (3oz) of the butter in a small saucepan.

      3. When the haddock and salmon are cool enough to handle, flake the flesh of each fish separately, discarding the skin and any bones. Place the haddock in a large bowl, add the potatoes, onions and melted butter and mix together. Add the salmon and chopped herbs and mix again until combined, but without over-mixing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding a little of the haddock poaching milk if the mixture seems too dry.

      4. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, then shape into patties. Dip in the flour, the beaten eggs and finally the breadcrumbs and then chill in the fridge for 2 hours before frying.

      5. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetable oil and the remaining butter and fry the fishcakes on each side for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown.

      6. While the fishcakes are cooking, make the sauce. Place the wine, stock and shallot in a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes to reduce by half. Pour in the cream, bring back up to the boil, then remove from the heat and whisk in the diced butter. Stir in the dill, season with salt and pepper and serve with the fishcakes, spooning a little on to each plate along with a handful of watercress leaves or some wilted spinach.

MISO-BLACKENED BREAM WITH CARAMELISED CHICORY

      Miso is a Japanese paste made from soya beans fermented with rice or barley. You will find several varieties of miso in the shops – some are light in colour and some are dark. The darker the colour, the stronger the flavour tends to be so I use the lighter colours for a milder result. Combined with the rest of the ingredients, and used to marinate the fish, the miso will cause the fish to brown more under the grill. It should be cooked quickly and the blackened bits left on it, as they add to the flavour of the finished dish.

      SERVES 4

      3–4 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for drizzling

      4 x 125g (4½oz) black bream fillets (preferably Dorset bream), scales and pin bones removed

      325g (11½oz) white miso paste

      50ml (2fl oz) rice vinegar

      50ml (2fl oz) mirin

      50g (2oz) caster sugar

      75g (3oz) mizuna leaves, to serve

      FOR THE CARAMELISED CHICORY

      2 chicory bulbs, cut into quarters lengthways through the root

      200g (7oz) caster sugar

      2 tbsp olive oil

      1. Preheat the grill to high.

      2. Rub the groundnut oil into the bream fillets and set aside. Place the miso paste, rice vinegar, mirin and caster sugar in a large bowl and mix well, then immerse the bream in this mixture. Remove the fillets from the bowl, lay them on a baking tray and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

      3. Meanwhile, place the chicory and sugar in a separate bowl and toss together. Set a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and the sugared chicory and allow to caramelise for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly, then place on individual plates.

      4. Place the bream under the grill and cook for 4–5 minutes. The marinade will start to blacken, but don’t be tempted to turn the fish over. To check whether the fish is done, gently press your finger into one fillet: if it penetrates, the fish is cooked; if not, return the bream to the grill for another couple of minutes.

      5. Slide the bream from the tray and place on top of the chicory. Top with a few of the mizuna leaves, drizzle over a little of the groundnut oil and serve.