Monday, 18 April 2011 15:29
Flathead and Rockling with a Bread and Caper Salad by Matt Dempsey
2009 Young Chef of the Year Matthew Dempsey enjoys working with fresh local produce cooked with modern techniques & serves up this tremendous fish dish
Serves 4 preparation time; 30 minutes cooking time; 10 minutes
Ingredients
4 x 60gm portions flathead
4 x 60gm portion rockling
Salt
Pepper
Bread Salad
¼ loaf day old sourdough
20 gm salted capers, washed
½ punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
¼ bunch Basil, coriander, mint and parsley
½ continental cucumber, peeled into ribbons
1 red onion, neatly diced
Extra virgin olive oil to dress
Method
Rip the bread into bite sized pieces then coat with olive oil. Toast the bread in a fry pan over moderate heat until it is crunchy. Remove from heat and drain onto paper towel. Season with salt. Shred the herbs roughly and combine in a bowl with the capers, tomatoes, onion and bread. Dress with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes so the bread starts to absorb the oil.
Aioli
1 egg yolk
20 ml apple cider vinegar
100 ml vegetable oil
1 clove garlic
Pinch of saffron
Method
Finely Grate the garlic into a bowl. Drop the saffron in the vinegar and gently stir for a couple of minutes to allow it to infuse and release it flavor and color. When the vinegar is ready, stir together with the yolk and garlic then gradually whisk in the oil until it thickens. Season to taste. This can be made a day in advance.
To Serve
Line both fish on absorbant paper then season with salt. Gently heat a non stick pan, adding 20 ml extra virgin olive oil then place the fish in.
Cook over moderate heat until the edges of the fish start to turn golden.
Gently turn the fish over and cook for a further minute then turn the heat off, if the rockling fillets are quite thick, they may need a further couple of minutes
Season the fish with a squeeze of lemon.
On a large platter to share, scatter the salad down the centre then place the fish on top. Dress with the aioli and serve immediately.
Note; the fish could also be grilled or baked In the oven
