GRILLED sole with asparagus, brown butter, shrimps, lemon and Jersey Royals, by Ally McGrath of Osso Restaurant in Peebles
IT’S reaching that time of year that when everything is beginning to change again, and all the greens are coming back - it’s brilliant. I love winter and all the food that comes with it, but there’s just something so exciting about being able to start ordering Jersey Royals and asparagus again - two of my absolute favourites. I love all potatoes, but Jerseys are just in a different league. Every time you taste a Jersey Royal, you can tell: their slightly sweet and summery flavour is unlike anything else.
Asparagus season starts in April, although we may need to wait and see if the ‘Beast From The East’ has delayed things this year. Regardless, the season is so short, usually around eight weeks, so grab it while you can! It’s rare that I’ll use an ingredient more than once on a menu in Osso, but I’ll make an exception for asparagus. When it’s in season, it’s just unbeatable.
This is a really quick, simple and seasonal dish; it only takes the time for the potatoes to cook. I’ve suggested sole here, though plaice, dab or hake would also work just as well. It’s such a versatile recipe and lends itself well to using just about any fish you like.
Ingredients:
600g Jersey Royal potatoes
600g sole fillets, or similar
16 spears asparagus, or sprouting/stem broccoli
150g unsalted butter
1 lemon, peeled, with the rind cut fine and segmented
10g flat leaf parsley, finely shredded
25g Lilliput capers
60g brown shrimp (optional)
Salt, to season
Method:
1.Set your grill to high.
2.Put the potatoes on to cook in a pan of water; this should take around 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. At the same time, put on another pot of water for the asparagus. If you prefer, you can grill the asparagus instead for 3-4 minutes.
3.Brown the butter, in a pot large enough that it won’t boil over if it starts to foam too much. Once melted, keep it cooling over a medium heat until it turns lightly brown and begins to smell slightly nutty. Pass the butter through a sieve to remove any crispy bits, and set aside.
4.Peel the lemon with a peeler and cut the rind into thin strips, as thin as you can. Place the strips of rind into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.
5.Once boiling, refresh the lemon rind under a cold tap. Do this twice to help remove the bitterness of the skin. Peel and segment the rest of the lemon, keeping a couple of segments aside for later. Squeeze out the juice of the remaining segments.
6.Now it’s time to get everything ready! Have everything to hand, as once you start to cook the fish, it will only be a few minutes until it’s done. Have the brown butter in a pot, and the rind and lemon segments, capers, parsley and shrimps set aside, ready to go. In the meantime, keep the potatoes and asparagus warm, with a little butter.
7.Place the fish fillets on a tray and season them lightly with salt. Add a knob of butter and grill. If you are using sole or plaice, this should only take 3-4 minutes.
8.Once the fish is under the grill, add the capers, lemon rind and lemon segments to the warm butter.
9.Next, add the shrimps – but be careful, as they cook really quickly!
10.Add a drop of lemon juice into the butter mixture, and remove the fish from the grill, squeezing extra lemon juice over the fillets while they’re still hot.
11.Finally, finely shred the parsley and add to the butter mixture and stir well. Place your fish on the plate along with the asparagus, and spoon over the butter mixture. Use any additional butter to add to the potatoes, and enjoy!
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