Serves: 3-4 Total Time: 1 h plus
Recipe by: Joel Mielle
Fish and fennel have always been a marriage made in heaven. This recipe takes it up a notch by braising the fennel and using its caramelised juices to enhance the sauce. I selected blue-eye fish for this recipe which works a treat. Don’t be surprised if you see similar dishes in fine dining restaurants. Now you can cook like a Chef.
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of fish, approx. 250g – 8oz each
- 1 whole fennel
- 1 or 2 shallots
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 ½ cups of dry white wine
- 1 ripe peeled tomato (see how to peel)
- 30g butter
- Some olive oil
- 10 Kalamata olives (cut in half lengthwise, pips removed)
- 2 tbs of drained capers
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 F
- Wash and peel the outer layer of fennel. Cut the tops off and the bottom root part. Cut in quarters from top to bottom (like an apple)
- Place fennel pieces in an oven proof dish (center part facing up). Drizzle some olive oil over fennel, just enough to coat evenly. Add one peeled shallot, cut into four pieces (or separate cloves). Season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup of dry white wine.
- Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through
- Remove from oven, baste inside fennel layers, flip fennel pieces over, cover with foil and return to oven for another 40 minutes at 350F until they are knife-tender
- Add the pine nuts to a hot pan and dry toast until slightly golden (do not over cook). Keep aside.
- Hold the fish firmly, slightly rolling it up and cut shallow incisions through the skin
- Dust with plain flour and place in hot frying pan with olive oil, skin-side-down. Cook for approximately 5 minutes on low to moderate heat. Season fish with salt and pepper.
- Remove fennel from oven turn each piece over and let them rest in a hot oven dish.
- By now your fish should have cooked 5 minutes making the skin crispy, gently flip them over and cook for another three minutes.
- Add two pieces of fennel and two pieces of the shallot per plate. Use any other bits that may have fallen apart. Gently place your fish skin-side-up. Leave to rest in warm area.
- Drain the juices from the fennel dish back into the frying pan you used to cook the fish in. Turn heat to moderate, add capers, olives, tomato and ½ cup of white wine. Reduce until there’s just a little liquid left, add butter, mix well and pour on plate around the fish. Garnish with fennel fronds if you like.