Whole grilled flat fish with a mint, parsley and caper dressing makes for a delicious and impressive dish, although worth getting your seasoning just right for your guests.
Ingredients
- 4x450-500g lemon sole, plaice, flounder, megrim, or witch sole
- Olive oil, for brushing
For the dressing
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 15g fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 10g fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 3 tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and chopped
- 15g anchovy fillets (about 4) in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
Method
- 1. Preheat the grill to high. Make the dressing. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt. Set aside.
- 2. Close-cut the fish and make a series of deep cuts into the flesh on the darker side of the fish. Brush both sides with olive oil, season both sides with sea salt flakes and place dark-side up on the rack of the grill pan. (If your grill pan isn’t large enough, cook 2 at a time and keep warm in a low oven.)
- 3. Grill the fish for 8-10 minutes on 1 side only, until cooked through. To check it’s ready, make a small cut in the thickest part of the fillet, just behind the head: it should be firm and opaque close to the bone and show signs of the flesh coming away from the bones quite easily. If it’s still a bit pink, grill for a further 2 minutes.
- 4. Lift the cooked fish onto warmed plates, spoon over some dressing and serve with thinly-cut chips.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 569kcals, 32.2g fat (4.4g saturated), 71.2g protein, 1.1g carbs, 0.3g sugar, 1.4g salt
Wine Recommendation
Wine note: a very cold, very dry fino sherry – or a simple, fresh white, such as Muscadet.