Red mullet with summer vegetables recipe

Red mullet is one of my favourite fish. It’s got a very rich flavour – in France they call it ‘bécasse de mer’ (woodcock of the sea) for that reason. What’s more, the head and bones are some of the best to use for fish soup, so save them from this recipe.

You can use whatever spring/summer vegetables you have for this; the colours work perfectly with the red skin of the fish. If your broad beans are large and you want to peel the outer skins, increase the amount of beans.

Timings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves

Four

Ingredients

• 50g broad beans (shelled weight)

• a few stems of sprouting broccoli, broken into small florets

• a pinch of sugar – 50g peas (shelled weight if using fresh)

• 2 large red mullet (weighing 500-600g each), scaled and filleted (keep the heads and bones to make the fish soup)

• a little vegetable or rapeseed oil

• 1 large shallot, finely chopped

• 100ml white wine

• 80g cold butter, cut into small cubes

• the juice of ½ lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

2. Cook the broad beans in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, until tender, then remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side.

3. Do the same with the broccoli then add a little sugar to the water, cook the peas for 2-3 minutes and drain.

4. Put the fish fillets on a lightly oiled baking tray, season on both sides, drizzle with a little more oil and put in the oven for 7-8 minutes, until just cooked and still moist. Meanwhile, simmer the shallot in the wine until the liquid has reduced to about a tablespoonful.

5. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter until it has emulsified. Season, then add the lemon juice and stir in the vegetables. Spoon the vegetables and sauce on to warmed plates, place the red mullet on top, and serve.