Halibut with potato croquettes and fried shiitake mushrooms
Make good use of your deep-fat fryer in this special fish supper for two.
Ingredients
For the croquettes
- 2 Maris Piper potatoes, baked with the skin on
- 4 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
- 4 leaves of basil, thinly sliced
- 150g/5½oz plain flour
- 100g/3½oz fine breadcrumbs
- 100g/3½oz panko breadcrumbs
- 2 free-range eggs
- 100ml/3½fl oz full-fat milk
- salt and white pepper
For the halibut
- 2 x 180g /6oz centre-piece skinless halibut portions
- 20ml/¾fl oz vegetable oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 5 knobs of butter
- 2 tbsp capers and their juices from the jar
For the mushrooms
- drizzle vegetable oil
- 4 large shiitake mushrooms
- 100ml/3½fl oz madeira or sherry
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the croquettes, scoop the potato flesh into a bowl then add the onion, herbs and tomato. Mix well and season with salt and white pepper.
Form the mixture into flat circular pieces about the size of the inside of your palm.
Whisk the milk and eggs together in a bowl and season. Mix the two breadcrumbs together.
Put the flour, egg and milk mixture and breadcrumbs onto three separate plates. Roll the potato croquettes in the flour, then the eggs and then the breadcrumbs.
Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 170C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Fry the croquettes until golden, then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm.
Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Remove the stem from the shiitake mushroom and fry for 2 minutes on each side.
Add the madeira to the pan and reduce by half and then add the cream and simmer until the volume of the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms have absorbed most of the cream. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the halibut and fry on one side until golden. Turn the fish and cook for 1 minute, then add in the juice of half a lemon, the capers and the butter. Baste the fish with the caper and lemon butter until cooked through.
Roll the mushrooms in the flour, then the eggs and then the breadcrumbs and fry until golden and crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
To serve, divide the croquettes between two bowls and top with the halibut. Spoon over some of the caper butter and serve with the shiitakes on the side.