Fillet of brill steamed in fig leaves with beurre blanc, trout roe and tomatoes
Show off your chef skills by preparing tomato concassé for a rich and delicious trout roe beurre blanc to serve with fig leaf-wrapped fish.
Ingredients
For the steamed brill in fig leaves
- 4 large fig leaves
- 4 x 130g/1¾oz brill fillets
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the beurre blanc
- 2 tomatoes (ideally outdoor-grown French tomatoes)
- 2 white onions, thinly sliced
- 200ml/7fl oz white wine
- 200ml/7fl oz chardonnay vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 peppercorns
- 50ml/2fl oz double cream
- 250g/9oz salted butter, finely diced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ bunch chives, finely chopped
- 30g/1oz trout roe
For the salad
Method
To make the steamed brill in fig leaves, heat a large pan of water until boiling and prepare a bowl of iced water. Add the fig leaves to the water and blanch for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the leaves from the pan and plunge into the cold water. Drain.
Season the fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper and carefully wrap each portion in a fig leaf like a parcel.
To make the beurre blanc, start by making a tomato concassé: core both the tomatoes, put a pan of water onto boil and prepare a bowl of ice cold water. Using a sharp knife, make a light ‘X’ at the bottom of each tomato (this makes them easier to peel). Submerge the tomatoes in the water for about 1 minute and then remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to the cold water bath. Peel the tomatoes using a sharp knife and cut out and discard the seeds. Finely dice the remaining tomato and set aside.
Put the onions, wine, vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorns and 50ml/2fl oz of water into a pan and reduce over a high heat until the volume of liquid has evaporated by 90%. Add the double cream and bring to the boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the diced butter until the sauce has emulsified.
Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and bring to the boil. Add the chives, trout roe, reserved tomato concasse and salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Keep warm.
To make the salad, tip the flower (if using) and courgettes into a small bowl season with salt, lemon juice and fig leaf oil.
To cook the fish, heat a bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water. Steam the fig leaf-wrapped fish for 7 minutes, or until just cooked.
To serve, carve the fish into slices. Put the courgette salad onto each serving bowl or plate and the fish on top, and pour the sauce generously over. Serve.
