Richard Bacon sits in

Braised Turbot in Beer with Bacon, Shallots & Peas

by Nathan Outlaw from Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen (Quadrille)

This dish for some reason, says rich man/poor man to me. The king of the sea braised in good old beer with bacon & peas. I’ve portioned the turbot & cooked it on the bone, because that’s how I like it, but if you’ve got one of those turbot kettles you could braise the whole thing. That would be cracking as well!

Serves 4

Prep time 15 mins

Cooking time 30 mins

Ingredients

1 turbot, about 1.5kg, fins trimmed, split down the centre bone & cut into steaks with the bone in (ask your fishmonger to do this)

Light rapeseed oil for cooking

75g unsalted butter

20 small shallots, peeled

12 garlic cloves, peeled

1 rosemary sprig

100ml red wine vinegar

750ml beer (Doom Bar or any good quality bitter)

500ml fish stock

8 rashers of streaky smoked bacon

200g peas (fresh or frozen)

3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cornish sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. To prepare the fish braising liquid, heat a large, wide pan & add a drizzle of oil & half of the butter.

2. When the oil is hot & the butter has melted, add the whole shallots & garlic.

3. Cook for 4 mins, then add the rosemary & cook for a further 2 mins, allowing the shallots & garlic to colour slightly.

4. Add the wine vinegar & let it bubble until reduced to almost nothing, then pour in the beer & reduce by half. 

5. Now pour in the fish stock & bring to the boil. Skim off any impurities from the surface & simmer for 5 mins.

6. Meanwhile, heat your grill to high. Lay the bacon rashers on the grill rack & grill until crispy, turning once.

7. Leave until cool enough to handle, then chop the bacon.

8. To cook the fish, place the turbot portions in the beer liquor & cover with foil. Cook over a low heat for 12 mins.

9. Remove the foil, carefully turn the fish & add the peas & parsley. Cook for 1 min, then take off the heat.

10. Carefully pour off the braising liquor into a saucepan, place over a medium heat & whisk in the remaining butter, in pieces.

11. Pour the liquor back over the fish & scatter over the crispy bacon. Serve at once.

Nigel’s Top Tips:

· Turbot is best left to relax for 48 hours after being caught, as otherwise the flesh can be tough & tasteless. Same goes for ray & skate.

· Substitute brill, halibut & sole for turbot.