Brought to you by Matthew Scott, Head Chef at restaurant Cub (@lyan.cub) in London.
Ingredients (2 ppl):
- One whole lemon sole from Henderson To Home.
- 100 g seasoned flour (for dredging).
- 20 ml white sesame oil.
- 20 g black sesame seeds.
- 100 g softened butter.
- Pinch of Maldon sea salt.
- Zest and juice of one lemon.
- One blood orange.
- Half a bunch of fresh parsley (finely chopped).
- Handful of lacto fermented samphire (chopped olives or capers make delicious alternatives)*
- Small glug smoked rapeseed oil (not essential).
Method:
Season the flour with salt and pepper and pile out onto a tray bigger than your fish.
Prepare your sesame butter by combining the softened butter with black sesame seeds, sesame oil, chopped parsley stalks and the juice and zest of a lemon. Season to taste and set to one side.
Bring a skillet up to a medium to high heat and add a generous glug of cooking oil. I used a mix of 80% vegetable oil and 20% smoked rapeseed oil. I really want the fish to have this lovely almost wood fire esque smokiness. A heavy duty kitchen blowtorch will come in very handy later on too!
Dip the sole into the flour and ensure it gets a good dip. You want even coverage all over including its little head and tail. Dust off any excess flour.
Carefully place the fish in the skillet and cook either side for around 3/4 minutes each. Do not be scared of colouring the fish. The flour is there to protect the flesh. You want crispy skin!
Once the fish is cooked, remove from the skillet and allow it rest for a minute or two.
Wipe out the used oil from the skillet and put it back onto the heat. We are going to make the sauce.
Add the butter and cook until it reaches a nice nut brown. You will be able to smell this happening. Once the butter is at the best point, add a segmented blood orange and all of its juice. It's the juice that will stop the butter from continuing to cook and burn. Keep swirling the pan around and around as we're looking for a nice stable emulsified sauce.
Finish with chopped parsley and a handful of lacto fermented samphire.
*Admittedly, lacto fermented samphire is an investment that I'm lucky enough to have had in my store cupboard, but it would also be delicious with chopped olives or go classic and stick to capers.
Once all this bubbling joy is emulsified and satisfied together, pour it over the entire fish and serve immediately.
