Lemon sole, oyster, smoked leeks and tarragon

  • medium
  • 10
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

Tom Brown's stunning grilled lemon sole recipe is served with a host of fresh flavours, including a vibrant green tarragon oil. Oyster, cucumber and horseradish sauce pair beautifully with the sweet but smoky leeks, while the crispy oyster garnish adds a pleasant crunch to the dish.

First published in 2017

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Lemon sole

Tarragon oil

Smoked leeks

Oyster sauce

  • 1 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • 1 shallot, roughly chopped
  • 50g of horseradish cream
  • 50ml of white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 oysters, shucked
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 300ml of vegetable oil

Charred spring onions

Crispy oysters

  • 10 oysters, shucked
  • 120g of flour
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 120g of Panko breadcrumbs (1)
  • oil, for deep-frying
  • salt

Equipment

  • Muslin cloth
  • Cold-smoker
  • High-power blender
  • Deep-fryer

Method

1
Begin the day before by making the tarragon oil. Add the tarragon and oil to a high-powered blender and blitz until smooth and vivid green
2
Transfer the oil to a sieve lined with a double layer of muslin or a coffee filter. Set over a container to collect the oil that drips through and leave in the fridge overnight – the oil should be bright green and crystal clear
3
Slice the leeks into rounds and blanch in salted boiling water for a few minutes. Refresh in iced water, then drain well and smoke in a cold-smoker for 2 hours
4
To make the oyster sauce, add the cucumber, shallots, horseradish cream, vinegar and sugar to a blender. Blitz until smooth for 3 minutes
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
  • 1 cucumber, roughly chopped
  • 1 shallot, roughly chopped
  • 50g of horseradish cream
  • 50ml of white wine vinegar
5
Tip the liquid into a fine chinois and allow to strain through to remove the pulp. Set the strained liquid aside
6
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice and oysters to a blender and blitz until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream to emulsify
7
Scrape down the sides of the blender. Turn on the blender again and slowly add the cucumber stock until you reach the desired consistency and flavour
8
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
9
Blanch the spring onions in salted boiling water then refresh in iced water. Drain and set aside
10
Place the smoked leek pieces in a baking tray and heat through in the oven
11
Preheat a deep-fryer to 190°C
  • oil, for deep-frying
12
To make the crispy oysters, dip each oyster first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Fry in the hot oil for 2 minutes until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper and season with salt
13
Heat a chargrill pan, brush the blanched spring onions with oil and cook until lightly charred
14
To cook the lemon sole, brush each fillet with a little oil, season with salt and grill under a hot grill for around 2 minutes, until just cooked through
15
To serve, sit the slices of smoked leek in the centre of each plate. Pour the sauce around the leeks and drizzle over the tarragon oil. Place a lemon sole fillet on top of the leeks, arrange the spring onion on the plate and top with a crispy oyster. Serve immediately

Making a name for himself as head chef of Outlaw’s at The Capital and on Great British Menu 2017, Tom Brown is a bright young talent now in charge of his own Michelin-starred restaurant – Cornerstone – in Hackney Wick.

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