This is a sublime dish from Alan Murchison, overtly inspired by the fineries of Thai cuisine. Galangal is a root vegetable from the ginger family which is used in this bream recipe to infuse the broth poured over the sea bream fillets.
To make the broth, fill a medium sized saucepan with the water and set aside on the stove
1000ml of water
2
Remove the first layer off the lemon grass and slice finely on a diagonal. Peel the ginger and galangal and cut both in half lengthways. Proceed to slice finely on a diagonal, put aside with the lemon grass
Place the oils in a hot wok and add the pak choi, toss gently for 1 minute, until the green of the pak choi has wilted
50ml of olive oil
50ml of sesame oil
7
For the bream, place a pan on a medium heat and add some olive oil. Place the fish in the pan skin side down and cook for 2 minutes or until the skin is golden. Be sure to gently press the fish down with a spatula to ensure even cooking. Turn the fish over and the heat off, season with the lemon juice and salt
To serve, bring the broth to the boil again and pour into large teapot or four smaller ones. Place the pak choi in the bottom of each plate. Place the fish on top. Dress the top of the fish with the slices of spring onion and the mushrooms. Finish by pouring the broth over the dish
Alan Murchison began working in family-run hotels in Scotland at 14, but it was a stint at Inverlochy Castle in Fort William that gave him his first taste of cooking fine food.
