Turbot with prawns, braised fennel and borage

  • medium
  • 4
  • 2 hours 15 minutes
Not yet rated

This turbot with prawns recipe from Marcus Eaves daintily celebrates the British coastline. Pairing tender, luxurious turbot with prawns, fennel and borage (which grows abundantly throughout the UK and has a flavour redolent of cucumber), the intricate dish is topped off with a homemade prawn cracker.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Turbot

Braised fennel

Lemon vinaigrette

  • 10ml of lemon vinegar
  • 20ml of lemon oil
  • 20ml of olive oil
  • salt

Prawn cracker

  • 70g of prawns, raw and peeled
  • 70g of tapioca flour
  • 32g of water

Sea kale

Rock samphire and monk's beard

Prawn emulsion

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer
  • Muslin cloth
  • Squeezy bottle
  • Dehydrator
  • Thermomix

Method

1
Start by making the prawn crackers. Blitz the prawns in a blender (a Thermomix if you have one) until a smooth paste forms. Add the flour and once combined, add the water to form a dough. Roll and shape into cylinders, or whatever shape you prefer, and store in the fridge for 24 hours
  • 70g of prawns, raw and peeled
  • 70g of tapioca flour
  • 32g of water
2
Once set, slice into 1.5/2mm thick discs and place the discs in a dehydrator at 57˚C for 3 hours. Then, remove and store in an airtight container until required
3
To prepare the fennel, remove the tips and cut into 8 small wedges, leaving the root of each wedge intact. Place a pan over a low-medium heat and melt the unsalted butter. Once foaming, add the shallots and sweat until completely soft. Add the fennel, sweat for a further 3-5 minutes, then add the salt and vegetable stock to cover
4
Place all of the herbs (except the borage) and spices into a piece of muslin cloth and tie to form a spice bag, add this to the fennel mix. Cook for 5-10 minutes on a slow simmer
5
Once the fennel is completely soft, set aside and leave to infuse in the braising liquid for 30 minutes
6
For the lemon vinaigrette, lightly whisk all the ingredients until smooth. Store in a squeezy bottle and set aside
  • 10ml of lemon vinegar
  • 20ml of lemon oil
  • 20ml of olive oil
  • salt
7
For the prawn emulsion, measure out 100ml of the fennel braising liquor and bring to the boil. Reduce to the lowest heat and, while whisking, slowly add the butter - this will form the butter emulsion sauce that the prawns will be added to later in the recipe. Set aside at room temperature
8
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
9
To cook the turbot, place a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a dash of the oil and season the turbot lightly before adding to the pan, skin-side down. Sear until golden brown and crispy, pressing the fish down with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to ensure the fillets cook evenly
10
Carefully turn the turbot fillets over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes in the pan. Alternatively, transfer to the oven and roast for 4-6 minutes - this method is well suited to cooking thicker fillets
11
Peel the sea kale and blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water, then drain and dress using the lemon vinaigrette and salt. Pick the samphire and monk's beard and blanch for 30-40 seconds in unsalted boiling water, then combine with the kale and lemon vinaigrette
12
Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 180°C. Deep-fry the prawn crackers until light and crispy, then drain well on kitchen paper
13
Remove the fennel from the braising liquid and add to a pan with a knob of butter on a low heat. Stir in the borage and season to taste using salt and lemon juice
14
Before serving, reheat the prawn emulsion and add the prawns to gently cook through for 2 minutes, but be careful not to overheat and split the sauce. Season with the tarragon and lemon juice. Dress the sea herbs in the vinaigrette. Thinly slice the breakfast radishes using a mandolin or sharp knife and dress in the vinaigrette and some salt, keeping it separate to the sea vegetables
15
Place the fennel in a neat pile in the centre of each large bowl and arrange the cooked turbot fillets on top. Pour the prawn bisque over the fish and garnish with the dressed sea herbs
16
Garnish each dish with the thinly sliced radish and borage cress. Dress with the lemon vinaigrette and salt and serve immediately
First published in 2015

Followers of Marcus Eaves’ career can’t be surprised to see him earning wide acclaim for his delicious cooking at Oblix, a restaurant at the top of London's Shard building.

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