From The George’s executive chef, Antony Page, comes this light and summery combo. The Negroni purée, a tribute to the Italian cocktail, adds a bitterness and tang that elevates the fish to perfection. You will need to make the Negroni purée ahead of time as it needs to chill for a few hours or overnight. The lemon oil you will need to get from Mediterranean Food Company or Solotti Food Company (it makes all the difference). Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 4 large Agria potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- sea salt
- 4 Tbsp capers
- fresh dill or fennel, chopped
- 4 Tbsp aioli or mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp lemon oil
- canola oil
- 4 pieces of fish (turbot, brill, gurnard, groper or any fresh fish), about 180g each piece
- 1 lemon
- prawn meat (you can buy broken prawn meat from a supermarket or wholesale fish shop), 4–5 pieces per person
- small bunch of red and green grapes
- olive oil
Negroni Purée
- 200ml ruby
- grapefruit juice
- 50ml Campari
- 400ml sparkling blood orange juice
- 5g agar (you can buy this from Asian grocery stores)
Method
- Make the Negroni purée first. Add all ingredients to a medium-sized pot. Heat and whisk until it boils for a minute or so to activate the agar.
- Pour into a jug or tall container and chill for a few hours or overnight.
- When set firm, use an immersion blender or hand blender to mix to a smooth paste. Add a small amount of cold water if necessary.
- Put the chunked potatoes in a pot with cold salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook until just done – not hard and not mushy but somewhere in between.
- Drain in a colander and let steam-dry for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the capers, dill or fennel, the aioli or mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon oil. Mix – not mash – until combined. Taste (it should be a lemony creamy potato salad by now) and add salt if needed.
- Add a touch of canola oil to a large pan and heat. When it starts to smoke, cook your fish the way you like it. Add sea salt and a squeeze of lemon at the end. Remove and set aside.
- Using the same frypan, cook the broken prawn meat for a minute or so until it is just cooked through. Add to the potato salad.
- Heat oven to 185°C. Pick the grapes off the stalks, toss them in a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 10 minutes (they should burst a little and bubble a lot).
To serve:
Put a small mound of the prawn potato salad to one side of each plate and place the cooked fish on top. Spoon a little of the Negroni puree on the other side of the plate and add the roasted grapes. Serve immediately.