Nathan Outlaw’s steamed brill recipe

“A filleted portion of brill from a good-sized fish, lightly steamed, is a comforting and pleasurable delight,” says chef Nathan Outlaw.

“Brill is such a delicate species that harsher techniques of cooking tend to dry out the edges of the fish. In this recipe, I’ve paired the fish with a subtle fennel salt that brings out its character.

“Beneath the fish pools a fresh, but rich, stew of peas, bolstered with cider and clotted cream. A wonderful, delicate plate of food, I hope you’ll agree!”

Nathan Outlaw’s steamed brill

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

2tsp fennel seeds
2tsp sea salt
8 slices of smoked streaky bacon or pancetta
2kg brill, filleted and portioned into 4 x 120g portions
2tbsp olive oil
A drizzle of extra virgin rapeseed oil, to finish

For the pea, shallot & cider stew:
50g unsalted butter
2tbsp rapeseed oil
12 shallots, peeled and left whole
200ml dry cider
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
300ml fish stock
200g fresh peas, podded
100g clotted cream (ideally Cornish, of course!)
1tbsp chopped mint leaves
1tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. To make the stew, heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the shallots and gently let them colour all over, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes. Don’t cook them too quickly – if they start to colour fast, reduce the heat. Once the shallots are well coloured, add the cider and rosemary and increase the heat to allow the cider to reduce quickly. When the cider has reduced by three-quarters, pour in the fish stock and simmer until reduced by half. Add the peas and simmer for a further 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, set up a large bamboo steamer or switch on your steamer oven. Crush the fennel seeds and sea salt together in a mortar and pestle and set aside. Cook the bacon until crispy under a hot grill or in a frying pan and set aside.

3. Season the brill with two teaspoons of the fennel seed salt and drizzle with the olive oil. Place the fish on a sheet of baking parchment and steam for four to five minutes.

4. While the fish is cooking, add the clotted cream to the stew. Bring to a simmer and whisk it in, then add the chopped herbs. Taste and add salt and pepper as you like.

5. To finish, ladle the stew into bowls. Peel the skin away from the brill and sprinkle the flesh with one teaspoon of the fennel seed salt. Place the fish on top of each portion of stew and add two slices of crispy bacon to each bowl. Drizzle a little extra virgin rapeseed oil over the fish and serve. I would serve this with either new or mashed potatoes.

Nathan Outlaw On Fish: A Seafood Handbook is published in hardback by Kyle Books, priced £30. Photography by Kate Whitaker. Available April 16.