With the passing of Lemmy from Motorhead last week, and David Bowie this week, one could be forgiven for thinking that tall leggy blonds will have no one left to date.
I saw with interest that Jerry Hall, the former wife of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, has decided to spend her “Golden Years” with Rupert Murdoch after the media mogul had ditched his “China Girl” when discovering that she allegedly had a very long affair, (call it “Modern Love” if you will) with former PM Tony Blair.
As a tribute to the ultimate lady that lunches this week’s recipe is light, pretty, and looks fantastic.
Prepare the sea bass (gutting and scaling which the fishmonger can do). Scale the fish by running a knife in the opposite direction to the fish scales and rubbing against the fish until all have been removed. Slice open the belly and rip out the guts, wash thoroughly. Now working from the tail run a flexible knife all the way to the head (you should feel the main fish bone as you are doing so) and cut round the head releasing the fillet from the main bone; repeat with the other side, wash thoroughly. Use a pair of fish tweezers to pull out the pin bones above the rib cage, now set the fillets aside. Just before serving to cook the fish, add vegetable oil to a pan, place the fillets skin side down for 2 minutes, and then a further minute skin side up. Pat dry and set aside.
To segment the lemon, use a serrate knife and cut off the thick outer peel; you should now be left with a bald lemon. Cut inside the first lemon membrane that you see. Working anticlockwise again cut inside the next membrane and remove the first wedge. Repeat the process until all have been removed. Set aside. Squeeze the remaining juice out of the membrane and set aside for later use.
Deep fry the kale fluorites in vegetable oil at 15o0C for about a minute; set a side on kitchen paper.
Lay out the savoy cabbage leaves and using a 20mm circumference pastry cutter, cut out 14 rondure and set aside.
Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible; if you have one use a mandolin. These now need to be cooked in an emulsion made from combining 1 tbsp. sugar, 15g unsalted butter and 250ml water. Bring the emulsion to a gentle simmer, add the sliced potatoes, cook for 2 minutes and remove. Now add the savoy cabbage rondure to the emulsion, blanching for 30 seconds, remove and set aside.
Melt the butter over a low flame and add the potato cubes; lightly cook for 5 minutes. When cooked all the way through, pass the potatoes through a sieve and set aside.
To make the mayonnaise add the 1/2 egg yolk to the lemon juice retained when segmenting the lemon, add a pinch of salt and then whilst adding drizzles of the truffle oil, start to whisk until the mix emulsifies and forms a thick mayonnaise. Now put the contents into a piping bag.
For the dressing lightly blanch the parsley leaves for 20 seconds in the same simmering emulsion used for the cabbage. Take out and blitz with the extra virgin olive oil.
To present the dish add 6 squeezes of mayonnaise to a dish, add the lemon segments, and on top of these the two fish fillets. Garnish with both potatoes, cabbage leaves, kale and the parsley dressing.
Rupert and Jerry are hardly “All the young dudes”; more like “The ace of Spades”.
Roast fillet of sea bass, crispy kale, fondant potato, savoy cabbage rondure, truffle mayonnaise and parsley infused oil
Serves 2
2 whole sea bream, all four fillets removed and pin boned
1 whole lemon segmented
15g Kale fluorites,
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 large cabbage leaves,
30g very thinly sliced baby new potatoes
1 tbsp. sugar
15g unsalted butter
30g diced new potatoes
80g unsalted butter
½ egg yolk, 100ml truffle oil
Pinch salt,
1 handful flat leaf parsley,
50ml extra virgin olive oil
