Seared mullet on pomme purree with a pea, garlic and black pepper creamed broth,

[BenFord]

Hi All,
As we all know grey mullet has a light fluffy texture and a earthy taste, what this dish does is combines soft and strong with a sharp edge to keep the pallet clensed.
its not a cheap and simple dish but more one for a dinner party,
500ml of fish stock.
3x 8oz potions of mullet,
150g of garden peas,
a hand full of salad prawns,
flaked sea salt and crushed black pepper (fresh crushed is better)
500ml of double cream,
2 glass of white wine (a dry is better),
1 clove of garlic,
4 meduim white potatoes (maris piper is best for the job).

Okay first we need to start on the fish, to fillet a round fish,
1. scale ( by draging a knife at a 45 degree angle to the fish and move it in upward strokes from tail to head)
2. gut the fish (find its poo hole this should be close to the under fin and stick the point of your knife "up its arse" and in one clean slice take right up to the gills, now to get messy get your hand in its gut and rip out its organs and wash in side).
(most of this is normally done at the sea to keep the "circle of life" balanced.)
3. with a nice sharp semi flexible filleting knife make a cut on each side behind its pectoral fins (its arms) and make a clean cut down to the bone following the shape of the fish, e.g. start at fins and follow the gills round so that the cut ends behind the head.
4. now you need to make a cut from head to tail, if you follow the ridge along its back and round the dorsal and flat fin, now using the point of the knife slowly cut into the fish and try to let the knife skim across the bones. do this alway down the back bone and continue over the back bone,(page two)

[BenFord]

4. con. Now for the rip cage, take the knife AGAIN, bring it in to the first cut behind the pectoral fins place your other hand on the fillet and cut each bone of the cage.
5. Using a pair of fish twezers (or sergical gauze of a fishing hook remover) pull out the rip cage bones, now run your finger along where the rip cage use to be and your find some small bones remove theese as well and WALLLLA you've got yourself to nice bones less fillets, this is not the quickest way of filleting a fish but it insures theres no waste and the most flesh on the fillet.

Fish stock.
1. take the bone and head and throw it in a pot with half an onion, a carrots broken in to 3, a leek (if poss just use the root base and the upper tough green leaves save the white to use as a steamed veg) 2 bay leaves, salt and a few whole pepper corns.
2. top up with a litre of water and chunk on the hob for an hour,
3. pass the stock through the wifes cake make sive and throw the crap away.
Pomme purre (creamy mash)
1. peel your spuds and chop in to chunks and bring them to the boil simmer for a good 10-15mins and what your looking for is if you stap a bit of potato with a knife then it should break up if so drain of and leae to air dry for 1 min.
2.get the potato masher out (not the HAMMER guys) and put the spuds back in the pot with some nice big dollop butter, sprinkle of salt and pepper and give it a real good work over so theres no Lumps!, you need to work the pot's to release its gluten which will give you a creamed mash that will part its self from a spoon or the side walls of the pan.
Broth.
1. reuse the pot from the stock and put the sived stock back into it and reduce on full power until it begins to turn a golden brown, and in the wine and reduce again.
2. now chuck in the cream, salt, pepper and garlic and reduce until its thick and then throw in the peasand prawns and set a side.

Cooking the fish.
1. slice the fillets down in to 3 (rib cage, center body and tail,) make 3 cuts on the skin side 2-3mm deep.
2. get a frying pan or a high heat on the stove with alittle olive oil and place he fish in skin side down (shake the the pan as you place in the fish so it does not stick) season the white flesh and reduce the heat by half.
3. when the colour of the fish has changed to white half way up the flesh , remove from the heat and turn the fish over and rest for 1 min.

Bring it altogether and jobs dones, guests pleased and maybe some fun time with the wife later.
Enjoy folks.

[HEDS]

Nice mate , all i need now is a mullet

[island_sands]

Nice recipe Ben

2. gut the fish (find its poo hole this should be close to the under fin and stick the point of your knife "up its arse" and in one clean slice take right up to the gills, now to get messy get your hand in its gut and rip out its organs and wash in side).

[BenFord]

Glad you like it, but u can use any white round fish,