John Dory with beer, bacon and lettuce
I’m very fond of this simple treatment for a great fish like John Dory, which is perfectly complemented by the bitterness of the beer, the smokiness of the bacon and the lightly cooked lettuce.
Ingredients
- 4 John Dory or gurnard fillets (175g/6oz each), skin on
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter, melted
- 75g/2¾oz rindless smoked streaky bacon, chopped
- 1 onion or leek, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
- 300ml/½ pint good chicken stock
- 300ml/½ pint pale ale
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 750g/1lb 10oz Cos lettuce, shredded
- small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place the fish fillets on a plate and sprinkle them generously with salt. Leave them for about 15–20 minutes, then rinse off the salt and pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Brush the fish with a little of the butter and season with pepper, then set aside.
Heat a little of the butter in a frying pan, add the bacon and fry until golden and crisp. Add the remaining butter and gently fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Add the chicken stock and beer to the pan and cook over a high heat until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters. Turn the heat down as much as possible, cover the pan and leave over low heat while you cook the fish.
In a separate frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and cook the fish skin-side down for about 6–7 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is opaque.
Stir the lettuce into the sauce and allow it to wilt, then stir in the parsley and season if needed with salt and pepper. Divide the lettuce and bacon between four plates and top with a fillet of fish. Spoon over the sauce and serve immediately.
