Plank cooked Dover sole, samphire and mussels
A decadent plank cooked Dover sole. If you've got a fire pit buring this summer, give this exciting recipe a try. The fish is attached to a wooden board and cooked next to the open flames to achieve a really deep, wood-smoked flavour.
For this recipe you will need nails and a hammer to attach the fish to the cedar board.
Ingredients
- cedar plank, soaked in water overnight
- handful garden herbs, such as thyme, tarragon and rosemary
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 3–4 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 large Dover sole
- 150g/5½oz fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 150g/5½oz fresh clams, scrubbed and debearded
- ½ white onion
- ½ garlic bulb, chopped
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 2 tarragon sprigs
- 100ml/3½fl oz white wine
- handful samphire
- knob of butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Light the barbecue and wait for the flames to die down.
Arrange the herbs and lemon slices on the soaked cedar planks, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Nail the sole on top of the herbs and lemons so it holds tightly onto the board. Drizzle the top of the sole with oil and season.
Place the plank leaning near the embers (put the fish head towards the bottom as this bit is thicker) so the fish gently cooks. If the plank starts to catch give it a spray with water to keep it damp. This will take about 30–40 minutes – the skin will start to lift and blister when it’s done.
Place a lidded pot onto the grill, add the prepared mussels and clams, the onions, garlic, rosemary, tarragon, pinch of salt and white wine. Immediately put the lid on and cook for around 6 minutes until all the mussels and clams are opened (discard any that don't open).
Add the samphire and butter, put the lid back on and remove from the heat.
Check the sole is cooked and remove from the barbecue, serve on the board alongside the pan of mussels and clams.