How to Make This Delicious Fish Recipe by Stephen Andrews
Head chef and owner of York’s Fish & Forest, Stephen Andrews, shares his own recipe for this delicious whole sole or plaice with a provençale sauce
- Whole plaice or sole (600g–800g)
- Drizzle of olive oil for plating
- Salt and pepper to season
- For the sauce
- 4 fresh red tomatoes
- ½ small jar anchovies
- 1 red pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 300ml water
- ½ tsp xantham gum
- Optional toppings
- Crispy onions
- Capers
- Pickled red onion
- Samphire
- Baby leeks
Prepping the fish
Before starting the recipe, your fish of choice needs to be prepared. Remove the head and wings from the fish, this will make it easier to fillet off the bone when eating. Or ask your fishmonger to do this.
To make the sauce
Roast the red pepper until blackened and soft. Remove seeds from the middle of the pepper.
Add all ingredients (except the xantham gum) to a pan and bring to the boil. Once boiled, you will need to blend off the heat and add the xantham gum. Blend until smooth and season to taste.
For the fish
In a pre-heated pan, place the fish top down on a medium/high heat. Cook for seven minutes. Flip the fish and cook for a further three minutes. Finish in the oven for five minutes.
Once cooked, the fish should remove perfectly from the bone. All timings are approximate as no two fish are the same size, make sure the centre of the fish is hot before eating.
Place half the fish in the centre of the plate, top side up. Drizzle olive oil over and season to your liking. Pour sauce over the fish and add any combination of additional toppings.
