Steaming is, for sure, the cooking method that showcases the beauty of turbot. Steaming is subtle and delicate and thats exactly what you want with a filleted piece of fish like turbot.
This parsley sauce is very different from the flour-and-milk-based traditional parsley sauce served with fish, with a much cleaner taste and a vivid colour. A sauce made this way can also be turned into a soup, if you want, just add more stock.
The potato dumplings are exactly like gnocchi, that delicious Italian classic, but here I’ve shaped them into little squares and given them a touch of colour in the pan.
To make the potato dumplings, scoop the flesh out of the baked potato and pass through a ricer or drum sieve into a bowl. Add the garlic, Parmesan and egg yolk and lightly fold together; avoid overworking as this will make your dumplings tough and heavy.
Lightly fold in the flour, oil, capers and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a long sausage, then cut into bite-sized pieces the size of large marbles. Shape them into squares or balls, if you wish.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt well and add a little oil. Have ready a bowl of iced water. Blanch the potato dumplings in the boiling water, in batches if necessary, until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to the iced water to cool quickly. Once cold, dry on a tea towel. Unless serving straight away, gently toss the dumplings in a little oil in a container to stop them sticking together. They will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
To make the parsley sauce, heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter is bubbling, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the sliced potato and season with salt and white pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then add the stock and cook until the potato is soft and falling apart, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat a little more oil until hot and fry off the parsley and spinach for 30 seconds until wilted. Transfer the parsley and spinach together with the potato and stock to a blender and blitz for 2 minutes. If you are making this in advance, you will need to chill the sauce over an ice bath to cool it down quickly, so that it retains its vivid green colour.
To cook the dumplings, heat a non-stick frying pan and add a drizzle of oil. Fry the dumplings in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, turning often, until they are lightly golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
Set up a bamboo steamer or switch on your oven steamer. Cut 4 pieces of greaseproof paper slightly bigger than the turbot portions. Oil and salt the fish portions and lay them on the paper, skin-side up. Place the turbot into the steamer and cook for 4 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, warm the sauce gently, stirring all the time.
To serve, warm 4 bowls and place a few potato dumplings in each one. Peel the skin off the turbot and lift the fish from the steamer to the plates. Season with salt, scatter with lemon segments and sliced parsley, then pour in the sauce. Finish with lemon oil and serve.
Steaming is, for sure, the cooking method that showcases the beauty of turbot. Steaming is subtle and delicate and thats exactly what you want with a filleted piece of fish like turbot.
This parsley sauce is very different from the flour-and-milk-based traditional parsley sauce served with fish, with a much cleaner taste and a vivid colour. A sauce made this way can also be turned into a soup, if you want, just add more stock.
The potato dumplings are exactly like gnocchi, that delicious Italian classic, but here I’ve shaped them into little squares and given them a touch of colour in the pan.
To make the potato dumplings, scoop the flesh out of the baked potato and pass through a ricer or drum sieve into a bowl. Add the garlic, Parmesan and egg yolk and lightly fold together; avoid overworking as this will make your dumplings tough and heavy.
Lightly fold in the flour, oil, capers and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a long sausage, then cut into bite-sized pieces the size of large marbles. Shape them into squares or balls, if you wish.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt well and add a little oil. Have ready a bowl of iced water. Blanch the potato dumplings in the boiling water, in batches if necessary, until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to the iced water to cool quickly. Once cold, dry on a tea towel. Unless serving straight away, gently toss the dumplings in a little oil in a container to stop them sticking together. They will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.
To make the parsley sauce, heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter is bubbling, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the sliced potato and season with salt and white pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then add the stock and cook until the potato is soft and falling apart, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat a little more oil until hot and fry off the parsley and spinach for 30 seconds until wilted. Transfer the parsley and spinach together with the potato and stock to a blender and blitz for 2 minutes. If you are making this in advance, you will need to chill the sauce over an ice bath to cool it down quickly, so that it retains its vivid green colour.
To cook the dumplings, heat a non-stick frying pan and add a drizzle of oil. Fry the dumplings in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, turning often, until they are lightly golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
Set up a bamboo steamer or switch on your oven steamer. Cut 4 pieces of greaseproof paper slightly bigger than the turbot portions. Oil and salt the fish portions and lay them on the paper, skin-side up. Place the turbot into the steamer and cook for 4 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, warm the sauce gently, stirring all the time.
To serve, warm 4 bowls and place a few potato dumplings in each one. Peel the skin off the turbot and lift the fish from the steamer to the plates. Season with salt, scatter with lemon segments and sliced parsley, then pour in the sauce. Finish with lemon oil and serve.
