Second dish from our fish fest; never again will we get such good deals on fresh seafood so we’re milking it!
We roasted the fish in the wood oven and had it with marinated tomato salad and a lip-smacking basil aioli. The combo of ripe shalloty tomato juices spiked with sherry vinegar, mingling with garlicky basil emulsion and brilliant flakes of pearly white fish is immense. And of course it doesn’t need to be turbot, any lovingly cooked fresh white fish would work.
For 2:
2 portions fresh white fish
500g assorted ripe tomatoes - different sizes and colours ideally
1 banana shallot
1 clove garlic, crushed
10 black Kalamata olives, stoned
1tsp sugar
1tbsp sherry vinegar
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp mixed soft herbs - any will do
Cut the tomatoes into chunks and halve or quarter any cherry or small ones. Finely dice the shallot and place in a bowl with the tomatoes, garlic and olives. Sprinkle over the sugar and a teaspoon of sea salt flakes, then add the vinegar and gently mix. Pour on the oil, add the herbs, and leave to marinate for an hour or until ready to serve.
For the Basil Aioli:
Large handful of basil leaves
2 egg yolks
A clove of garlic, crushed
A teaspoon of Dijon
Juice of half a lemon
About 100ml of oil, ideally a mix of veg oil and golden rapeseed, or veg oil and olive oil
First chop the basil then grind in a pestle and mortar with a little salt until it forms a paste. Combine the yolks, garlic, Dijon and lemon with a good pinch of salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk together, then very slowly add the oils whisking constantly until a lovely emulsified mayo has formed. Scrape the basil pulp into the aioli and mix well. Taste and add more salt/lemon to balance. Keep it loose ish!!!
When ready to eat cook your fish as you wish, if you're lucky on a lovely charcoal bbq, divide the marinated tomatoes between bowls, top with the fish and a big spoonful of basil aioli.
