Using one pan to quickly fish fillets and samphire is so fast and effortless it makes any effort the sauce takes seem as nothing. Not that it does take much effort. This is a light, delicious meal for a summer’s day.
Serve with boiled or steamed new potatoes that will also lap up the buttery sauce.
Servings - 4
1 small shallot, finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
a sprig of thyme
4 tbsp muscatel or other white wine vinegar
2 large egg yolks
175g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 sea-bream fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
300g samphire
Make the sauce first: Put the chopped shallot, half of the tarragon, the thyme sprig, vinegar and some salt and pepper into a heavy-based saucepan. Sit over a medium-high heat for 2 mins until the liquid has reduced by half. Strain and set aside to cool.
Mix the egg yolks with 1 tbsp of cold water in a glass bowl that can sit over a pan of water without the water touching its base Bring the water in the pan to a gentle simmer, set the bowl over it and whisk in the strained vinegar liquid. As it starts to thicken, add the butter piece by piece, whisking all the time, until all the butter is mixed in. Season, taste, season again if needed, and add the rest of the tarragon. Take off the heat but leave the sauce sitting over the warm water while you cook the fish and samphire:
Season the fish on both sides. Pour the oil into a large frying pan and set over a high heat for the oil to get hot. Lay the fish fillets into the pan, skin-side down. Leave to cook for 3 mins then gently lift the fish to see if the skin is getting crisped and browned. Once it is. turn the fish over and cook for a further minute.
Transfer the fish to a plate. Put the samphire into the frying pan the fish were in, and cook for a minute or two until just wilting. To serve from the pan, sit the cooked fillets on top of the samphire and put the sauce into a jug. Or divide amongst plates.
(This recipe originally featured for Borough Market.)