This a beautiful way to cook fish, softly poached in a dramatically flavoured olive oil. The colour is something reminiscent of the Incredible Hulk, but only when the herbs have fully relinquished all of their flavour. You need large bunches of herbs here, so head to the local markets. The tiny packets in the general supermarket will not suffice for this recipe. I adore the flavour combination of Thai basil, coriander and kaffir lime leaves. However, the French classics would work well here too; tarragon, sage, parsley and fennel. Or if you prefer to keep things simple, stick to your favourite soft herb for maximum flavour. I used monkfish here as it’s consistently the same thickness throughout the fillet. You want a denser fish such as hapuka or even a tuna fillet would be lovely here.
You will need some cheesecloth for this recipe. While not traditionally found in everyone’s kitchen, it is easily sourced from kitchen stores, or Spotlight. I find having a little bit in the drawer is not stressful and handy for a few other dishes as well. If you don’t have cheesecloth, I would recommend a fine sieve in it’s place. Please do note, this recipe takes time. A little more than most people are prepared to deal with midweek. Thus I’ve labelled it weekend cooking. Take your time, make sure the oil is blended well and there are no remnants of the aromatics. This dramatically flavoured olive oil also makes a gorgeous addition to a sauce. Stirred through a sour cream dip the vibrancy of the colour really does pop.
I serve this fish with some simple roasted potatoes and green vegetables. Not much else needs to happen on the plate as the olive oil is the star.
Ingredients
- 2x spring onions, slice
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 handfuls of soft herbs, stems removed and leaves picked
- 1x green chilli
- 1x lemongrass stalk, wooden exterior removed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp lime zest
- 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 2x lemon, thinly sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled
- 500gm fresh fish fillet, I used monkfish
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees. In a blender, place the spring onions, kaffir lime leaves, soft herbs, green chilli, lemongrass, shallot, ginger and lime zest. Blend until smooth, then add the olive oil and blend until fully combined. Transfer the mixture into a large cheesecloth that has been folded and is set over a large bowl. Gather the cloth around the top and gently squeeze out the oil out into the large bowl. Once all the liquid/green oil is extracted discard the solid ball and keep the oil aside. Cover the bottom of a high sided baking dish with slices of lemons. Scatter over the garlic cloves and place the fish on top. Season lightly with some salt and pepper, then pour over the herby flavoured olive oil. Place in the oven and gently cook for 50 minutes to an hour until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. Gently spilt the fish fillet into portions and serve on top steamed greens and roast potatoes. Drizzle a good whack of the flavoured oil over the top.
