Ingredients
| 3 tablespoons olive oil | |
| ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs | |
| 30g parmesan, grated | |
| ¼ cup chopped parsley | |
| 2 medium fennel bulbs (about 200g each) | |
| ½ small onion or 1 shallot, finely chopped | |
| 2 cloves garlic, sliced | |
| 1 tablespoon capers | |
| zest and juice of ½ lemon | |
| 200ml fish or vegetable stock | |
| 30g butter | |
| 2 tablespoons flour | |
| 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac | |
| 150ml cream | |
| 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard | |
| 100g gruyère cheese, grated | |
| 700g monkfish or other firm-fleshed fish fillets |
Elisabeth was a long-time contributor to the New Zealand Herald and before that she was Mum’s work colleague at the Department of Agriculture, both contributing to the ‘Kitchen Crafts’ column. They remained friends throughout their lives.
I found some really classic old clippings which they had written together: how to cook bamboo shoots, eel, toheroa, a lot of offal recipes, and one column from 1969 on how to use the new and exotic broccoli.
I was inspired by their 1967 article ‘Crayfish/plain & fancy’ to create a more approachable thermidor-style fish dish using fresh fish and lots of fennel flavours to balance the rich sauce and cheese. Serve with something to mop up the sauce, such as mash, rice or bread and green vegetables.
Instructions
| 1. | Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the breadcrumbs, stirring until golden brown, about 10 minutes. |
| 2. | Transfer to a bowl and stir through the parmesan and half the parsley. Set aside. |
| 3. | Trim the fennel and cut in quarters lengthwise, reserving 2 tablespoons of the chopped fronds. |
| 4. | Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan (with a lid) over a medium-high heat and cook the fennel for about 5 minutes to brown on the cut faces then set aside. |
| 5. | Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan with the shallot, garlic, capers, lemon zest and a good sprinkle of salt and cook for 5 minutes then add the lemon juice and 50ml stock and bring to the boil. |
| 6. | Add the fennel back to the pan, reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the fennel is tender. |
| 7. | Transfer the fennel to a gratin-style dish and set aside, reserving the braising liquid also. |
| 8. | Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. |
| 9. | Quickly stir in the brandy and bring to a boil then add the remaining stock and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. |
| 10. | Add the cream and the reserved fennel juices and bring to bubbling again. |
| 11. | Remove from the heat and add the mustard, gruyère, fennel fronds and remaining parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. |
| 12. | Cut the fish into large pieces and arrange among the fennel then pour over the sauce. |
| 13. | All this can be done in advance and covered and refrigerated. To bake, heat the oven to 200°C. |
| 14. | Sprinkle the top with the crumb and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the top is golden and bubbling. |
| 15. | Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles