Baked gurnard fillet with XO-spiced butter, blackened jasmine rice and fried basil leaves

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

To make the XO-spiced butter, whip the butter and XO sauce together until smooth. Wrap in non-PVC cling film and form into a sausage. Set in the fridge overnight to firm up.

Briefly rinse the black jasmine rice under cold running water. Put into a medium pan, cover with cold water by 1cm and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for around 20 minutes until tender. Drain well.

Do the same with the white jasmine rice, cooking for 8-10 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse with a little hot water if too sticky. Gently fold the two rices together and keep warm.

Heat 3tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the spring onion, chilli and garlic together until just browning. Fold the mixture through the rice mixture. Heat the rest of the oil and fry the Thai basil leaves in batches for a few seconds until just crisp. Drain them on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. Lay the fillets on a foil-lined tray and salt the flesh side. Turn them over so the skin is uppermost and spoon a little of the oil from the XO sauce jar over each of the fillets.

Bake in the oven for around 7 minutes until they are just cooked – they should flake easily when tested with a fork.

Spoon a serving of rice onto 4 plates and add a gurnard fillet to each. Cut the XO butter into 5mm rounds and add to the top of the fish. Melt any butter you have left and spoon a little around the rice. Top with the Thai basil leaves.