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Grilled Dover sole with red rice, kale and crispy pancetta
Serves 2 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 130g red rice, available to buy in supermarkets
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1tbsp saba or vincotto
- 100g pancetta rashers
- 40g shallots, finely chopped
- 125g curly kale, trimmed and hard stems removed
- 2 Dover sole, around 350g each, trimmed, skinned and heads removed
- 1tbsp plain flour, for dusting
- 30g clarified butter or ghee, melted
- 2tbsp pine nuts, toasted
Method
To prepare a Dover sole, using a pair of scissors, cut the frilly cartilage off each side of the fish.
Place it on a chopping board and make a shallow score in the skin at the tail end. Sprinkle some salt on a plate, dip your dampened fingers in the salt, take hold of the skin and gently pull it off towards the head. Cut around the head and rinse out any innards.
Using a sharp knife, work as close to the bone as possible to remove the 4 fillets.
Soak the rice for 30 minutes in a bowl of salted water. Drain and place in a medium-sized saucepan with 350ml cold water and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat then half cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Cover the saucepan completely with its lid and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, topping up the water if necessary.
When the rice is tender, turn off the heat, add the saba or vincotto, season with sea salt and set aside, keeping the lid on the pan. Cut the pancetta into 2cm pieces and put in a cold frying pan with a little oil. As it heats up, stir continuously until just crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving any oil in the pan.
Add the rest of the oil to the rying pan and cook the shallots over a medium heat for about 4 minutes until just softened but not coloured. Add the kale, stir well and cover for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add a splash of water then place back on the heat and cover again. Lower the heat and cook for about 7 minutes or until the kale is cooked to your liking.
To cook the fish, preheat the grill to high and set the shelf about 15cm from the element. Line a large baking tray with foil. Season the fish with sea salt and black pepper and dust lightly with flour, tapping off any excess. Put half the clarified butter on the tray and lay the fish on top, drizzling the remainder over the fish. Grill for 6-8 minutes, until cooked.
Add the rice and pine nuts to the kale mixture. Stir to combine, divide among the plates, add the fish and serve immediately.
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