Poached yellowtail with pickled radish, apple and fennel salad

Cut your apples into battonets ( 6mm x 6mm x 6cm ). Place the cut apples in cold water and leave covered to prevent oxidization. Apples may be cut to your preference.

Take your fresh fennel and chop off the root. With your knife cut the fennel into 7mm slices at the bulb. Slice about half the bulb, however depending on the size of the fennel you may need more or less. Take off a few of the sprigs at the top of the fennel as you will need some for the plating. Cover and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Take half of your sliced fennel and cover in a tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place in the oven for 7-10 minutes until it has a nice roasted colour to it. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to plate. 

Take two radishes and thinly slice them, your slices should be thin enough that they are translucent. Cover and set aside until ready to pickle.

For your sauce place a pot on a low heat, Add to that a cup and a half of wine, two tbsp of dried tarragon. a tbsp of lemon juice, a sprig of thyme, half a sprig of rosemary, half a carrot roughly chopped, half an onion roughly chopped. Leave it uncovered to allow the alcohol to cook out and for it to reduce slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. In another pot place 20 gr of butter on a high heat, cook this until the butter goes brown and releases a nutty aroma ( be careful not to burn your butter). Take the pot off the heat and add your flour, whisk the flour in until it has completely incorporated with the butter (this is known as a brown roux). Strain your white wine and tarragon liquid, place your roux on a low heat and slowly incorporate your white wine and tarragon liquid, whisking as you do so. Once it is all in the pot leave it on the heat for 10 minutes and then remove from the heat and leave covered.

To make your pickling liquid place 100ml of white wine vinegar into a bowl along with two tbsp of sugar and one tbsp of salt, with a pinch of black pepper. Stir this liquid until the salt and sugar has dissolved. Add your thinly sliced radishes and leave until ready to plate.

To make the poaching liquid for your fish ( known as a court bouillon) place a pan on medium – high heat with a litre of water, half a cup of wine, half a lemon sliced, a tbsp of white wine vinegar, half of your remaining fennel roughly chopped, half a carrot roughly chopped, half an onion roughly chopped, a sprig of thyme, half a sprig of rosemary, 3 tbsp of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Bring this liquid up to a simmer, at that point take the pan off heat and add your fillet of fish for two minutes and remove from the liquid to prevent from cooking further.

You are now ready to plate your dish. Start by placing your apple along the side of the plate, followed by your fennel that is roasted, fresh and the sprigs. Add your edible leaves and flowers (optional). Place your fish in the center of your plate and lay the thinly sliced radish on top of the fish until the fish is covered, resembling scales. Plate your sauce around the fish; be creative with this.

Recipe by Matthew Burke of 1000 Hills Chef School.

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Also try these recipes:

Yellowtail with paprika butter
Traditional South African pickled fish
Pickled fish and cauliflower pâté

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