A hugely flavoursome dish made using pot caught Sussex Crab & locally abundant Gurnard. You can make the sauce first and set aside to keep warm whilst you finish the fish. You can use hotter curry powder if you like more spice.
Serves: 4 - Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the sauce
1 Shallot - Finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Curry Powder, Mild
1 Cinnamon Stick
75ml White Wine
100ml Double Cream
1 8oz Dressed Crab
For the fish
4 x Medium Gurnard, Filleted & Pin Boned
3 tbsp Plain Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp Mild Curry Powder
50g butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
To make the sauce
Melt butter in a small frying pan, add the shallot and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened, add the curry powder & cinnamon stick, cook out for 1 minute then add the wine, reduce the mixture by half then add the double cream. When the sauce returns to a simmer add the dressed crab and bring back up to a light simmer, remove the cinnamon stick and check seasoning (sauce should be well seasoned and punchy!) blend the sauce (bullet type machines are great for this) and set aside.
For the fish
In a large bowl mix the plain flour, salt, pepper & curry powder, add the Gurnard fillets to the bowl and mix through. Knock off the excess flour from the fillets and set aside. Heat a large thick bottomed frying pan over a medium to high heat and add in the butter and oil. Fry the gurnard fillets, starting skin side down for 2 minutes per side. Lift the Gurnard from the pan onto kitchen paper to drain off excess oil.
This dish would be great served with steamed buttered vegetables, we used chantenay carrots, asparagus and crushed Jersey Royal potatoes garnished with micro coriander. Layer the sauce, potatoes, vegetables and fish as we have on the plate.