Recipe by The Seahorse

Mat makes a wonderful pepper stew, which is deep in flavour, and it’s just great with this fish although we serve it with pretty much any fish as it’s that good. A well-made salsa verde, herby and piquant, could stand up on its own as a garnish with any grilled fish but it works well with the peppers.

From The Seahorse by Mitch Tonks and Mat Prowse, published by Absolute Press, priced £25.00.

Ingredients

For 4 people.

  • 50ml olive oil
  • 4 red gurnard fillets, about 180–200g each, skin on

For the pepperonata:

  • 50ml olive oil2 red onions, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon tomato purée
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
  • 2 yellow peppers, deseeded and sliced a pinch of saffron strands

For the salsa verde:

  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley
  • a handful of basil
  • a handful of mint
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon capers
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 12 salted anchovy fillets
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

  • 1.  For the pepperonata, heat the olive oil in a lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and oregano and sweat for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomato purée and cumin and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • 2.  Next, add the peppers and saffron and mix well, then cover the pan with a lid and stew the peppers for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • 3.  Uncover and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning then remove from the heat.
  • 4.  To make the salsa verde, place all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and pulse blend them to a rough paste. Add half the oil and blend again to combine, then add the remaining oil and repeat.
  • 5.  To cook the fish, heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the red gurnard and cook for about 2 minutes until golden on one side. Carefully turn the red gurnard over and place the pan into the oven and roast for 6-8 minutes (depending on size and thickness of fish) until cooked.
  • 6.  Remove the fish from the oven and serve with a spoonful of the pepperonata and the salsa verde.
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