Neven Maguire: reel in the fresh flavour

Over the years, whether filming television programmes or through my work with Simply Better, I have often had the pleasure of spending time on fishing boats.

From Castletownbere to Donegal, I have watched fishermen work extremely hard and through all sorts of weather – just like our farmers do. For the restaurant, we get our fish from Killybegs, Co Donegal. Our guests are always interested to know how we source our ingredients, so we like to list our producers on the menu.

At this time of year, I am working on our spring menu. If anyone saw my notebooks, they would think I was a crazy mathematician or artist. But the circles, segments and arrows which make up my notes are really just my way of designing a dish.

When you create new dishes, you need to consider seasonality. You have to ask: what are the best quality ingredients I can get at this time of year for the best price? I also consider what our customers like when designing a new dish, and I think about how it might look on the plate.

When I have the concept finalised, I take my drawings and scribbles to the team. They understand my system and we work together to further develop those ideas that are on the page. I really enjoy our recipe development days together – everything is cooked and tested and changed until we are all happy with the result.

What begins with some mad-looking doodles, triangles and circles becomes a beautifully presented dish – we always get there in the end.

I have seen a large increase in Irish people choosing fish options on the menu, and I think that’s great. Plaice is a type of flatfish, and it’s one of my all-time favourites. The fillets are thin and they cook very quickly, so they are perfect for a weeknight dinner if you are short on time. You can ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish and take the skin off, if you like.

In this week’s first recipe, we are pairing the plaice with a garlic butter sauce. Garlic butter and fish is a classic combination – equally delicious with brill or haddock.

We have been serving plaice for breakfast at MacNean ever since my mother’s time and we serve it with a lemon butter sauce. Pan frying is the best and quickest way to cook plaice – this technique seals in all of the lovely flavour of the fish while creating a delicious, crispy outer layer.

Plentiful fish

For our second recipe, hake which is a very plentiful fish in Irish waters takes centre stage. The Irish Hake Sustainability Plan (a state-backed Fishery Improvement Programme, or FIP, for short) aims to ensure that this delicious fish remains plentiful, which is good to see happening.

Hake is great value and its mild flavour makes it very versatile, too. In this recipe, I use larger banana shallots, but if you only have the smaller kind, they are just fine. Instead of vermouth, you can substitute a dry white wine, or you can completely omit that ingredient if you don’t want to use alcohol.

This red pepper sauce keeps well in the fridge and is also good with chicken, goats cheese or prawns. I love using star anise in this sauce – it adds a lovely, warming level of spice but with no actual heat.

When you’re cooking fish, a good rule of thumb is to always cook the fish at the very last minute.

When you have great quality fresh fish, you want to appreciate that freshness. If you are unsure about fish cookery, eatmorefish.ie is a great resource. It is the website by Gannet Fishmongers in Galway, which was set up by Stefan Griesbach in the market over 20 years ago. Now, they operate a very successful online business with nationwide delivery options.

You can order your fish filleted and pin-boned, and it will be with you in two days (via an electric delivery van, no less).

Ingredients: Serves 4

4 x 225–250g plaice fillets

50g plain flour

Olive oil, for cooking

100g butter, diced and chilled

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to garnish

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp snipped fresh chives

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 100°C.

2 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Rinse the plaice fillets and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

3 Season the flour with salt and pepper and layer it on a large, flat plate, then use it to dust both sides of the fish. It is best to work one fillet at a time.

4 Heat a drizzle of oil and a knob of the butter in the pan. Once it sizzles, add the plaice, skin-side up. Cook for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, then turn over using a fish slice and cook for another 2–3 minutes. The plaice should be opaque and flake easily with a fork when ready.

5 Put the cooked plaice on a warm serving plate and pop in the oven while you cook the remainder in the same way, quickly wiping out the pan with a bit of kitchen paper after each one.

6 When all the plaice fillets are cooked, wipe out the pan one last time and add a knob of the butter. Tip in the garlic and allow it to sizzle for about 20 seconds, then add the lemon juice and allow it to bubble down. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the butter, swirling around the pan to make a sauce.

7 Season with pepper and add the herbs, tossing to combine. To serve, spoon the sauce on to each plaice fillet and garnish with lemon wedges.

Ingredients: Serves 4

4 tbsp olive oil

3 banana shallots, thinly sliced

2 red peppers, cored and thinly sliced

2 star anise

2 tbsp white-wine vinegar

200ml water

3 tbsp dry vermouth

6 fresh basil leaves, plus extra small sprigs, to garnish

4 x 175g boneless hake fillets, skin on but scaled (from the thick end of the fillet)

Plain flour, for dusting

Large knob butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 To make the sauce, heat a skillet pan with a lid on medium. Add half of the olive oil, then tip in the shallots.

Sauté for a few minutes. Add the peppers and star anise and sauté for about 5 minutes until the peppers are soft.

2 Pour in the vinegar and vermouth and allow it to bubble down until it has completely evaporated. Add 200ml of water and tear in the basil.

3 Simmer over a medium heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Season to taste, remove the star anise and tip into a small pan. Then, using a hand blender, blitz to a smooth sauce. Set aside.

4 Wipe out the skillet pan and add the rest of the olive oil.

5 Dry the hake fillets on kitchen paper, then season to taste and lightly dust the skin with the flour.

6 Add the butter to the pan and, once it begins to sizzle, add the fish, skin side down. Cook for 6–7 minutes or until the skin is crisp and coloured. You may need to press it down gently with a fish slice to stop it curling up.

7 Turn it over and remove from the heat – the residual heat in the pan will continue to cook the fish.

8 Warm the red pepper sauce, spoon on to warm plates and top with the hake fillets, skin side up. Garnish with basil sprigs.

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