A luxurious Christmas main course
ingredients for 4 servings (cost about 13€ pp)
- 2 John Dory fish, about 800g each
- 1/2 broccoli
- 1/2 small cauliflower
- 4 small zucchini
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 large carrot
- 12 small potatoes
- EV olive oil
- 3 lemons
- 1/2 tsp mustard
- Coarse black pepper
- Salt
- 0,125 gr (half envelope) saffron in powder
John Dory is one of the most tasty kinds of fish. It has not too many spines and a juicy and tender flesh. John Dory requires a fast, delicate cooking in order to remain tender and pleasant. Such a pity to destroy a great fish with a prolonged cooking.
It is clear that if you cannot find John Dory you can use other medium size fish, such as bream, trout, bass etc
But first of all, we must prepare the vegetables.
We bring salted water to boil and we start boiling the broccoli, cut in florets, for about 4 minutes and the zucchini cut in dice for about the same time. When the veggies are ready we put them in a bowl with plenty of cold water to stop their cooking and also preserve vivid their green colour.
In the same cooking water we add the juice of two lemons and we start cooking the fennel root, cut in slices for about 6 minutes, the cauliflower, cut in florets, for about 3 minutes and the carrot, cut in oblique pieces, for about 4 minutes. If anybody wonders why I suggest that you add an acidic liquid, such as the lemon juice in the boiling water, I tell you that the acidic environment destroys the green vegetables while makes the white, orange and red ones more vivid and shiny.
Meanwhile in another pot and starting from cold salted water we cook the small potatoes, unpeeled and whole, till very tender. I remind you that we must bring the water to boil and right after to lower the heat and let the potatoes simmer.
We preheat our oven to 180 Celsius degrees. In two roasting pans we put 2 wire racks, greased with oil. We put them in the oven for about 10 minutes and when hot enough we put the fish. We bake for about 10 minutes and we add the vegetables, tossed with oil. We continue baking for 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile we prepare the sauce. In a bowl we add the juice and the zest of a lemon, 120 ml olive oil, the mustard, the saffron, the salt and the pepper. We mix with the immersion blender for about 20 seconds, till we create a light sauce.
When the fish are ready, we cut them in 4 filets, removing carefully all the spines. We put in plates, adding the vegetables and the sauce and we serve.
