Page title and description

Fish
Pollock and saffron potatoes with braised fennel and aioli
Cook's notes
The aioli is perfect for dabbing on your fish. Try adding a small amount to the potatoes and mixing it into the liquid to bring a pungent richness to the whole dish.Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 pinch saffron
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tomatoes
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 500g new potatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 100ml white wine
- 30g parsley
- 50g mayonnaise
- 2 pollock fillets
- 25g butter
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper

Method
Prep time:
15 min
PT15M
Cooking time:
30 min
PT30M
-
Step 1
Trim the woody stalks away from the fennel. Cut it into quarter's and trim out any tough looking root core. Slice each quarter into 4 evenly sized wedges. Boil the kettle and measure out 500ml of boiling water. Crumble in the stock cube and whisk until dissolved. -
Step 2
Add the saffron to the stock. Peel and finely chop or crush 2 garlic cloves. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the large pan or casserole. Cook the fennel over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. -
Step 3
Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and chop into 2-3cm pieces. Add them to the pan of fennel. Cook gently for 5 more minutes until taking on a bit of colour. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and half the garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then tip in the wine. -
Step 4
Let it reduce by half, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Tip in the stock and add a pinch of salt and pepper if it needs it. Bring to a simmer and cook, loosely covered, until the potatoes are tender and the liquid has reduced by at least half, about 20 minutes. -
Step 5
In the meantime, wash the parsley, shake it dry and finely chop the leaves. Mix the remaining garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the mayonnaise to make the aioli. When the potatoes are cooked, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan. -
Step 6
Season the pollock with salt and pepper on all sides. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the pollock, skin side down. Fry on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes (see cook's note). Lift the fish, the skin should be a golden brown. Gently flip them over to the flesh side. -
Step 7
Add the butter and let it melt and foam. Add a squeeze of lemon and remove the pan from the heat. Let the fish sit in the pan for 2 minutes. Stir the chopped parsley into the saffron stained potatoes and ladle them into shallow bowls. -
Step 8
Perch the fish on top, skin side up. Spoon over the buttery juices. Serve with the aioli and a wedge or 2 of lemon on the side.