Fishcollarcutlet

SERVES 4

“From species to species, it never ceases to surprise me just how much flesh can be found in the collar of a fish,” says Niland. “I’ve suggested serving these with a fennel mayonnaise, but any garnish that would traditionally be paired with a pork or chicken cutlet would work perfectly with this dish.”

4 red emperor collars

2 tbsp fennel seeds

120 gm (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs

150 gm (1 cup) plain flour

4 eggs, beaten

80 gm ghee

WILD FENNEL MAYONNAISE

2 egg yolks

½ tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp white-wine vinegar

250 ml (1 cup) grapeseed oil

Juice of ½ lemon, to taste

1 tbsp fennel pollen, celery seeds or ground fennel

1 For the mayonnaise, rest a bowl on a tea towel draped over a saucepan (this helps to stabilise the bowl). Add egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and a pinch of fine salt and whisk to combine. Continue whisking, slowly drizzling in oil to form a thick emulsion. Add salt, lemon juice and fennel pollen to taste. It should be the thickness of softly whipped cream; adjust with a little warm water if necessary. Set aside.

2 Place fish collars, skin side down, on a chopping board. Using a short, sharp knife, cut bones out of the collar. Using a coarse meat mallet, lightly tap the collar out into the shape of a cutlet or chop.

3 Add fennel seeds to panko breadcrumbs. Dust collar with flour, then coat in egg and breadcrumbs. Make sure to keep the wing uncrumbed.

4 Heat a frying pan over high heat, add ghee and wait until there is a light haze. Shallow-fry two collar cutlets at a time for until golden (1½ minutes each side). Drain then season well.

5 Leave cutlets whole or slice into pieces and serve with wild fennel mayonnaise or lemon halves for squeezing.