Pavé of pollock with black bean sauce, crispy cabbage and ginger

SERVES 4

4 x 160g pavés of pollock fillet, skin on

For the black bean sauce

3tbsp sunflower oil

5 spring onions, sliced diagonally

85g pink shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

1½cm ginger, scraped and cut into julienne

2tbsp rice wine vinegar or Shaoxing rice wine

½tsp chilli paste

1tbsp light soy sauce

2tbsp salted black beans, roughly chopped pinch caster sugar

50ml fish stock or water

For the crispy cabbage and ginger

150g spring green cabbage 200ml sunflower oil, for frying (more if using a deep fryer) 2cm ginger, scraped and cut into julienne

To serve

3tbsp toasted sesame oil

food thermometer

Season the pollock fillets with sea salt and set aside while you make the black bean sauce.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the sunflower oil in a wok, add the spring onions and stir-fry for a few seconds. Remove using a slotted spoon then add the shallots, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the rice wine vinegar or rice wine, chilli paste, soy sauce, black beans and a pinch of sugar and cook for 30 seconds. Add the stock or water then tip into a bowl and set aside.

To make the crispy cabbage and ginger, separate the cabbage leaves and remove the central stem. Pile a few leaves up, roll into a cylinder and finely slice into shreds. Repeat to use them all.

Line a baking tray with kitchen paper. Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Heat the oil in a saucepan or deep fryer to 190C and fry a quarter of the cabbage at a time until crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the baking tray. Add all the ginger to the last batch to fry. Set aside.

Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and coat with the remaining sunflower oil. Heat a frying pan and cook the fish skin-side down for 2 minutes. Turn and fry on the other side for 2-3 minutes until cooked through and golden.

Reheat the black bean sauce, fold in the spring onions and serve on top of the fish with the crispy cabbage and ginger.

Drizzle a little toasted sesame oil over each serving.