FISH COLLAR CUTLET

SERVES 4

4 red emperor collars

2 tbsp fennel seeds

2 cups white panko breadcrumbs 1 cup plain flour

4 eggs, beaten

80g ghee

Sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper

WILD FENNEL MAYONNAISE (OPTIONAL)

2 egg yolks

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp white wine vinegar

Fine salt, to taste

1 cup grapeseed oil

Juice of ½ lemon, to taste

1 tbsp fennel pollen, celery seeds or ground fennel, to taste For the mayonnaise, rest a bowl on a tea towel draped over a saucepan to stabilise it. Add the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and salt to the bowl and whisk together well. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in the oil to form a thick emulsion.

Taste and add salt, lemon juice and fennel pollen to taste. It should be the thickness of softly whipped cream, so adjust with a little warm water if necessary.

Place the fish collars skin side down on a chopping board. Using a short, sharp knife, cut the bones out of the collar.

This is done by using your fingers to feel the outline of the bone, then getting the blade as close to the bone while cutting to take it out. Using a coarse meat mallet, lightly tap the collar out into the shape of a cutlet or ‘pork chop’.

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

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

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