Pollock and saffron potatoes with braised fennel and aioli

Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Makes 2

INGREDIENTS

1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs ● 1 vegetable stock cube ● 1 pinch saffron ● 2 garlic cloves

● 2 tomatoes ● Oil for frying: sunflower or light olive oil ● 500g new potatoes ● 1 bay leaf ● 100ml white wine ● 30g parsley ● 50g mayonnaise ● 2 pollock fillets ● 25g butter

● 1 lemon ● Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Trim the woody stalks from the fennel. Cut into quarters and trim any tough looking root core. Slice each quarter into 4 evenly sized wedges. Measure out 500ml of boiling water. Whisk in the stock cube until dissolved.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Lift the fish, the skin should be a golden brown. Gently flip them over to the flesh side.

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.

8 Perch the fish on top, skin side up. Spoon over the buttery juices. Serve with the aioli and a wedge or two of lemon on the side.