Recipe: Orange & fennel pan-fried grey mullet with roasted carrots & carrot & fennel seed vinaigrette

When grey mullet is at its best, it’s a fantastic fish for pan-frying. The skin on a grey mullet, when scaled with care and dried thoroughly, will reward you by becoming beautifully crisp. The natural oil that comes out as you carefully cook it is a point of difference from any other species and makes it unique. The carrot, fennel seed and olive combination in the rest of the dish complement that uniqueness perfectly.

Serves 4

Ingredients

100g green beans (about 16 in total)

1 grey mullet, about 1.5kg (3lb 5oz), scaled, filleted and pin-boned, portioned into 4

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground

finely grated zest of 1 orange

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the carrot & fennel seed vinaigrette

200g (7oz) carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon pastis

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the roasted carrots

100g (3½oz) salted butter

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

4 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways

1 banana shallot, sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10 green olives, pitted and halved

50ml (2fl oz) cider vinegar

small handful of fennel herb, fennel fronds or carrot tops

(optional)

Method

1. To make the vinaigrette, place the chopped carrots, pastis, orange juice, fennel seeds and vinegar in a small blender and blitz finely, then transfer to a sieve lined with muslin set over a bowl and squeeze out as much juice as possible. Put 4 tablespoons of the juice into a bowl, whisk in the olive oil and season with salt to taste. Set aside.

2. Blanch the green beans in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and chill in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (375°F), Gas Mark 5.

4. For the roasted carrots and olives, place all the ingredients, except the fennel herb or fronds, into a roasting tray or dish. Season with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for a total of 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. When the carrots are roasted, remove from the oven, add the fennel herb (if using) and mix well. Keep warm.

5. To cook the fish, season it with fennel seeds, orange zest, salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, place the fish skin-side down into the pan and cook gently for 4 minutes until the skin is golden. Turn the fish over and cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. The residual heat will finish the cooking.

6. Warm 4 plates. Add the beans to the carrots and warm for 1 minute, then share the vegetables among the plates. Dress with the vinaigrette and place the fish on top, then serve.

Nathan Outlaw On Fish: A Seafood Handbook is published by Kyle Books, priced £30. Photography by Kate Whitaker

Also try Nathan's whole baked Dover sole recipe