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By Root 994 0

from the Minchelli brothers’ restaurant, Le Duc, in Paris, a glass of reasonable claret is used to cook the whiting. Since the dish is for two, they obviously see the rest of the bottle being drunk with the dish and the cheese that will follow. A Premières Côtes de Bordeaux is recommended.

Serves 2

2 nice plump whiting, heads removed

4 shallots

1 long chive stalk

3 tablespoons lightly salted butter

1 clove garlic still in its skin, but crushed

6 tablespoons fish stock*

125 ml (4 fl oz) red wine

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

salt, pepper, sugar

Switch on the oven to gas 7, 220°C (425°F). Choose a gratin dish that will hold the whiting when they are filleted, spread out in a single layer, and set a heat-diffuser mat on the stove, if necessary.

Clean the whiting through the gills, saving the livers. Split and bone them from the back and lay them flat.

Chop the shallots with the chive stalk and cook it gently in the butter in the gratin dish, with the garlic. After a minute, pour in the stock and reduce by half, then add the wine. When it bubbles, put in the whiting, skin side down, and head to tail to save space. When the wine begins to bubble again, transfer to the oven. Check after 3 minutes, removing the dish when the whiting are just cooked. Transfer the whiting to a serving dish and keep warm.

Strain the juices into a small pan with a heavy base. Add the livers and the cream. Reduce over a moderate heat, stirring quietly with a wooden spoon. Taste and check the seasoning, adding a pinch or so of sugar to counteract the acidity of the wine. Pour over fish and serve immediately.

WHITING WITH AUBERGINE IN TWO FASHIONS

By cooking aubergine in two very different ways, you can make a lively accompaniment to whiting that sets off its pearly texture well. If you feel that the coating of egg and breadcrumbs is too much, content yourself with flouring the fish before you cook it.

Serves 6

6 small filleted whiting

salt

6 aubergines, medium size, peeled

plain flour

sunflower oil

about 6 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed, finely chopped

2–3 tablespoons chopped parsley

beaten egg

plenty of fine breadcrumbs or fine cornmeal

clarified butter

lemon wedges or fresh tomato sauce*

Season the whiting with salt and set aside. Pick out the two longest aubergines, cut them in halves across, then downwards into very thin slices. Dice the rest of the aubergines (including any lumpy bits left from the slicing) and put them into a colander, salting lightly as you go. Lay the slices on top and salt them, too, then weight them down with a dish. Leave for an hour. This preparation means the aubergines will absorb less oil.

Dry the thin slices carefully, flour them, shaking off any excess and deep-fry them in sunflower oil until crisp. This happens fast. Drain these crisps on kitchen paper in a low oven.

Next dry and cook the diced aubergines slowly in the olive oil, turning them about. When they are juicy and almost tender, turn up the heat and scatter on the garlic. Cook 3 minutes more. Season, stir in the parsley and keep warm.

Finally dry the whiting; flour, egg and breadcrumb them, or turn them in fine cornmeal. Fry in clarified butter until cooked and nicely coloured. Serve with the two lots of aubergines, with either lemon wedges or very fresh tomato sauce.

WOLF-FISH see A FEW WORDS ABOUT… CATFISH

YELLOW PERCH see PERCH

ZANDER see PERCH

A FEW WORDS ABOUT OTHER FISH & CRUSTACEANS

ABALONE, ORMER & SEA EAR Haliotis tuberculata

It is easy to collect shells, whether from the beach or the junk shop, without ever realizing that each once had an occupant; in the case of the beautiful ormer or ear shell, with its nacreous lining of green, purple and silver lights, it was an occupant of a most desirable kind. In California they come in enormous sizes, and the edible white muscle is sold in large slices, already beaten (if they aren’t beaten they are quite exceedingly tough). In Brittany, they are smaller