Spelt-battered pollock with satay sauce and pickled cucumber
This is an Asian-inspired version of battered fish, accompanied by a fresh cucumber salad and rich satay sauce.
Ingredients
For the satay sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ lemongrass stick, roughly chopped
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2–3 coriander stalks, chopped
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 150ml/5fl oz coconut milk
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú brown sugar
- 120g/4½oz smooth peanut butter
For the cucumber salad
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 100ml/3½fl oz cider vinegar
- 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
- ¼ tsp toasted sesame seeds
- ¼ tsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 lime, juice only
- sea salt and white pepper
For the batter
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú spelt flour
- 60g/2¼oz trisol or 1 tbsp baking powder
- 100ml/3½fl oz sparkling water
- salt and white pepper
For the pollock
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 2 pollock fillets, pin-boned, skin removed
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú spelt flour, for dusting
- 1 lime, zest only
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp coriander cress, to serve
- 1 lime, scorched and cut into wedges, to serve
Method
To make the satay sauce, place a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil, shallot, lemongrass, ginger, coriander stalks, red chilli and garlic. Sweat for a few minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the soy sauce and bring to the boil. Add the coconut milk and brown sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and place in a blender with the peanut butter. Blend until smooth, adding 50–100ml/2–3½fl oz water if needed to form a smooth sauce. Set aside until needed, placing cling film over the top to prevent a skin forming.
To make the cucumber salad, place the sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cooled, add the cucumber and pickle for 10 minutes. Remove the cucumber from the vinegar and leave to drain slightly. Place in a bowl with the seeds and season with sea salt and white pepper. Add the lime juice and lightly stir.
To make the batter, place the flour and trisol in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside until needed.
To make the pollock, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 185C. CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.
Slowly add the sparkling water to the batter mixture using a fork until you have a pancake mixture consistency (some lumps are ok at this point).
Season the spelt flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dust the fish with the flour and pat with your hands to remove any excess.
Place the fish in the batter until completely covered. Remove from the batter and carefully place into the fryer. Fry for approximately 3–4 minutes, or until the fish is golden and crisp. Remove from the fryer and carefully transfer to kitchen paper to drain. Season with a little sea salt and the lime zest whilst it is still hot. Leave to rest for 3–5 minutes before serving.
To serve, add the satay sauce to the middle of each plate and spoon the cucumber salad on top. Top with a fish portion and garnish with coriander cress and the scorched lime wedges.