Recipe: Pan-fried black bream with asparagus & spiced beurre blanc

Pan-frying successfully relies on a few things: the pan must be nonstick; the fish skin must be as dry as you can get it, otherwise the contact between the fish skin and the hot pan surface will create steam instead of searing; and the heat must be controlled – too hot and the fish will scorch or burn, too cold and you won’t get the desired crispness or golden colour.

I always pan-fry at a medium level of heat. The spiced beurre blanc here is a take on one of my favourite flavour marriages, usually seen with potted shrimp or crab. The combination of lemon, nutmeg, cayenne and parsley is great with fish. I’ve taken a classic French sauce and added a bit of British tradition, and I think it works well!

Recipe: Pan-fried black bream with asparagus & spiced beurre blanc

Serves 4

Ingredients

20 asparagus spears (about 2 bunches), peeled and trimmed of any woody parts

2 black bream, each 500–600g (1lb 2oz–1lb 5oz), scaled, filleted and pin-boned

2 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt

For the spiced beurre blanc

2 small shallots, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, chopped

zest and juice of 1 lemon

10 rasps of a whole nutmeg

a small pinch of cayenne pepper (be careful not to add too much)

150ml (5fl oz) white wine

50ml (2fl oz) double cream

250g (9oz) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 lemon, peeled and segmented

Method

1. To make the spiced beurre blanc, put the shallots, garlic, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and wine into a pan and simmer over a medium-high heat until the wine has almost totally reduced. Add the cream and reduce the heat to low. Now add the butter, piece by piece, whisking all the time; do not allow the sauce to boil or it will split. Once all the butter is incorporated, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.

2. Blanch the asparagus in a pan of salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain.

3. To cook the fish, heat a large nonstick pan over a medium heat. Season the fish all over with salt. Pour the oil into the pan and when hot, gently place the fillets into the pan, skin-side down. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot; you want it to gently fry. Cook for 2–3 minutes on the skin side until the edges of the fish start to turn golden. Carefully flip the fish and turn off the heat, it will continue to cook in the residual heat.

4. Gently warm the sauce, add the parsley and stir in. Spoon the sauce equally between 4 warmed plates, top with the asparagus and then the bream. Sprinkle with parsley and place a few lemon segments around. Serve immediately.

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

Also try Nathan's whole baked Dover sole recipe