Michelin-starred British chef Nathan Outlaw, one of the best-known names in fish cookery, has shared four recipes from his new cookbook that put a French spin on British seafood — and they're all doable in a home kitchen.
The star of the line-up is whole baked Dover sole with blistered olives and tomatoes. Outlaw insists the species should always be cooked on the bone, and his method is refreshingly straightforward: toast a rub of fennel seeds, coriander, chilli and sea salt, sear the skinned fish for just two minutes a side, then roast it at 180°C fan for 8–10 minutes with new potatoes, anchovies, red onion and an infused oil of lemon, garlic and rosemary. Blistering the olives and cherry tomatoes in the oven beforehand adds a sticky, sweet-sour depth that suits the rich sole perfectly.
For something more classic, there's pan-fried black bream with spiced beurre blanc — a French sauce given a British twist with lemon, nutmeg, cayenne and parsley. Outlaw's frying advice is worth the read on its own: get the skin bone-dry, keep the pan at medium heat, and don't rush. The beurre blanc itself is made by reducing shallots, garlic, lemon and white wine, adding cream, then whisking in 250g of butter piece by piece without ever letting it boil. Blanched asparagus and lemon segments finish the plate.
The trout dish is the most involved. Fillets sit on grilled, charred aubergine flesh with a chunky olive and caper tapenade, a lemon mayonnaise sauce thinned with fish stock and cream, and a rosemary and lemon oil that needs a full 24 hours to infuse — so start it the day before. Grilled haddock is the quickest of the four: blistered skin, braised leeks cooked in white wine and fish stock, and a warm anchoïade sauce, Outlaw's nod to the Provençal anchovy condiment traditionally served at the start of a meal.
A few of Outlaw's principles run through all four recipes: cook fish gently and patiently, season boldly, and don't fear a little caramelisation — on the fish, the vegetables or the aubergine skin.
Why it matters for travellers: these dishes read like a foodie tour of coastal France and southwest Britain in four plates — Provençal anchoïade, tapenade, beurre blanc, Mediterranean olives — and they're the kind of thing you might eat at a good bistro in Brittany or Cornwall. If a trip isn't on the cards, bringing the flavours home is the next best thing. Outlaw's restaurants in Port Isaac, Cornwall, remain a pilgrimage for fish lovers, and this cookbook captures that same simple-but-precise approach.
