Red gurnard is a delicious, firm, white fish, sustainably caught in the UK from April to October. You could use other white fish when in season such as hake, haddock or halibut for this recipe too.
It’s perhaps surprising that fava beans are grown and dried in the UK. The delicious split fava beans used in this recipe can be bought online at http://www.hodmedods.co.uk or you can use this site to see if there is a stockist near you.
A well flavoured stock is essential here and the easy homemade chicken stock in these pages, see Easy Homemade Stock – Chicken, works very well for this recipe and is better suited than a fish stock. But if you don’t have the chicken stock you will need a good quality alternative – the best you can get – and even then, it might need some help in terms of seasoning – a spoonful of mustard might need to be added.
For 4 – 6
You will need a medium to large sized sturdy flameproof casserole with a well-fitting lid.
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
3 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped, or 3 medium leeks, cleaned and finely sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
400g dried split fava beans
100ml cold dry white wine, cold dry vermouth or cold water
400g can chopped tomatoes
Finely grated zest and juice from a medium lemon
2 bay leaves
500ml good chicken stock
Sea salt flakes for tasting
Ready-made English mustard for tasting
4-6 fillets of red gurnard
4-6 handfuls of greens being ramsons or three- cornered garlic, roughly chopped, or parsley leaves, finely chopped
For the dressing
2 tbsp apple cider or white wine vinegar
6 tbs rapeseed oil
1 heaped tsp ready-made English mustard
1 tsp runny honey
Preheat the oven to 180c
Set the casserole on the hob over low heat, add the oil and the prepared onions or leeks. Stir them well and let them cook gently for a few minutes until they are starting to soften.
Add the crushed garlic and stir well until the aroma rises.
Stir in the fava beans.
Add the wine, vermouth or water and stir, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the casserole.
Stir in the tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, the bay leaves and enough of the chicken stock to completely immerse the beans.
Bring the whole lot to the boil, put the lid on the casserole and place it in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
While the beans are in the oven, whisk the ingredients for the dressing together, prepare the greens and put your serving plates to warm.
After the 45 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven. Stir in some stock if the beans are looking dry. Taste the beans which should be just about tender (there are still another 10-15 minutes of cooking time left), you are very likely to need to add some of the sea salt flakes and, if you like, a teaspoon or two of the mustard but do it little by little, stirring well and tasting as you go until you are happy with the flavours.
Lay the fish fillets on top of the beans and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sea salt flakes.
Put the lid back on the casserole and return it to the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. This will depend on the thickness of the fillets so check after 10 minutes; they should be opaque and fall into flakes when gently pressed with a fork.
When the fish is done, set the casserole aside with the lid on while you toss the greens in about 3 tablespoons of the dressing.
Serve the beans and fish, with some of the dressing spooned over them, on the warm plates with a pile of dressed greens on top.
