Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2009 | Page 96

life

FOOD & DRINK with Alan Staley

Each issue Alan will be giving you some great tricks and tips to
make your life in the kitchen easier. This issue: Filleting a fish.
PLUS! Two great recipes from Alan Staley, Executive Chef and his
team at the Royal Hotel, Ventnor
This month I will show you
how to fillet a flat fish; you
must have a sharp flexible
filleting knife to do this.
The fish I am filleting is brill,
but the procedure described
applies to all flat fish such as
plaice, sole, turbot etc.
Lay the fish on a board
with the head pointing away
from you. (1) Cut around the
head and down the centre or

lateral line of the fish right
through to the backbone.
(2) Working on the fillet
nearest to you, insert the
point of the knife under
the flesh at the head end.
Keeping the knife blade
parallel to the bones, slice
away the fillet using long
sweeping strokes. Remove
the other fillet in the same
way but turn the fish round
so that the tail is pointing
away from you and cut from
tail to head.
(3) Repeat the whole
process on the other side to
obtain the remaining two

Vanilla Pannacotta
Caramelised pears, mulled wine figs

INGREDIENTS

1

Makes 5 portions:
½ litre Double Cream
70g Caster Sugar
2 Vanilla Pods (split &
scrape seeds)
1 ½ leaves Gelatine
(soften with cold water)

Figs in red mulled wine

Boil all the ingredie nts
together adding the
gelatine at the end.
Cool over ice, beating
occasionally
When thickened and
lightly aerated pour into
the moulds.

10 Figs
1 Bottle Red wine
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Star Anis
4 Pepper Corns
4 Juniper Berries (crushed)
150g Caster Sugar

Peel and poach the pears
in a simple syrup made
with half sugar to water.
Leave to cool, slice
(remove pips) sprinkle
with demerera sugar and
caramelise under the grill.

Poach the figs in the
cooking liquor until lightly
tender.
Leave to cool then keep in
fridge until necessary.
When required reduce
some of the cooking
liquor until it reaches a
syrupy consistency then
add the required amount
of figs skin side down
then after a minute turn
them over to coat the
other side.

96

fillets.
(4) The way to skin a fillet
is to anchor it firmly at the
tail end with one hand, then
slipping the knife along the
skin. This is where a true
fillet knife earns its keep: It
is far more flexible than most
other blades, so you can
actually maintain pressure on
the knife as you cut off the
skin -- the knife will bend. It
can take some effort, so keep
a firm hold on that tail end!
(5) Finally, trim the fillets,
they are now ready for
cooking.

1

Alan's
seasonal produce
The autumn harvest brings

VEGETABLES

a fantastic crop of seasonal

Beetroot, Calabrese,

fruit and vegetables, native

Cabbages, Carrots,

apples are in peak condition,

Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery,

succulent squash are in

Courgettes, Fennel, Kale,

abundance. Game is plentiful

Leeks, Marrow, Salsify,

with the pheasant and

Spinach, Squash, Turnips ,

woodcock season opening,

Wild Mushrooms

and the fruits of the sea
include delicious native
oysters.