Jamie Magazine
By Jamie Oliver
55 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
Recipe From
Ingredients
4 x 250g whole red mullet, scaled and gutted, from sustainable sources
½ a bunch of fresh lemon thyme
4 slices of higher-welfare thin-cut smoked pancetta
olive oil
JEWELLED WILD RICE
300g mixed wild rice
1 pomegranate
½ a bunch of fresh mint
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
TAPENADE
½ x 295g jar black olives (stone in)
1 small clove of garlic
1 pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 pinch of fennel seeds
20g blanched almonds
1 sundried tomato
extra virgin olive oil
Method
This is a great dish to celebrate whole fish. Red mullet has a lovely rich, slightly sweet flavour and goes well here, but feel free to try other fish too – ask your fishmonger to see what's in season near you.
- Start by preparing your jewelled wild rice. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside while you work on your fish.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Slash the mullet skin three to four times (don’t cut too far into the flesh). Pop a few sprigs of lemon thyme into each cavity and season well.
- Wrap the head of each fish in a slice of pancetta and drizzle with a little olive oil. Pop the fish on a large roasting tin and roast for 12 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make your tapenade. Drain and soak the olives in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain well, then remove the stones.
- Peel the garlic, then bash in a pestle and mortar with the dried chilli flakes and fennel seeds until fine. Tip into a bowl.
- Roughly chop the almonds, olives and sundried tomato and add to the bowl, followed by the spice mix and extra virgin olive oil.
- Tip the rice into a large bowl. Halve and bash the pomegranate with a spoon so the seeds fall into the bowl.
- Pick, chop and add the mint and parsley leaves along with the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- When the fish is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
- Arrange the rice on a platter, lay the fish on top and serve with the tapenade on the side.
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