Sharing Dish or Serves 1

Plaice Ingredients 

  • 1 x whole lemon sole – 585g featured in recipe  
  • Olive oil 
  • Sea salt to season 
  • Cracked black pepper 

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients 

  • 10 x cherry tomatoes 
  • Olive oil 
  • Sea salt
  • Cracked black pepper 

Sauce Ingredients 

  • 1 x small shallot 
  • 1 x large garlic clove 
  • 2 x tbsp white wine vinegar 
  • 125g x mascarpone 
  • 1 x small lemon
  • Cold water to loosen sauce

Topping & Garnish Ingredients 

  • 35g x samphire 
  • Pecorino Romano to grate on top
  • Cracked black pepper to season  
  • Sea salt to season 

Method 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. 
  1. Carefully with a sharp knife, score shallow cuts into the sole, making incisions of roughly half an inch apart, to prevent the skin from curling and to allow heat to penetrate throughout the cooking process.  Using a pair of scissors, carefully snip and remove the pectoral fins, located on the sides of the fish. And remove the caudal fins at it’s tail.
  1. Drizzle the lemon sole on both sides with olive oil. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Place into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Check midway through cooking. 
  1. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves, place onto a baking tray and drizzle olive oil on top. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes in the oven, until bursting with juices and golden. 
  1. Peel and slice the shallot into thin strips. Remove the root. Peel the garlic clove, crush, remove the root and finely chop. Sprinkle some sea salt on top, to help break down the garlic fibres for a finer mince. 
  1. Place a small/medium saucepan onto the hob. Medium heat. Drizzle olive oil into the pan and allow to heat. Add the sliced shallot and sauté for 2-3minutes. Then add the minced garlic to the pan. Add a splash of white wine vinegar, reduce, then add the mascarpone to the pan.. Add a splash of cold water, to loosen slightly. Stir and add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Keep on low medium heat, to avoid the sauce spitting and continue stirring. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. 
  1. Ladle the mascarpone sauce onto a large serving platter or plate. Scatter the roasted cherry tomatoes around the plate. And add the samphire on top. Don’t add too much salt to the dish, as marsh samphire is salty. Grate a generous amount of pecorino on top.    
  1. Take the lemon sole out of the oven. Allow it to rest for roughly 30 seconds before serving.  To check the fish is cooked, use the tip of a knife and insert it into the thickest point of the fish. Remove, then gently place the tip of the knife onto the lower end of your hand, underneath the thumb. If it’s warm, the fish is cooked. If it’s still cool, the fish needs baking for longer. The fish will be opaque and begin to flake, for you to check that is cooked right through. For precision, you can use a probe thermometer to check for a minimum internal temperature of 60°C to 63°C as a general rule when cooking white fish on the bone, which will flake off easier at these temperatures. It is dependent on how thick or meaty the fish is too, as cooking times will vary.
  1. Place the the whole fish in the centre of the sauced up plate. And pour the remaining juices on top of the fish. Serve as a sharer or for one.