Plaice with lemon and basil mayonnaise

Another weekend, another flat fish!  Plaice is not disimilar to lemon sole, I guess - it isn't a hugely flavoured fish but is pleasant enough.  To my mind, it needs something to perk it up.  I love it from a good chippie - battered and served with plenty of salt and malt vinegar... 

But battered fish isn't so easy to do at home - particularly when you don't have a deep-fat-fryer.  Instead, simply flour-egg-and-breadcrumb the skinned fillets and shallow fry.

However, this recipe isn't really about the fish - it's about home-made mayonnaise.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't have an objection on any grounds to the jars you buy in the supermarket - just that they aren't really mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise is hand made with egg yolks and olive oil and is one of life's luxuries.

I don't make mayonnaise all that often, but when I do I wonder why not.  It's pretty simple, less liable to split than a warm sauce such as hollandaise and takes about ten minutes.
You can make it in a blender - which is not a bad idea if you're making lots - but is better when made by hand.  I was making the minimal amount - 1 egg yolk for two people, so a whisk and some elbow grease were all that were required.

A word on pepper: a good mayo should be well seasoned - I always use Maldon sea salt and black pepper.  Chefs around the world will be outraged I'm sure - black pepper leaves little black specs in your mayo!  So what?  Personally, I can never really see the point in white pepper.  I much prefer the zest and zing of black.

Lemon and basil mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 lemon juice
salt & pepper
50ml (ish) Extra virgin olive oil
50ml Flavourless oil (such as groundnut)
1-2 tablespoon shredded/ripped basil leaves

Put the egg yolk, mustard, seasoning and a little squeeze of lemon into a bowl and gently whisk together.  Now the really important bit:  add a drip - and I mean a drip - of olive oil and whisk into the egg.  Now add another drip and whisk again.  Do this drop by drop until the emulsion starts to thicken, then you can start to be a little more liberal.  If you add too much oil too fast, you will split the mayo (which is not the end of the world - simply add another egg yolk to a clean bowl with a teaspoon of water and whisk - then add the split mayo a drop at a time - it should re-emulsify).

Alternate the oil additions and keep whisking in the slow dribble of oil until you reach something thick and unctuous.  Now add the remaining lemon juice and taste.  It may now be a little too runny - if so, whisk in a dribble more oil. 

Just before you serve the mayo, stir in the basil leaves. 

The mayonnaise can be made in a food processor using the same process - a few drips of oil and then a thin stream can be poured in with the motor running.  However, for such a small amount, I much prefer using a hand whisk - it provides a better texture in my opinion (and there's less washing-up...)

For the fish and potatoes... simply boil small new potatoes until tender, cut in half lengthways and saute in a pan with olive oil and butter until golden and crisp.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  With the fish, skin the fillets, season, lay in flour, pat off the excess, lay in beaten egg (if you're being frugal here, just use the beaten white of the egg from the mayo), and coat in breadcrumbs.  Fry for a few minutes in olive oil and butter until golden and serve with the potaoes, the mayo and perhaps a bunch of watercress. 

tags: fish  

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