Roasted ray with brown shrimps, confit fennel and pickled chicory
Ray wings are a bit like skate so replace the ray with skate if you can’t find it in the shops.
The pickled chicory needs to be made a week in advance.
Ingredients
For the pickled red chicory
- 150ml/5fl oz red wine vinegar
- large pinch caster sugar
- 1 small red chicory, cut into thin strips
For the confit fennel
- olive oil, to cover
- 1 fennel bulb, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
For the roasted ray
- 30g/1oz chickpea or gram flour, for dusting
- 1 ray wing
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 25g/1oz butter
- 2 tbsp peeled brown shrimps
- 1 lime, segmented
- 3 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 lime, juice only
- salt and cracked black pepper
Method
To make the pickled red chicory, heat the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool to room temperature. Pack the chicory strips into a sterilised jar and pour over the vinegar mixture. Seal and leave to pickle for a minimum of 7 days.
To make the confit fennel, heat the oil to around 60C. Add the fennel, bay leaf and star anise and leave to poach at room temperature for around 1 hour, or until soft. Remove the fennel from the oil and leave to drain on kitchen paper.
To make the roasted ray, place the flour in a wide shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dust the ray in the flour.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the fish for 6–8 minutes on the thick side. Flip over, add the butter and baste generously. Add the shrimps, lime segments, tarragon, some pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Baste the fish and set aside.
Transfer the fish and shrimp mixture to warmed plates and scatter over the confit fennel and pickled chicory. Serve immediately.