Whole whiting Colbert, pommes Pont Neuf and beurre maître d’hôtel

Named for its process, 'á la Colbert' means to trim and present a fish – often an inexpensive one, such as whiting. Traditionally, the fish is crumbed and fried, then served with herbed butter. You will need a sharp filleting knife, kitchen scissors and some fish tweezers to fillet the fish yourself.

• serves

  4

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Ace

Ingredients

• 4 whole King George whiting, about 200 g each, scaled and gilled (you can ask your fishmonger to butterfly the fish if you prefer)
• 2 eggs
• 50 ml milk
• 50 g plain flour
• 200 g dried breadcrumbs
• 1 litre cotton seed oil or sunflower oil, for deep-frying
• 12 large Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm x 10 cm chips (you will need 24 in total)
• 4 wedges each of lemon and lime
• celery leaves and parsley leaves, to garnish

Beurre maître d'hôtel

• 75 g butter, softened
• pinch of crushed garlic
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp finely sliced flat-leaf parsley
• 1 chive, finely sliced

Chilling time: 2 hours

Wine pairing: Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling, Eden Valley

Instructions

1. For the beurre maître d'hôtel, place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a cylinder, then refrigerate for 2 hours until firm. The butter will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months and can also be used on steak.

2. Lay the whiting on its side. Using a sharp filleting knife, insert the tip into the back of the head, cut along spine down to the tail, being careful not to puncture the belly skin. Turn and repeat on the other side. Cut the spine behind the head and the tail with kitchen scissors and carefully remove the spine and guts, then lightly wash and dry the cavity. Using fish tweezers, pin-bone both sides, ensuring no bones are left.

3. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large, shallow dish. Place the flour and breadcrumbs in two separate large, shallow dishes. Dip the whiting in the flour, then the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Set aside until ready to fry.

4. Pour the oil into a deep-fryer or large saucepan and heat to 180˚C. Working in batches, fry the chips for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and season with salt.

5. Deep-fry the celery and parsley leaves for 4-5 seconds or until crisp but still retaining colour. Drain on paper towel.

6. Cooking in batches, using two metal spiders or metal spatulas, place the whiting on one and prop the tail up at 45-degree angle with other. Gently lower into the hot oil, holding the same angle for 1-2 minutes or until the crumbs are set. Release the whiting into the oil and deep-fry for another 1-2 minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towel.

7. To serve, arrange the chips on the serving plates and place a fried fish on top. Place a thin round of beurre maître d'hôtel on top of the fish to melt, scatter with the fried celery and parsley leaves and serve immediately with lemon and lime wedges.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.