Plaice and Bass Braised in Red Wine from Fish For Dinner, with Wine Pairings from Margaret Rand

‘Plaice and bass are a lovely pairing and with this rich sauce make a dish that is sure to please. The important thing here is to make sure the braise is reduced well and seasoned perfectly before adding the fish and then to keep the sauce to a simmer – be gentle, be nice!’ – Nathan Outlaw

Alternative fish: turbot, brill, flounder, petrale sole

Serves 4

175g (6oz) unsalted butter

A couple of drizzles of olive oil

20 small shallots, peeled and left whole

2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 sprigs of thyme

4 bay leaves

100ml (3 ½ fl oz) red wine vinegar

500ml (18 fl oz) full-bodied red wine

500ml (18 fl oz) fish stock or chicken stock

50g (1 ¾ oz) dried shiitake mushrooms

400g (14oz) oyster mushrooms

1 large plaice (about 1kg/2lb 4oz), filleted

1 bass (about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz), filleted

200g (7oz) peas (fresh or frozen)

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Boiled new potatoes, to serve

To prepare the fish braising liquid, heat a large, wide pan and add 75g (2 ½ oz) of the butter with a drizzle of oil. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook for 6 minutes. Next, add the sugar and cook until it caramelizes, allowing the shallots to colour well. Add the garlic, thyme, bay and wine vinegar and let it bubble until reduced to almost nothing, then pour in the red wine and return to a simmer, continuing until reduced by half. Now pour in the stock, add the dried mushrooms and bring to the boil. Skim off any impurities from the surface and simmer for 5 minutes.

Next, pan-fry the oyster mushrooms in a little oil then add to the braise.

To cook the fish, submerge the plaice and bass portions in the wine liquor, cover with foil and cook over a low heat for 6 minutes. Remove the foil, carefully turn the fish and add the peas and parsley. Cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat.

Carefully pour off the braising liquor into a saucepan, place over a medium heat and whisk in the remaining 100g (3 ½ oz) butter, in pieces. Pour the liquor back over the fish and serve. This is perfect served with boiled and buttered potatoes.

This recipe is extracted from Fish For Dinner, by Nathan Outlaw. 

 Margaret Rand, author of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book has created the perfect wine pairings for this delicious dish

Full-bodied red wine, eh? With fish. Why not? And that’s just for cooking this rather wonderful plaice and bass dish.

If you cook it with red wine you should ideally drink it with red wine too. If that sounds improbable remember that fish’s delicate flavour means it can soak up whatever flavours you put with it. Grilled plaice would suggest a white wine. This recipe certainly needs a red.

Perhaps the red you used for cooking the dish? Yes, if you have two bottles – or if you want to

use a good red in the dish. I’d be tempted to go for a fairly straightforward Merlot or unoaked Rioja for the cooking, and then a good Pinot Noir to drink with it: something succulent from Australia’s Mornington Peninsula, like Moorooduc; or a Grenache from South Australia, like. Both have delicacy as well as weight, and both will go with that deeply savoury sauce. But avoid anything with obvious oak flavours: that could be a clash.