Ingredients

Serves 4

3 medium red onions
3 heads of fennel
100ml extra virgin olive oil
4 medium sized kipfler potatoes
1 small bulb of celeriac
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
3 strips of lemon zest
½ tbsp sweet paprika
½ tbsp hot paprika
150ml dry sherry (fino)
150ml water
Sea salt and freshly milled pepper

4 x 170g fillets blue eye, skin on
Olive oil
Knob of butter
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
½ lemon

Method

For vegetables:
Preheat oven to 170°C.

Peel red onions and cut into quarters, leaving the root end intact. Trim the stalks from the fennel and cut into quarters also leaving the root intact, reserving the fennel fronds for garnish.

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat and sauté onions and fennel till golden.

Peel potatoes and celeriac then cut into large pieces the same size as the onions and fennel. After 10 minutes, add the potatoes and celeriac to the fennel and onions, sprinkle with sea salt and toss gently.

Peel and chop the garlic finely and add to the casserole with the thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. Dust with the spices, stir well then add sherry and water.

Cover and place in an oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve immediately scattered with fennel fronds.

To cook blue eye
Place fish skin side down into a preheated fry pan with a little olive oil. Cook for up to 70% of the time on the skin side. By such time, say 4 minutes, the skin will be golden and have formed a crispy crust, Turn over and allow to kiss the heat on the other side.

Immediately remove from the heat, add the butter and the thyme leaves. Spoon the melting butter over the fish. The butter will foam and start to smell nice and nutty. Add a squeeze of lemon juice which serves to arrest the cooking process and provide a citrus note.

Serve with the fennel and celeriac dish.