Medium
4
By Darina Allen
Published 1989
First make the sauce. Put the egg yolks in a heavy stainless steel saucepan on a very low heat, or in a bowl over hot water. Add water and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter bit by bit, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece. The mixture will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly ‘scrambling’, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water if necessary. Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally add the lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is slow to thicken it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low. Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens to coating consistency. Pour into a bowl and keep warm.
Melt
Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, count to ten, pour off the water and peel. Cut in half and remove the seeds with a teaspoon or melon bailer, cut the flesh into the same size dice as the cucumber. Sprinkle with salt, freshly-ground pepper and sugar and keep aside.
Just before serving, bring the
Put into a serving dish or arrange overlapping slices on individual plates. Drain the tomato concassé and add to the sauce with the finely-chopped fennel. Taste. Add a little hot water if the sauce is too thick. Spoon carefully over the fish. Garnish with sprigs of fennel and serve immediately.
© 1989 Darina Allen. All rights reserved.