3062. POLLACK with PARSLEY SAUCE and CRISP BACON

serves two 


1 tablespoon plain flour
2 x 200g/8oz thick pollack fillets, skin on
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
4 rindless rashers good streaky bacon

For the parsley sauce
200ml whole milk
½ medium onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
nutmeg, for grating
small bunch curly parsley, chopped

To make the sauce, pour the milk into a medium pan and add the onion and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer on the hob and cook for 5 mins. Turn off the heat, then leave to stand for 30 mins. When cool, remove the onion and bay leaf.

To prepare the fish, toss the flour, a pinch of salt and a couple of twists of black pepper in a large bowl. Add the fish, skin-side down, to coat the skin lightly in the flour. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and the bacon. Cook the fish for 5-6 mins or until the skin is crisp and it is almost completely opaque – there should be a couple of fingers’ width of uncooked fish running down the centre. Cook the bacon until it is really crisp, turning once, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile, finish making the parsley sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the flour. Cook for 30 secs. Slowly add the milk to the pan, stirring. Simmer gently for 5 mins, stirring continuously. Season with a good grating of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Keep warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Flip the pollack over, reduce the heat slightly and cook on the other side for a further min or so until just cooked. Increase the heat under the sauce until it begins to bubble. Stir in the parsley and add a little extra milk if the sauce seems too thick. Season a little more if you like. 

Place the fish on two warmed plates. Spoon over the sauce and place the bacon on top. Serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Valentine Warner, Good Food Magazine, March 2010