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Gurnard Fillets Steamed on a Bed of Wrack
Gurnard Fillets Steamed on a Bed of Wrack is a traditional English recipe (originating in Norfolk) for classic fish dish of gurnard fillets that are steamed in fish stock over a bed of bladderwrack or serrated wrack seaweed and which are served with the cooking liquid made into a sauce and a garnish of the seaweed. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: Gurnard Fillets Steamed on a Bed of Wrack.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
15 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Serves:
4
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodSauce RecipesBritish RecipesEnglish Recipes
This is a classic Norfolk dish that makes the most of both a very ugly fish, the Gurnard (which seems to be all head and no body) but which is described by aficionados as the 'chicken of the seas' and which is steamed on a bed of fresh bladderwrack or serrated wrack.
Gurnard is a very spiny fish, with sharp spines protruding from every fin. Before filleting the fish it's far easier if you snip away the spines first.
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the seaweed and blanch for 1 minute before draining in a colander and rinsing thoroughly under plenty of cold, running, water. Arrange the drained seaweed in a wide pan or roasting tin that's large enough to accept the fish fillets as a single layer. Pour in the fish stock (it should only come up to the top of the seaweed layer) then bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a gentle simmer. Carefully layer the fish on top then add a lid (or a tight-fitting double layer of foil) . The aim here is to steam the fish until done through, rather than poaching it.
Cook for about 6 minutes (depending on thickness), or until just done through then remove from the pan onto a warmed plate and set aside to keep warm. Meanwhile strain the remaining stock into a pan and reduce by 50% through rapid boiling before whisking in the butter.
To serve, shred some of the seaweed fronds (but not the bladders), arrange the fish on a plate, surround by the seaweed and pour over the sauce.
