Quick & Easy
Gourmet Plaice Recipe

This fantastically simple plaice recipe makes a superb main course for a dinner party. It is courtesy of Annie Nichols, The Sunday Telegraph. It is part of her "Cheat's Dinner Party",.....an elegant offering for six people for less than £35 and prepared in only one hour!

Gourmet food........the EASY way!

Plaice with a Thyme & Herb Crust
and Beurre Blanc

250g (9oz) unsalted butter
4 slices bread
5g (1/8 oz) fresh thyme
15g (½oz) flat leaf parsley
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
6 x 150g (7oz) plaice fillets
3 shallots
5 tbsp white-wine vinegar
crispy salad leaves to serve

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
  

• Melt 50g (1¾oz) of the butter. Remove the crusts from the bread (though there is no need to do so if using sliced bread) and whiz in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
  

• Remove the leaves from the thyme and parsley and chop roughly. Finely grate the zest from the lemon. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Mix the herbs, lemon zest and garlic with the breadcrumbs and place on a large plate.
  

• Season the fish with salt and freshly milled black pepper and dip the top side of each fillet into the melted butter and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Lay crumb-side up in a single layer on a baking-tray. Sprinkle over any remaining crumbs and drizzle over the remaining melted butter.
  

• Squeeze the juice from the lemon and chop the remaining butter into small dice. Peel and finely chop the shallots and place in a small saucepan. Pour in the vinegar with 3 tbsp of water and a little salt and freshly milled black pepper.
  

• Bake the fish in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until the fish is tender and the crust golden.
  

• Meanwhile place the small saucepan over a high heat and reduce until only a tablespoon of liquid remains. Throw in a small handful of the butter dice at a time, whisking constantly. Once the butter has melted add another handful and continue until you have a smooth creamy sauce. Add half of the lemon juice and a little more salt and freshly milled black pepper, adding more juice to taste.
  

• Serve the plaice fillets on warmed plates with the beurre blanc and salad leaves on the side.
  
  

From start to finish, this plaice recipe should take only about twenty minutes to complete! This leaves you ample time to prepare a couple of simple side dishes such as glazed green beans and minted new potatoes.

To go from this Gourmet Plaice Recipe to my
Cheat's Dinner Party Menu
CLICK HERE