Turbot with Artichokes & Cucumber Beurre Blanc

TURBOT

• 4 turbot fillets, about 150g each
• 1 knob of butter
• juice of half a lemon
• salt

BEURRE BLANC

• 1 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 500g of butter, cubed
• 500ml of white wine
• 200ml of white wine vinegar
• 100g of shallots, chopped
• 20g of garlic, chopped
• 5g of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 black peppercorns
• 50ml of double cream
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 75g of dill, finely chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

ARTICHOKES

• artichokes
• extra virgin olive oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• water

1. In a medium bowl combine extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of salt.
   
2. Trim your artichokes. Cut off 1/3 from the top of the artichoke, trim the stem and then remove any and all tough outer leaves. You will need to remove more leaves than you think, just keep going until you see the tender inner leaves that are a nice light pale green.
   
3. Slice the artichoke in half and add to the lemony olive oil mixture being sure to toss each half around so it is lightly coated in the lemon.
   
4. Once you have all the artichokes prepped, heat a medium non-stick saut pan over a medium-high heat. Toss artichokes and the lemony olive oil mixture into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the artichokes are lightly browned. Add a splash of water to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
   
5. Remove the lid and flip all the artichokes, add another splash of water to the pan and cover for 2-3 minutes again. Remove the lid and allow the rest of the water to evaporate while artichokes get a nice light browning on the opposite side.

Serve alongside turbot

METHOD

1. To make the beurre blanc, add the wine and vinegar to a large pan and place over a medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay and peppercorns to the pan and cook for 5–10 minutes or until the liquid reduces to a light syrup.
   
2. Add the cream to the pan, stir well and continue to cook until the sauce begins to boil. Whisking continuously, gradually add the butter until fully combined, then remove from the heat.
   
3. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and discard the herbs, shallots, garlic and peppercorns. Stir through the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning to taste, then add the chopped dill and cucumber slices to the pan.
   
4. Place the pan of sauce back on a gentle heat to warm through while cooking the turbot, until the cucumber slices have softened but retain a vibrant green.
   
5. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Season the turbot fillets with salt and place upside down in the pan. Allow to cook for a few minutes until mostly cooked through.
   
6. Flip the fillets over and add a knob of butter to the pan along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Baste the fillets with the melted butter for a further minute, then remove the pan from the heat.
   
7. To serve, spoon the warm beurre blanc sauce over the fillets, ensuring the cucumber slices are equally distributed between each portion.