4 redemperorcollars
2 tbspfennelseeds
120 gm(2cups)panko
breadcrumbs
150 gm(1cup)plainflour
4 eggs,beaten
80 gmghee
WILDFENNELMAYONNAISE
2 eggyolks
½ tbspdijonmustard
2 tspwhite-winevinegar
250 ml(1cup)grapeseedoil
Juiceof½lemon,totaste
1 tbspfennelpollen,celery
seeds or ground fennel
Fishcollar cutlet
SERVES 4
“Fromspeciestospecies,it neverceasestosurprisemejust
howmuchfleshcanbefoundinthecollarofa fish,”saysNiland.
“I’vesuggestedservingthesewitha fennelmayonnaise,butany
garnishthatwouldtraditionallybepairedwith a pork or chicken
cutlet would work perfectly with this dish.”
1 Forthemayonnaise,rest
a bowlona teatoweldraped
overa saucepan(thishelps
tostabilisethebowl).Addegg
yolks,mustard,vinegarand
a pinchoffinesaltandwhisk
tocombine.Continuewhisking,
slowlydrizzlinginoiltoform
a thickemulsion.Addsalt,
lemonjuiceandfennelpollen
totaste.It shouldbethe
thicknessofsoftlywhipped
cream;adjustwitha littlewarm
waterif necessary.Setaside.
2 Placefishcollars,skinside
down,ona choppingboard.
Usinga short,sharpknife,
cutbonesoutofthecollar.
Usinga coarsemeatmallet,
lightlytapthecollaroutinto
theshapeofa cutletorchop.
3 Addfennelseedstopanko
breadcrumbs.Dustcollarwith
flour,thencoatineggand
breadcrumbs.Makesureto
keepthewinguncrumbed.
4 Heata fryingpanoverhigh
heat,addgheeandwaituntil
thereis a lighthaze.Shallow-fry
twocollarcutletsata timefor
untilgolden(1½minuteseach
side).Drainthenseasonwell.
5 Leavecutletswholeorslice
intopiecesandservewithwild
fennelmayonnaiseorlemon
halves for squeezing.HOWTOSELECT FRESHFISH
A fishwitha firmmucuscoveringandshinycoatingis
thefirstsignofa good-qualityfish.Themucusprovides
protectiontothefishintheopenoceanbytrapping
pathogensthatwouldcausedisease.Antibodiesand
enzymesinthemucusactivelyattackthosepathogens
toprotectthefish.Anyvisualdamageorimperfections
ona fishcansuggestpoorhandling,prolongeddirect
icecontactorvariabletemperaturecontrol.
Theeyesofa fisharea determiningfactorofa healthy,
freshfish.A fish’seyesshouldlookbulbous,berisen
slightlyfromtheheadandlookmoist,brightandclear.
Therearetimeswhena fishthatlooksspectacularin
everyotherwaycanhavecloudy,slightlyfoggyeyes.
Thisis predominantlyduetothefishbeingchilled
tooquicklypost-harvest.
A freshfishshouldnotsmellfishy.Theonlysmells
a fishshouldhavearea lightoceanwatersmellsometimes
comparabletomineraldrivenaromas,suchascucumber
orparsleystems.If a fishsmalls“fishy”,withanodour
comparabletothatofammoniaoroxidisedblood,
thenit is besttoavoidit.
Iridescent,brightredgillsareanalmostguaranteed
indicatorofthefreshnessofa fish.Fishforcewater
throughtheirgills,whereit flowspastlotsoftinyblood
vessels.Oxygenpenetratesthroughthewallsofthose
vesselsintotheblood,and,inturn,carbondioxideis
released.Theredderthegills,thefresherthefish.Where
slimeandmucusaredesirableontheoutsideofa fish,
the gills should be slightly drier and clean of debris.●ThisextractfromTheWhole
FishCookbookbyJosh
Niland(HardieGrantBooks;
$55)hasbeenreproduced
with minorGT style edits.GOURMET TRAVELLER 87