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Chilli, broccoli and anchovy gratin

with pan-fried red mullet

Serves 4

Red mullet is one of my absolute favourite fish. Aside from being crazy beautiful, its iridescent rose-red skin has a wonderful nuttiness, and its flesh a special sweetness that requires very little from the home cook, other than a quick pan-fry. This leaves you free to lavish the broccoli with a bit of attention, and really, it’s never felt sexier than it does here, cloaked in this creamy, yet deeply umami béchamel made with anchovies, garlic and chilli. Rosemary adds an aromatic edge, while sourdough breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds provide an irresistible crunch and tang. Once you’ve made and tasted this gratin, I’m convinced you’ll want to use it as a side dish for all manner of things, as it’s also superb with meat such as rare roast beef, or salt marsh lamb, and you could even make it into a meal in itself served with a little pasta or warmed white beans.

2 small-medium red mullet, cleaned, scaled and gutted

2 tbsp olive oil

thumb-sized strip of lemon zest, pith removed

leaves from 1 sprig of thyme

For the gratin

1 large head of broccoli, broken into florets, leaves set to one side, stalk trimmed and thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

grated zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon

1 red jalapeño chilli, deseeded and half sliced, half diced

5 good-quality anchovy fillets in oil, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

glass of white wine

300ml whole milk

75ml double cream

6 tbsp anchovy breadcrumbs (see here)

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Take the mullet out of the fridge, put it on a plate, season with a little salt and leave to reach room temperature.

2 Bring a large saucepan of well salted water to a rolling boil. Add the sliced broccoli stalk and boil for a couple of minutes, then add the florets and boil for another 3 minutes, until tender, adding the leaves for 30 seconds before you drain. Drain the broccoli and toss it into an oiled roasting tray. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and scatter over the sliced chilli.

3 Return the pan to the hob and heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Slide in the anchovies, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary and diced chilli and fry for a few minutes, until the anchovies have melted into the oil.

4 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

5 Tip the flour into the oil and stir quickly to form a paste or roux, let it cook for a minute or two, until it smells nutty, then add the white wine and cook, stirring, until smooth. Now, slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, breaking up any lumps with the whisk. Add the cream and whisk to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Scatter over the anchovy breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to rest while you cook your mullet.

6 Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the lemon zest and thyme leaves, stirring for a few seconds. Slide in the fish and pan-fry, basting them with the warm oil, for about 2 minutes on each side, until the flesh is opaque and cooked through. Serve with the gratin.