Sole fish fingers with smoked eel tartare sauce

Forget packet fish fingers – soft sole contrasts beautifully with the crunch of panko breadcrumbs in this recipe and the eel tartare sauce makes a stunning side

Prep:45 mins
Cook:5 mins

Serves 2
More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 766
fat 33g
saturates 4g
carbs 74g
sugars 2g
fibre 4g
protein 41g
salt 1.6g

Ingredients

1 egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
100ml vegetable oil
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
3 small pickled onions, finely chopped
10 cornichons, finely sliced
100g smoked eel fillet, diced
1 tbsp finely chopped chervil or parsley
lemon wedges and peas or mushy peas and chips, to serve
100g plain flour
2 eggs, whisked
100g panko breadcrumbs
2 large sole fillets, lemon or Dover
sunflower oil, for deep frying

Method

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil, whisking continuously until it is pale, thick and creamy then season with the salt. This can also be done in a mini food processor. Fold the shallots, pickled onions, cornichons, smoked eel and herbs in to make a chunky sauce and set aside.
Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in separate flat containers. Remove any skin from the sole and trim the fillets to a nice finger shape. First, place the fish in the flour and coat evenly, then dip it in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Repeat this again so you have a thick coating on the fish. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer, deep saucepan or wok to 180C, or until a piece of breadcrumb sizzles straight away when dropped in. Fry the fillets for 2 mins until golden. Drain the fish on kitchen paper, season with salt and serve with a generous dollop of the smoked eel tartare sauce, lemon wedges for squeezing over and chips, peas or mushy peas, depending on preference.