Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 2 shallots
• chopped
• 1 fennel bulb
• finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 500g/1lb 2oz crayfish shells
• taken from the fresh crayfish tails (below)
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 litre/1¾ pints fish stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh flatleaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 fennel bulbs
• chopped
• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche
• 55g/2oz butter
• 6 crayfish tails
• blanched
• 2 wreck fish fillets (or sea bass)
• skin on
• pin boned
• 1 tsp fennel pollen (or ground fennel seeds)
• 50g/1¾oz sea purslane
• 50g/1¾oz sea beets

Directions

• For the crayfish bisque
• heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the shallots and fennel for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato purée and cook
• stirring
• for a further minute. Add the crayfish shells and brandy and cook for another minute.
• Add the fish stock
• bay leaves and parsley and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes
• or until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Pour the mixture into a food processor and blend to a fine purée.
• Pass the purée through a sieve into a clean saucepan and season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• For the fennel puree
• place the chopped fennel in a large frying pan and cover with cold water. Add a generous sprinkling of salt
• place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling
• reduce the heat slightly and simmer until very tender.
• Drain in a colander and place the fennel in a blender. Add the butter
• olive oil and crème fraîche and purée until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
• For the fried wreck and crayfish
• heat a large frying pan and add the butter. Once hot
• add the wreck fish fillets and crayfish tails and cook for two minutes on each side.
• To serve
• put some purée on serving plates and top with the fried wreck fish and crayfish and spoon the bisque over the top. Garnish with the fennel pollen
• sea purslane and beets.