Hugh McGivern has been a chef for 30 years working all over the world. From Michelin restaurants in London to the personal chef to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan where he also cooked for Barack Obama and most of the European Royal Families.
He is passionate about and heavily involved in nutrition and for the last 6 years he has been developing recipes for people with dementia, with the backing of 3 English Universities. His love of food stretches to the 4 corners of this earth and the specialities associated with each of them.
The following recipe is a great lead into Healthy Eating Week, which also coincides with Dementia Awareness Week, an area that I’ve done a lot of research into. The combination of all the ingredients can help with better concentration, improved memory, lowers anxiety and reduces depression.
If you are not comfortable filleting your own fish ask your fishmonger to do it, removing the skin as well. Ask for the bones as well, this for the fish stock.
White fish is a great source of protein, low in fat, the green Lentils provide both protein and carbohydrates. Pomegranate seeds are high in Vitamins C, B5, K and roughage which keeps the body regular. It’s a perfect healthy dish for weight loss.
Baked Plaice Fillets with Green Lentils & Pomegranate
You will need
- 1 750g Plaice, filleted ( 4 Fillets in total)
- ½ large pomegranate ( tap the skin with a dessert spoon to remove the seeds, picking out any excess white bits)
- 50g Green Lentils ( washed 2/3 times, then allowed to soak in hot water for ½ hr then rinsed)
- 50g finely diced courgette ( remove the seeds before dicing)
- 25g finely diced shallots
- ½ lemon
- 15ml olive oil
- Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
Method
- To make the fish stock, remove the eyes and gills from the carcass and wash well.
- In a large sauce pan add the chopped bones, peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, sprig of thyme, stalks from the flat leaf parsley, ½ onion, 1 chopped carrot and 1 chopped stick of celery.
- Add 500ml water and 50ml white wine. Bring to the boil and remove any scum then reduce to a simmer for 20mins, remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Season lightly.
- In a medium saucepan add 10ml of the olive oil, heat gently and add the shallot, sweat for 5 mins until translucent then add the Lentils and half the stock, cook for 20 mins until the lentil are soft, but not overcooked, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Pre-heat your oven to 180oC
- Take the Plaice Fillets, 2 per portion and fold under the ends to achieve a tidy portion, lay on a lined baking tray, brush with the remaining olive oil and season lightly and a little squeeze of lemon juice.
- Add the courgettes and any remaining lemon juice to the Lentils, cook for 5 minute, remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley, stir well and add the pomegranate seeds, set aside.
- Bake the Plaice in the oven for 6-8 minutes, then remove
To serve, place a generous spoonful of the lentil mix onto a plate and a portion of the Plaice on top.