Add a touch of luxury to a weekend meal with red mullet and saffron-tinted orzo pasta. Peel the broad beans, too, if you really want to wow dinner guests
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: Per serving (4)
- kcal713
- fat30g
- saturates3g
- carbs59g
- sugars33g
- fibre12g
- protein34g
- salt0.4g
Ingredients
- 2 whole red mullet, scaled and cleaned
- pinch saffron
Saffron
sah-fronThe stigma of a type of crocus, saffron threads have a pungent and distinctive aroma and flavour…
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Olive oil
ol-iv oylProbably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- pinch of fennel seeds
Fennel seeds
feh-nell seedsA dried seed that comes from the fennel herb, fennel seeds look like cumin seeds, only greener,…
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- handful of flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped
- ½ lemon, zested
Lemon
le-monOval in shape with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile…
- ½ fennel bulb, finely sliced
Fennel bulb
Like Marmite, fennel is something that you either love or hate – its strong aniseed…
- pinch dried red chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 tbsp golden sultanas
- 150g orzo
- 100ml fino sherry
- 180g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 100g broad beans, blanched and peeled
- olive oil
Olive oil
ol-iv oylProbably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 2 thyme sprigs
Thyme
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- 2 slices of lemon, halved
Lemon
le-monOval in shape with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile…
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and take the mullet out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. Boil a kettle and put the saffron in a small bowl. Pour over 1 tbsp boiling water and stir to release the colour and flavour.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fennel seeds, red onion, parsley stalks, lemon zest and fennel. Season, add the chilli and cook, stirring, for about 5 mins or until the fennel is taking on some colour. Add the pine nuts, sultanas and orzo and cook for a few more mins, then deglaze with the sherry and the saffron and its liquid. Cook for a couple of mins longer until the liquid has evaporated, then stir through the parsley leaves, tomatoes and beans and transfer to a lightly oiled roasting tin. Cover with 250ml boiling water and cook in the oven for 15 mins.
Preheat the grill. Season the fish inside and out and put the thyme and lemon inside. Rub with olive oil, place on a piece of baking parchment, then grill for about 3-4 mins on each side, depending on their size. Remove and rest. Once the pasta is ready, divide it between plates and top with the fish.
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