Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 whole dab, about 350–450g each, cleaned and trimmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- For the garlic butter
- 50g unsalted butter, softened
- 6–8 wild garlic leaves, very finely chopped
- Grated zest of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
If wild garlic isn’t available use
- 1 large garlic clove, very finely grated
- A generous handful of parsley, finely chopped
For the crispy wild garlic
- 1 good bunch of wild garlic leaves
- A light oil for frying
- A pinch of sea salt
- A tiny pinch of caster sugar, optional
Method
First make the butter. Put the softened butter into a small bowl and mix with the finely chopped wild garlic leaves and the lemon zest. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir until smooth and well combined.
Wash the dab under cold water and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Spread the soft garlic butter generously over both sides of the fish. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Place the fish on a nice flat tray and cook under the hot grill for about 4–5 minutes. Carefully turn them over and grill for another 3–4 minutes, or until the skin is blistered and the meat comes away easily from the bone.
While the fish are cooking, make the crispy wild garlic. Wash the leaves and shake or spin them very dry, then coarsely chop them. Heat about 4–5cm of vegetable oil in a small saucepan until hot. Fry the shredded leaves in small batches for just a few seconds until they crisp and stop fizzing. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle lightly with a pinch of salt and, if you like, the tiniest pinch of sugar.
Serve the grilled dab straight away with the crispy wild garlic scattered over the top and a generous spritz of lemon just before eating.
