Bloodwood owner-chef Claire Van Vuuren shares a go-to fish dish with a flavour-packed butter full of her favourite things.

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg skin-on blue-eye fillets (or any white fish, such as snapper)
• 500g baby chat potatoes, steamed or boiled until tender, and cooled
• 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 5 fresh bay leaves
• 300ml olive oil
• 500g sugar snaps, steamed or blanched
• lemon wedges, to serve

Vermouth and jalapeno butter

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 anchovies, roughly chopped
• 15g pickled jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• juice and zest of ½ lemon
• 60ml dry vermouth

METHOD

For the butter, cook the garlic, jalapeno and anchovy on low heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Season with pepper. Once the garlic begins to soften, add half the parsley and cook briefly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Whip the softened butter in a stand mixer or blender until light and fluffy. Add the cooled anchovy and jalapeno mix, the lemon zest and juice, vermouth and remaining parsley and season to taste.

For the bay leaf potatoes, use the palm or your hand to gently crush the potatoes a little. Heat an ovenproof tray at 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) with olive oil, 5 smashed garlic gloves with skin on and 5 bay leaves.

Once this is hot, and the garlic and bay have infused the oil, add the crushed potatoes, season generously and roast until the potatoes are crisp (about 30 minutes).

For the fish, check the fillets are clean and free of scales, trim off any bones or fins, then season well with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil on both sides. Heat a heavy based, non-stick pan with a little olive oil in it over medium heat. Cook the fish, skin side down, for a couple of minutes. Flip the fish to cook the other side for a few minutes. (If the fish is thick, you might need to finish it in the oven.)

To assemble, place the fish on the crispy potatoes and steamed sugar snaps. Spoon over the jalapeno and vermouth butter and serve with lemon on the side.

Serves 3

Note: For a vegetarian option, serve a huge dollop of the butter (without anchovies) on roasted cauliflower.

This recipe is from episode six of Good Food Kitchen season 2, screening on 9Now.