Recipe: Turbot with peas

The turbot is a white flatfish from the same family as the brill. Turbot is highly valued for its delicate flavour, and is commonly farmed throughout Europe. Turbot skin has various shades ranging from grey to tan or brown, but the underside is light in colour. It is very versatile and may be pan-fried, steamed, baked and grilled and can be used to make excellent casseroles and stews.

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Preparation time: 1 hour
• Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg turbot
• 400g peas
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 large tomatoes, grated
• Flour, oil, salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Ask your fishmonger to cut the turbot into thick horizontal slices, about 5-6 cm wide.
2. Season and flour the slices of turbot.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the turbot for one minute each side and set aside.
4. Chop the onion, red pepper and garlic into small pieces and fry with the same oil you used for the turbot, until the onion turns golden brown.
5. If peas are in season (otherwise use frozen peas), shell them, clean them and add them to the pan together with the tomatoes. Let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes over a medium heat.
6. Add the turbot to the pan and season to taste. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes over a low heat.

CHEF’S TIPS

• Instead of turbot, you can prepare this same dish with monkfish, hake or bonito.
• If the sauce is too watery, add a little flour to thicken it.

You can find out more traditional Catalan recipes here. Toni Rocamora is the head chef of a big family and lover of all gastronomy-related sports, such as snail hunting, mushroom hunting and market shopping. Toni was born in Oliana, a small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and inherited his passion for cooking from his mother, famous for her traditional family recipes.