We have another fabulous recipe from chef, Ashley Bennett, of Jo's Kitchen. It includes fennel, which we know some of our customers love, but often struggle to create a recipe using fennel for the whole family to enjoy.

This dish is quick and simple to prepare and is delicious whilst looking pro level!  You can add mussels or clams to the chowder sauce for a little boost. If you are feeling super adventurous, then a little white chocolate can add a really silky finish.

Alternatively fresh cod or seabass would work equally as well as salmon.

Everything can be prepared a little ahead of time and cooked at the same time, if you want to take your time and get everything right start with the sauce.

Ingredients:

-1 Fennel

-1 large courgette ribboned

-1/2 onion small dice

-1 large potato small dice

-1 Large carrot small dice

-2 pieces of salmon

-100ml white wine

-250ml double cream

-Sprig of thyme

-Clove of garlic

-1/2 Lemon

-Oil

Roast fennel

Trim the tops of the fennel and set aside, cut the fennel into wedges making sure to leave the root on, but trim out any great excess of core. Cut the tops into pieces the same size as your chowder ingredients and keep any leaves separate.

Chowder sauce

Place the diced potato in a pan of cold, seasoned water and slowly bring to the boil. Once the potato is tender, drain off and set aside.

In a little oil slowly cook the diced onion, garlic and thyme with a good pinch of salt, once the onion is soft and sweet to taste add the diced fennel tops and cook until soft.

Add the carrots and white wine. Boil the wine to a syrupy consistency, remove the garlic clove and thyme stalks and add the double cream. Boil until a rich sauce consistency is achieved and add the potato.

Baked courgette

Preheat the oven to 160o.

Using a peeler cut the courgette into ribbons leaving the seeds and the first peeling of skin. Mix the ribbons with a little salt and oil and the zest of half a lemon. Put the courgette in a pile in an oven proof dish and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

To Finish

Warm a little oil in a non stick pan and add the salmon, skin down, and fennel pieces, cook on a low to medium heat slowly cooking the salmon and colouring the fennel, turn the fennel as it colours and allow the salmon to cook halfway before turning over to finish. The oil from the salmon will flavour the fennel and vice versa.

Warm the sauce and check the seasoning using salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Sauce your plate then place the fennel, salmon and courgette, sauce again as desired and finish with the fennel leaves.