We all know that wild Scottish bass, if you can get it, is a fantastic Scottish ingredient. So too is smoked eel, but also greatly underused.
It used to be enjoyed regularly by the poor, but now like many ingredients, it’s viewed as something of a delicacy. Some fishmongers have been importing eel from the Netherlands, but we have amazing eel here in Scotland, so buy local if you can.
Here are two seasonal recipes using bass and eel brought to you by Willie Little, of Littles Restaurant in Blairgowrie.
Wild Scottish Bass with heritage tomatoes, potatoes & anchovies
Wild bass fillets, about 150g per person (farmed bass will do, if necessary)
100g butter
1 red onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic
Heritage tomatoes
Crisp potato, eg pink fir apple
Olive oil
50ml balsamic vinegar
Spinach leaves
Anchovies
Lemon
Spring onions
Brown sugar
Salt flakes and black pepper
Slice onion thinly and place in tin foil with a sprinkling of olive oil and brown sugar. Fold tin foil into a parcel and place in a hot oven for around ten minutes. Open parcel and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, if the onion changes colour re-seal parcel and set aside to finish – there’s no need to return to oven.
Chop anchovies, garlic, warm spinach and dry set aside.
Boil potato until still a bone in – you can do this anytime, even the day before.
Cut potato in quarters – they are now ready to be fried in butter.
Cut tomatoes into chunks and add fried potatoes and onions, mix together and keep warm.
Add bass fillet to a warm pan with olive oil, skin-side down first. You may need to hold down with the back of your hand or a fish slice to prevent curling. After skin crisps turn over and switch pan off, remove from pan and season.
Put pan back on to heat olive oil, and spinach leaves, anchovies, garlic, and season. Remove from heat and set aside.
With a warm plate, place potatoes and tomatoes as a base, top with the bass fillet, then top with spinach.
Add a squeeze of lemon.
Smoked eel with heritage tomatoes
Smoked eel fillet 100g per person
Heritage tomatoes – three colours
Land cress to taste
Rocket as you fancy
Katy Rodgers crème fraîche – small tube
One lemon, halved
Virgin olive oil – 25g
Chives, chopped
Cut tomatoes evenly and set aside to come to room temperature
Mix chives and the juice of one lemon half with crème fraîche and set aside
Place eel fillets under grill for 2 minutes – not to colour, just to warm
Place oil in bowl with tomatoes, land cress and rocket, and mix
Place eel on a warm plate and decorate with tomato and leaves
Add the crème fraîche and finish with black pepper, salt flakes and a good squeeze of the remaining half lemon
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