R E C I P E
JAMON BUTTER wITh JOHN DORY
THIS LOOKS LIKE A FISH DISH TO US – WHAT’S THE PIG IDEA, FREDDY BIRD? PIG HAS TO BE my desert island animal. There are so many cuts and ways of preparing it; from snout (in a salade museau, which I had at Rungis Market) to tail (which I ate on the roadside in St Lucia in a stew with dumplings) and all the other delicious cuts in between. There is never a day that goes by at the Lidos when we don’t cook pork – it’s such a staple feature on every Spanish menu. I love the days that Mary Holbrook drops off her pigs with inch-deep fat on the loins (it’s got such a sweet, buttery flavour), and I can’t get enough of the exquisitely marbled acorn-fed iberico secreto imported from Spain, either. What I always look for in pork, whatever pig it comes from, is a fabulous fat content; not just on the outside but, like beef, with marbling as well. So, pork fat is what this recipe is all about, in the form of jamon ‘butter’. Incredibly versatile, you can serve this on bread as a snack, use it for roasting your potatoes, slather it over scallops with grated hazelnuts... Fellow Crumbs columnist Andy Clarke even suggested filling his hot tub with it to me recently! In this case, I’ve used it with a whole grilled John Dory, but any flatfish, hake, or monkfish would also be delicious. I love to cook the fish over fire where possible (the smokiness is a great addition), but it’s equally great simply roasted in the oven. Lido, Oakfield Place, Bristol BS8 2BJ; 0117 933 9530; lidobristol.com
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(SERVES 2-3, WITH LEFTOVER JAMON BUTTER) 100g dry knuckle ends of pata negra ham (ask in your local deli for these bits) 200g cured iberico pork fat 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a smooth paste with a little Maldon salt 2 springs rosemary, finely chopped 1 whole John Dory (approx. 700g-1kg) handful breadcrumbs, toasted handful parsley leaves, chopped 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. 2 Chop the fat and ham in to small pieces, keeping them separate. Blitz the ham, garlic and rosemary in a food processor to a rough paste. Remove and set aside. 3 Next, blitz the fat until smooth and then mix thoroughly with the coarsely blitzed ham. Keep at room temperature while you cook the fish. 4 Deeply score the John Dory and roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes (or grill for the same amount of time over hot coals). 5 When the fish is cooked, generously rub the jamon butter over it. Sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs and finely chopped parsley. Serve with lots of boiled or roasted asparagus, drizzled with arbequina olive oil and salt.
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