- 1 butterhead lettuce, roughly chopped
- 50g/2oz gherkin, roughly chopped
- 80g/2¾oz glucose
- 1 cucumber, cut in half then sliced lengthways
- 50g/2oz caster sugar
- 150ml/5fl oz rice wine vinegar
- 1 red chilli, finely diced
- 16 pea pods
- 3 medium gherkins, finely sliced lengthways
- 12 breakfast radishes, sliced lengthways
- 2 tbsp capers
- 4 brill fillets, skinned and fully trimmed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g/2oz butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp coriander cress
- 2 tbsp pea shoots
- For the dressing, place the butterhead lettuce, gherkins and glucose into a food processor and blend to a very fine purée.
- Pour into a cloth or paper lined sieve over a bowl then set aside to drain through, leaving the dressing in the sieve.
- For the salad, place the cucumber into a bowl.
- Heat the caster sugar and rice wine vinegar in a small saucepan until just simmering then add the chilli and stir.
- Pour immediately onto the cucumber and stir to make sure all the cucumber is covered. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Pop the peas from their pods and cook for a minute in a pan of boiling water. Immediately drain the peas and put them into a bowl of cold water, to stop the cooking process.
- Place the gherkins, radishes, capers, peas together in a bowl and mix together.
- Drain the cucumber, reserving the pickling liquor. Add the cucumber to the gherkin mixture and mix together.
- Add a little of the pickling liquour to the salad, just enough to coat the vegetables.
- Season the brill with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a frying pan until hot, add the butter and oil then add the brill and fry on each side for two minutes.
- To serve, using a pastry brush, brush a spoonful of the dressing onto each serving plate, then top with a handful of the salad, finishing with a scattering of coriander cress and pea shoots. Set the brill fillet alongside.