Hosting a mini dinner party and want to impress your guests, but not sure what to serve up? Alan Jones from Almeida suggests opting for a healthy option that is packed full of flavour and can be beautifully presented. Mix up the fish you choose for this dish and you’re guaranteed a great pick-me-up recipe, too, that’s jam-packed with omega-3 content.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 100g x 3 different types of fish (3cm cubed)
• 200ml vegetable nage
• 200ml fish velouté
• 2-4 oysters
• ¼ bunch chives 
• 1 carrot, sliced into thin ribbons
• ¼ leek, sliced into thin ribbons
• ½ cucumber, sliced into thin ribbons

Vegetable nage

• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 celery stick
• ½ leek
• ½ small head garlic                                   
• 1¼ lemon                                               
• ¼ tsp white/pink peppercorns
• 1 small bay leaf
• 4 star anise
• 1l cold water 

Fish velouté

• 1 shallot
• 75ml Noilly Prat
• 75ml white wine
• 100ml fish stock
• 140ml cream
• salt and pepper
• butter

Method:

For the nage

Slowly bring all the ingredients to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat.

For the velouté

Finely slice the shallots over a mandolin. Sweat the shallots in butter without any colouration. Add the Noilly Prat and white wine and reduce to a glaze. Add fish stock and then reduce to a glaze. Add cream and bring to the boil. Add seasonings and pass through chinoise.

For the fish

Poach the diced fish in a mix of fish velouté and vegetable nage so it’s not too heavy for about 2 minutes. Add the oyster with all the juice and some finely chopped chives. Finish in a bowl with thin ribbons of all the vegetables that have been cooked for 1 minute in a little salted, buttered water. Serve with a light, fresh white wine and warm crusty bread.