Kingklip with Black Butter

Kingklip is a Southern Hemisphere fish, found in South African waters (which you might expect, as “kingklip” is an Afrikaans word) and off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America, where is is called congrio or cusk eel. This fish is available as fillets in supermarkets worldwide, but any firm white fish can be used, as long as it is not too oily. Also works for skate wings, if you like them. This does not take more than 30 minutes, including prep.

Ingredients:

1 Onion,

salt,

Bay leaves,

6 Black peppercorns,

Kingklip fillets, about 500g,

1 teaspoon capers, rinsed,

6 tablespoons butter,

1 tablespoon wine vinegar,

Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.

Put 1 litre of water to boil, in a shallow saucepan, throw in the thinly sliced onion, a few bay leaves, the peppercorns and a teaspoon of salt. When it boils, slow it down to a simmer and leave it for 10 minutes. Slide the fillets into the simmering water, and cook for 10 minutes per 2 cm of thickness.

Melt the butter in a small frying pan, and let it foam and darken to a nut brown. you should be able to smell the nutty smell. Careful not to burn it. A stainless steel uncoated pan is best for this. Add the vinegar and a large pinch of finely chopped parsley, swirl, and immediately pour the whole lot over the fish. A squeeze of lemon and it is ready.