Sprats with spinach

Spinach with sprats makes a lovely dish.  The raisins and almonds give a stunningly full flavour which is reminiscent of the Mediterranean.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 20 Mins

Total Time: 35 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

                      Flour        

                      Pepper      

                      Salt          

½ tbs             Mustard  - dry         

450 gms          Sprats      

60 gms            Butter       

1 tbs               Olive oil    

1                    Lemon  - juice of      

For the spinach

                      Salt          

910 gms          Spinach     

110 gms          Butter       

110 gms          Raisins  - chopped    

                      Pepper      

3 tbs               Cream  - double      

For the almonds

110 gms          Almonds  - flaked     

30 gms            Butter       

Method

To prepare the spinach…

Blanch the spinach in a pan of salted boiling water.  Drain.  Melt ¾ of butter in a pan.  Chop the spinach coarsely and turn it in the butter until absorbed.  Stir in the chopped raisins and leave on the lowest possible heat, adding more flaked butter and a generous grinding of pepper.  Add the cream.

To prepare the almonds…

Fry 4oz flaked almonds in 1 oz unsalted butter until pale brown.  Drain.

To cook the fish and assemble the dish…

Season plain flour with salt, pepper and dry mustard and place in a polythene bag.  Put the sprats (they do not need gutting or beheading) into the bag and shake until well coated.

Melt the butter and oil in a pan and make very hot.  Drop in the sprats and fry, turning until golden.

Spread the spinach on a platter, arrange the sprats on it and sprinkle with the almonds. Douse with juice of a lemon.

Wine recommendations

Needs a white wine which is on the rich side.

Conventional

     Jurançon sec

Interesting

     Côtes du Rhône blanc

     Muscat d'Alsace

     Riesling