You don't see Dab around much, and I think that's a real shame, I was first introduced to the Dab in my early years as a trainee chef by my old boss who used to tell me how much better the Dab is than the overused (at that time) Plaice
If! You can't get your hands on Dab, Plaice is a great alternative, but don't tell him I said so!!
This recipe will serve 4 people
4 whole Dabs, about 400g - 450g each
100ml of olive oil
40g of butter
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
A half handful of fresh thyme sprigs
100g of roughly chopped parsley
200ml white wine (if you wouldn't drink it! Don't cook with it!!)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
200ml of Fish stock ( buy it! I'm not going to tell anyone)
1 lemon sliced into 4
METHOD
You'll need a large ovenproof tray big enough to get your 4 Dabs in
Preheat the oven to 180c
Season the Dabs really well with salt and pepper
Put the ovenproof tray on the heat, add the olive oil and butter
Now add the garlic and thyme and cook until the garlic is golden
Now add the parsley, wine, lemon zest and the juice
Carefully place in the Dabs and top with the sliced lemon
Now pour in the fish stock and carefully place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes
Remove from the oven
Transfer the Dabs to warm plates
Tip the juices into a pan and quickly bring to the simmer, now whisk in a couple of knobs of butter
Check the seasoning and pour the sauce over the Dabs
Serve with some buttered curly kale and roasted new potatoes
Just perfection