Pomfret with Tomato and Cardamom Sauce

How to prepare

1. Trim the fish fillets, marinate with the marination ingredients and set aside for 5 minutes. Half the chicory lengthwise and trim the root end, leaving it partly intact to hold the leaves together. Sprinkle the sugar over the chicory; mix them gently together until the chicory is coated.
2. Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and fry the chicory on both sides until nicely caramelized. Pour in 250ml of the chicken stock and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the chicory feels tender when pressed and the stock has totally been reduced. Season with crushed black pepper, remove and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Split open the cardamom pods with your fingernails and extract the seeds. Blend the tomatoes in a food processor with the vinegar, sugar and cardamom seeds. Pass through a sieve into a saucepan, rubbing with the back of a ladle.
4. Bring to boil and then cook for 10 minutes until reduced by half. Pour in the cream and the rest of chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Heat a frying pan and cook the fish, skin side up, for 7 minutes on low heat until totally cooked.
6. Reheat the chicory, then lay each half on a chopping board and slash lengthwise with a sharp knife. Place on the center of warmed plates and press down lightly. Lay the fish on top, trickle over any pan juice, then spoon the sauce around.