John Dory, Italian green wild asparagus and blood orange sauce
One of my favorite ways of creating tasty but healthy dishes is using fruit and vegetables as sauce. There are millions of ways to do this, depending mainly on the season.
Oranges are abundant at the moment, so I’ve been using a lot of orange juice to liven up dishes. It adds a burst of flavor, yet requires no cream or butter, thus making it low in calories and high in fiber.
The season is short for wild Italian asparagus, so take advantage of it in April and May.
RECIPE
Ingredients
Serves 3 or 4
One bunch wild Italian green asparagus or similar extra-thin green asparagus Thick filet of John Dory, 700 to 900 grams / 1 1/2 lbs./2 lbs., 5 cm / 2 in. thick Juice of one blood orange, with pulp to add fiber (two if you like a lot of sauce) Olive oil Salt and pepperInstructions
Preheat grill or broiler.
Place John Dory on a roasting tin or broiler pan, skin side up.
Wash asparagus. If ends are woody, cut off woody part.
Place asparagus around fish. Drizzle with olive oil. Turn in oil so spears are lightly coated.
Salt and pepper asparagus and fish.
When grill or broiler is hot, place pan under broiler.
Juice one (or two) blood orange(s).
The cooking time for fish always depends on the thickness. John Dory is a dense fish, so it takes longer than other white fish.
Grill for 7 or 8 minutes.
Remove pan from oven. Close oven door. Turn heat down to 150°C / 300°F.
Turn fish so that skin side is down. Salt and pepper. Turn asparagus.
Put fish back into middle of oven (not under the grill) until cooked.
This will usually take another 7 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness. Open oven door every 3 or 4 minutes and put a metal spatula or fork into middle of fish to see if it is done.
If it doesn’t separate easily, it is not done. When it starts to separate, and is no longer pink, and entirely white, remove immediately.
Cut fish into equal portions. Arrange on plates, along with asparagus. Pour juice over asparagus.
Serve immediately.