Slow Roasted Char With Fennel Salad Food

SLOW-ROASTED CHAR WITH FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Bring vinegar, sugar, caraway seeds, 2 tsp. salt, and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add garlic. Let sit until garlic is slightly softened, 10-15 minutes.
• Add half of fennel and toss to coat. Let sit until fennel softens slightly and tastes pickled, 8-10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place char in a 2- or 3-qt. baking dish and coat with 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until flesh easily flakes apart and a paring knife inserted into fish meets no resistance, 15-18 minutes.
• Drain fennel mixture; discard liquid. Toss in a small bowl with lemon juice, preserved lemon, remaining 3 Tbsp. oil, and remaining fennel; season with salt and pepper. Mix in dill.
• Serve char topped with fennel salad.
• Do Ahead
• Garlic and fennel can be pickled 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

ROASTED FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the fennel, reserving a handful of green fronds. Cut into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan, and, working in batches and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go, fry the fennel on both sides until golden and tender. As the fennel is done, arrange it on a serving platter.
• Zest the orange and set the zest aside. Remove the skin with a sharp knife, taking care to remove all the white pith from the fruit. Discard the peel. Cut out the orange sections, arranging over the fennel, and squeeze the orange juice over the whole salad.
• Slice the onion into paper thin rings and arrange over the salad. Scatter over the olives and pine nuts. Squeeze over lemon juice, to taste. Drizzle over a little more olive oil. Finally, scatter over the reserved fennel fronds. Serve.

FENNEL, ROAST LEMON & TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Slice 1 lemon into thin rounds and spread out on the baking tray, drizzle over 1/2 tbsp oil and sprinkle over the sugar. Roast for 20-25 mins until shrivelled and caramelised in places. Keep an eye on them - you may have to take some out the oven before the others are done. These can be made in the morning and kept at room temperature.
• While the lemons are cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes and thinly slice the fennel, saving the fronds. Put in a bowl with the remaining olive oil, juice from the other lemon and pomegranate seeds. Season to taste, then give everything a good mix.
• When you're ready to serve, roughly chop all the herbs and mix them into the salad along with the roasted lemons and fennel fronds.