Roasted plaice with barley risotto

• 2 fileted plaice
• Butter
• 4 tablespoons of fresh, blanched peas tossed in butter
• 8 small, clean mushrooms, cut in quarters and roasted in butter

Barley risotto

• 150 g pearl barley
• 1 shallot thinly diced
• Butter
• 300 ml of chicken stock
• Salt, pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of herb pesto

Herb pesto

• 20 g of chervil, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, and dill each
• 20 g pine nuts
• 20 g parmesan cheese
• 70 ml of olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Brown butter sauce

• 2 shallots cut in thin rings
• 100 ml white wine
• 20 ml chardonnay vinegar
• 200 ml of chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 white pepper corns
• 1 pinch of Piment d’Espelette
• 1 lemon
• 100 g brown butter
• Salt
• Sugar

1. Season the fish and roast it on the skin side.
2. Roast the pearl barley and shallots in butter and gradually fill it up with the stock to slowly cook it like a risotto until you still feel a light bite. Season it with the pesto, salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, grind all of the pesto ingredients in a stone mortar until you get a fine pesto. Start with the salt, pepper and herbs, then add the nuts, cheese and lastly the oil.
4. Finally, to prepare the butter sauce, bring the shallots to boil with the spices, vinegar and wine. Reduce it to a third. Fill it up with the chicken stock and reduce it to a third again. Strain it and season it with the lemon juice and the lemon’s rub. Whisk it with the brown butter.