Spangled Emperor with Fennel & Chestnuts

This dish is a slightly modified version of a masterchef recipe that uses a whole salmon

http://www.masterchef.com.au/whole-salmon-with-tarragon-cream-sauce-fennel-and-chestnuts.htm
I had some Spangled Emperor fillets so simply sandwiched the fennel, garlic, eschalots and tarragon between the fillets, dotted with butter, sprinkled with white wine, lemon rind, olive oil, salt and pepper and wrapped in alfoil.

I cooked it for 25 miuntes in the oven which would have been the perfect time, however my side dish of fennel and chestnuts took longer to make than expected so my fish did end up being a little overcooked as I left it in the warm oven after turning it off.

The side dish of fennel and chestnuts was made by braising fennel, garlic and eschalots with lemon juice and white wine and then adding chestnuts and fennel fronds. The chestnuts (which are available in most larger supermarkets) needed to be roasted and peeled before using. To do this you cut a slit in the shell to stop them exploding and bake in a hot oven (200 degrees C)  for 15 minutes or until the shells open and the nut is tender when you insert a skewer.

They were fiddly to peel and I was glad I didn't have to use too many! Chestnuts have  a sweet, nutty flavour and their texture is like a firm baked potato. They are very filling.

This dish was served with a tarragon cream sauce which was delicious! It was made by cooking eschalots with wine, some juices from the fish, cream, lemon juice and tarragon. It would be beautiful served with any fish no matter how you cooked it. If you weren't able to use juices from the fish I would just use fish stock. I would rate the sauce a 9 out of 10.
Both fennel and tarragon have a mild aniseed or licorice flavour. Fennel is a round, bulbous vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of ways and once cooked is quite sweet. Tarragon is a herb and most commonly known for its use in tarragon vinegar (which is used to make Bernaise sauce).
Rating for the whole dish 7-8 out of 10.