# River Sole En Croûte **Chef:** Sahil **Cookbook:** Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook **Potluck Date:** December 20, 2025 --- ## Recipe sole, skin off and pin-boned 10 raw peeled king prawns Buy your lobster on the day you want to cook it. Ask your fishmonger to kill it for you, or if you’re happy doing it yourself, place the live lobster in the freezer for 30 minutes, so it’s docile. When ready to cook, carefully and swiftly place the lobster in a large pan of boiling water head first, pop the lid on and cook for 8 minutes. Remove, cool, and carefully halve the lobster, then remove the meat to a bowl – save the claws to decorate, if you like, or, even better, crack, pull out the meat and add it to the bowl. Put all the shells back into the empty pan you cooked the lobster in and bash with a rolling pin, then pour in the milk and simmer on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes to impart unbelievable flavour. Meanwhile, peel the onion and carrot, trim the fennel, wash the leek, finely chop it all and place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the butter. Cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and sticky, stirring regularly. Stir in the flour, followed by the mustard and Prosecco. Let the alcohol bubble and cook away, then strain and gradually stir in the milk and simmer until you have a nice, loose, silky consistency. Remove from the heat, grate in the Lancashire or Cheddar cheese, taste, season to perfection and leave to cool. Peel the potatoes, cutting up any larger ones so they’re all a similar size, then cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan and mash well with the remaining butter and the grated Red Leicester. Season to perfection with sea salt and cayenne, loosening with a splash of milk, if needed. Remove any tough stalks from the greens, then finely chop and sprinkle into a baking dish (30cm x 35cm). Slice all the fish into bite-sized pieces and add to the dish, halve and add the prawns (deveining, if needed), then dot the lobster meat in and around. Pour over the sauce, top with the mash, then drizzle lightly with oil and poke in your lobster claws (if using). Bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4, or until golden, bubbling and the fish is cooked through.   Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook FISH CURRY FRAGRANT SAUCE, FLUFFY RICE & POPPADOMS Delicious, gentle and fragrant, this curry sauce can hero any wonderful fish. I’ve kept it simple and accessible with salmon and prawns, but you can also flake in crabmeat, lobster, bass or whatever is at its seasonal best. Enjoy. SERVES 101 HOUR 10 MINUTES 750g brown basmati rice 1 x 1kg side of salmon, scaled, skin off and reserved, pin-boned 400g frozen raw peeled prawns 10 uncooked poppadoms 2 lemons CURRY SAUCE 4 fresh green chillies 4 cloves of garlic 4 x 5cm pieces of ginger 1 bunch of fresh coriander (30g) 4 onions vegetable oil 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds 1 large handful of curry leaves 1 stick of cinnamon 4 whole cloves 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes 2 x 400ml tins of light coconut milk 2 tablespoons mango chutney Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. To make the sauce, deseed the chillies, peel the garlic and ginger, and finely chop it all with the coriander stalks (reserving the leaves). Peel and finely chop the onions, keeping them separate. Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and once they start to pop, add the fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, coriander stalks and most of the chilli. Stir and fry for 5 minutes, then stir in the onions. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden, then stir in the cloves and turmeric. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, pour in the coconut milk with 1 tin’s worth of water, and add the mango chutney. Bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened and creamy, then taste and season to perfection. Cook the rice in a pan of boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, then drain. Meanwhile, halve the salmon and place in the sauce with the prawns, making sure it’s all submerged. Lightly rub the salmon skin with oil and lay on a baking tray. Put the curry and the tray of skin in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the salmon is just tender and the skin is crisp and golden. One-by-one, puff up your dry poppadoms in the microwave for around 30 seconds each. Serve the curry with the rice, poppadoms, the snapped-up crispy skin, lemon wedges, and the reserved chilli and coriander leaves, then tuck in. GET AHEAD Make the sauce, let it cool, then cover and place in the fridge ready to cook the next day. Simply bring it up to a good simmer, pop in the salmon and prawns and cook as above. You can even freeze the sauce: reheating it in a pan with a splash of water.   Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook SALT CRUST SALMON FENNEL, LEMON & HERBS GALORE Baking salmon in a salt crust creates a natural cave that helps the salmon retain maximum moisture as it cooks, as well as imparting a very delicate seasoning. It’s not only a showstopper, you’ll get the most perfectly cooked flaky fish, too. SERVES 81 HOUR PLUS COOLING 1 x 2kg whole salmon, gutted, gills removed, scales left on 4 lemons 1 bulb of fennel ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g) ½ a bunch of fresh marjoram (15g) ½ a bunch of fresh chives (15g) 4kg rock salt 2 large eggs BASIL YOGHURT ½ a bunch of fresh basil (15g) 1 teaspoon English mustard 500g Greek yoghurt extra virgin olive oil CHILLI SALSA 3 fresh red chillies 1 bunch of fresh mint (30g) runny honey 2 teaspoons cider vinegar Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Wash the salmon well both inside and out, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Finely slice 1 lemon and the fennel and stuff into the salmon cavity with the parsley, marjoram and chives. Combine the rock salt, eggs and 250ml of water in a large bowl, then evenly spread one-third of the mixture over a large baking tray (35cm x 45cm). Make a slight hollow in the middle to hold the salmon snugly, lay the salmon diagonally in the tray, then spoon over the remaining salt mixture, heaping it around and on to the salmon to create an even 2cm-thick layer all over the fish. Bake for 35 minutes. To test if the salmon is ready, push a skewer through the salt into the thickest part of the fish – if it comes out warm after 5 seconds, it’s done. Remove from the oven and leave aside in the crust for just 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the basil yoghurt. Pick the basil leaves into a blender and add the mustard, the juice of 1 lemon and half the yoghurt. Blitz until smooth, then fold back through the rest of the yoghurt with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and season to perfection. To make the salsa, deseed the chillies and very finely chop with the mint leaves and a drizzle of honey. Scrape into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the vinegar, and season to perfection. Lightly crack the salt casing and pull it away from the salmon, brushing any excess from the top. Gently loosen and carefully transfer the fish to a large platter. Pull the skin away, then use a regular eating knife to scrape away any darker fish, leaving you with beautifully cooked pink salmon, which you can rustically remove in flakes and lobes. Serve with the basil yoghurt, salsa and lemon wedges, for squeezing over, plus your favourite side dishes.   Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook VEGGIE & VEGAN PLATES NUT ROAST CHEESE PIE BAKED SQUASH VEGAN M’HANNCHA CRACKER RAVIOLI ROASTED CELERIAC PARTY SQUASH SOUP VOL AU VENT AUBERGINE CURRY Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook NUT ROAST SQUASH, QUINOA, CHESTNUTS & SPICED TOMATO SAUCE A good old faithful, nut roast has become the cliché for veggie Christmas dinners these days. So, I decided to celebrate that and share my most scrumptious take on this vege --- *Downloaded from BCBCBath Cookbook Club* *https://bcbcbath.com*