Whole Roast Turbot with Lemon and Bone-Marrow Butter

⏱ 70 min · Serves 4

The king of flatfish, roasted on the bone until its gelatinous frame gives up all its flavour, then basted in a glossy butter of roasted bone marrow, lemon and parsley. It's a centrepiece that needs almost nothing else — just a spoon for the pan juices and someone to share it with.

Per serving: 712 kcal · 62.0g protein · 6.0g carbs · 48.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1 whole turbot, 2–2.5kg, gutted, trimmed and dark skin scored (ask your fishmonger)
• 150g beef marrow bones, cut into canoes or 100g scooped raw marrow
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 unwaxed lemons
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets in oil, mashed (optional but excellent)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml dry white wine
• 4 banana shallots, halved lengthways
• 2 sprigs thyme
• Flaky sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Method

1. If using bones, soak the marrow bones in cold salted water for 30 minutes, then push the marrow out. Chop the raw marrow roughly, spread on a small tray and roast at 200C/180C fan for 8–10 minutes until it has softened and rendered slightly. Cool to room temperature.
2. Beat the softened butter with the roasted marrow, grated garlic, zest of 1 lemon, the parsley, capers, mashed anchovy and plenty of black pepper. Chill 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
3. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Take the turbot out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it isn't fridge-cold.
4. Rub the whole fish with the olive oil and season generously all over, working salt into the scores on the dark skin.
5. Scatter the shallots, thyme and 1 lemon cut into thick slices over a large roasting tray. Pour in the wine, then lay the turbot on top, dark side up.
6. Dot half the bone-marrow butter over the fish. Roast for 25–30 minutes for a 2kg fish, basting with the pan juices every 8 minutes, until the flesh comes away from the backbone at the thickest point (a skewer slid to the bone should feel warm on your lip).
7. Lift the fish onto a warm platter and rest 5 minutes. Set the tray over a medium heat, add the remaining butter and a good squeeze from the second lemon, and swirl until the juices emulsify into a loose, glossy sauce.
8. Carve at the table: run a spoon down the centre line, lift the four quarters of fillet from the frame, then flip and repeat. Spoon over the marrow butter sauce and finish with flaky salt and a little more lemon.