Cutler & Co’s King George whiting with brown butter, pickled onion and dill

1.For pickled onion, combine onion, vinegar, sugar and 1½ tbsp water in a saucepan, cover, and cook over very low heat, turning halfway, until onion has softened slightly (20 minutes). Refrigerate overnight to pickle.

2.For pickled cucumber, bring vinegar, sugar and 375ml water to the boil in a medium saucepan, then remove from heat. Place cucumber in a container, pour liquid over, and refrigerate to pickle (at least 1 hour, or overnight).

3.For brown-butter sauce, cook butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming and nut-brown (4-6 minutes). Add lemon juice, swirl to combine, transfer to a bowl, and keep at room temperature. Meanwhile, boil eggs in a small saucepan of water until very soft-boiled (5 minutes). Refresh in iced water, then peel. Blend eggs in a tall jug with a hand-held blender, then slowly add warm brown butter, blending to emulsify (if mixture splits, add 1 tbsp warm water, or more as necessary, to bring it back). Blend in dill and season to taste with lemon juice and salt.

4.Separate layers of pickled onion and place cut-side down in a hot, dry frying pan over medium-high heat until edges are caramelised (1-2 minutes).

5.Meanwhile, season flesh side of whiting with salt. Add oil to a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, then add fish, skin-side down, and fry until sides are opaque and white (1½-2 minutes). Remove pan from heat, leaving fish in pan.

6.Spoon butter sauce onto plates. Drain cucumber and place on top of sauce with onion petals and watercress. Flip the fish in the pan (still off the heat), just to let the flesh side touch the warm pan, then gently lift fillets onto plates. Top with lemon to serve.