Photo by Mina Rad on Unsplash

Serves: 4 · Prep: 15 minutes (+ 4 hours chive oil rest, ideally overnight) · Cook: 20 minutes · Equipment: grill or BBQ, medium saucepan, whisk, small bowl

Photo: James Frewin / Unsplash

Main:

• 1kg blackfish (luderick) fillets — skin on, scaled, pin-bones removed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing
• Salt + cracked black pepper
• Baby rocket leaves, to serve

Chive oil (make ahead):

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bunches fresh chives, finely chopped
• Pinch rock salt
• Pinch freshly cracked black pepper

Soft polenta:

• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 800ml full-cream milk
• 90g instant polenta
• Salt + cracked pepper
• Optional: 30g grated parmesan stirred in at the end (richer, more savoury)

Substitutes for blackfish: luderick (same fish — different name), whiting fillets, snapper fillets, bream, mullet, mahi-mahi (dolphin fish).

1. Make the chive oil FIRST — at least 4 hours ahead, ideally a day. Combine olive oil, chopped chives, salt + pepper in a small bowl. Stir to coat the chives. Cover + leave at room temperature (or fridge if it's hot).

The chives release their oils + flavour into the olive oil over time. Earlier prep = brighter colour + bigger flavour.

2. Make the polenta. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion. Cook 2-3 minutes until transparent (don't brown).

3. Add the milk + bring to a boil.

4. Whisk in the polenta in a steady stream while continually whisking. CRITICAL — don't dump it all at once or you get lumps.

5. Continue whisking as the polenta thickens (2-5 minutes for instant polenta; 15-20 minutes for traditional). Reduce heat to lowest setting.

6. Season the polenta with salt + pepper to taste. Stir in optional parmesan now if using. Keep warm.

7. Char-grill the fish. Heat a grill or BBQ to HIGH. Brush fillets with olive oil + season with salt + pepper.

8. Place skin-side DOWN on the hot grill. Cook 4-5 minutes — until the skin is crispy + golden + the fish releases easily from the grill.

9. FLIP ONCE. Cook another 1-2 minutes (skin-side up) — the residual heat finishes the cooking. Pull off when just barely opaque in the middle.

10. PLATING (the show-off part):

1. Spoon a generous mound of soft polenta into the centre of each plate
2. Top with the grilled fish fillet (skin up for visual contrast)
3. Drizzle the chive oil over the fish + the plate around it
4. Scatter baby rocket leaves around the fish
5. Serve immediately

• The chive oil is the MVP. Don't shortcut it. Made well + given time, it's a vibrant green oil that transforms the plate
• Polenta variants: instant polenta (5 min cook) is convenient; traditional cornmeal polenta (20 min) has better texture. Both work
• Polenta-fix tricks: too thick = add splash of milk; too thin = cook longer; lumpy = whisk vigorously or push through a sieve
• Skin-on, skin-side-down first = crispy skin. Skin-off = miss out on the textural hit
• Pin bones are critical to remove — use tweezers or pliers, run your finger along the fillet, pull each one straight up + out
• Other herb oils: basil oil (Mediterranean), parsley oil (universal), tarragon oil (French)
• Pesto alternative: a green pesto can substitute the chive oil if pressed for time
• Side dish ideas: roasted cherry tomatoes, sautéed spinach, blanched asparagus, lemon wedges
• Camp version: char-grill fish on the BBQ; cook polenta on butane stove or low coals; chive oil prep at home (transport in jar)
• Wine pairing: crisp dry white — sav blanc, pinot grigio, or unoaked chardonnay

The "show off your skills" dinner. Catch a blackfish or two on the rocks, make the chive oil at home before leaving, set up the polenta + grill at camp. The plating looks restaurant-grade. Guests think you're a chef.

Once you've mastered this technique, the door opens to the whole world of "fish on smooth + something + drizzle" plated dishes — same plating principle works for snapper on cauliflower puree, kingfish on sweet potato mash, even tuna on white bean puree.