Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise

Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise. Photo / Babiche Martens

Serves 4

Lime hollandaise
200g butter
3 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs water
3 egg yolks
salt and pepper

2 eggs
150g whitebait
3 tsp flour
salt and pepper
1 Tbs butter
1/2 Tbs olive oil
thinly sliced brioche
melted butter
fresh oregano

1 To make the hollandaise; melt the butter then set aside while combining the lime juice and zest in a saucepan with the water. Simmer until reduced to 1 Tbs of liquid.

2 Pour into a small bowl that will fit over a simmering saucepan of water. Whisk in the egg yolks until thick and foamy then add the butter, a little at a time until you have a thick and creamy sauce. Season.

3 Preheat the oven to 200C. Arrange circles of brioche on an oven tray, brush with melted butter and bake until golden - about 5 minutes, then turn over and repeat.

4 Whisk the eggs with the whitebait, flour and seasoning. Heat a frypan, add the butter and olive oil then when hot, fry small spoonfuls of the fritter mixture. As soon as they are golden on one side, turn over.

5 Serve the whitebait fritters between the slices of toasted brioche. Add a small spoonful of lime hollandaise with a little fresh oregano to garnish.

Chef's tip

Whitebait is available frozen all year round from different countries, but I would recommend holding out for our season. The size and flavour of the tiny fish is spectacular, so even though it can be pricey, it is a treat worth cooking simply and relishing.