Pan-fried fish
October 3, 2000
I drive about four kilometers across town to a local
fish market. It's one of those businesses that has its own trawler and
so supplies tend to depend on the vagaries of the weather, but there's
usually something that attracts my attention.
I like to serve fish in some form once or twice a
week. Most of you will have heard of the important of Omega-3 long chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet (you can read more here).
It was time for this week's fix so I dashed in to see what was on show.
Fortunately the chap behind the counter is pretty
knowledgeable about the varieties in the chiller. Because I usually pan
fry fish, I like to get a firm variety that won't mush up in the cooking.
He's never put me wrong yet and I am always keen to try a less familiar
variety if he recommends it.
There was a new sign in the shop inviting people
to fillet their own fish. A while back I went to an early morning market
in Wellington and was quite taken by the bargain prices of the whole fish.
I bought a very large, handsome fellow for $NZ5 and took my trophy home
with the pride of a true angler. Then I was gutted to find my scaly friend
hadn't been. The in-sink food grinder earned its keep dealing with the
assorted surplus fish bits. It seemed about an hour later that I had finished
the wrestling, gutting, boning and scaling operation.
I took one look at the sign, read on that the management
would accept no liability for any injuries I might inflict upon myself
and decided to pass up the opportunity.
Fish fillets, while not exactly cheap in some places,
are good value for money as there is no wastage and this fish market has
excellent prices so I always feel good as I come away with my bag of goodies.
I can never buy just one variety. This week it was fresh fillets for that
night's dinner, marinated baby squid for an antipasto platter during the
weekend, and some freshly smoked conger eel for a spring lunch.
I had an excellent, cheap fish meal at a Greek fish
outlet in Wellington when I was living there. The fresh fish was moist
and perfectly cooked and simply served with fresh coleslaw, a wedge of
lemon and a few crisp french fries. Meal over, I lurked at the counter
to see how the fish had been cooked and that's the method I use most these
days. My family are fish freaks so when I am buying fish, I usually get
about 250g or half a pound of fish per person and the cat gets any of the
scraggy tail bits. However, buy the quantity you are comfortable with.
Ask your fishmonger to help you choose a firm variety and will hold together
as it cooks.
Pan Fried Fish (serves 4-6)
lkg fresh fish fillets
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons light olive oil
Pat the fish fillets with a paper towel to remove
excess moisture. Cut into even pieces. Sprinkle both sides with the herbs.
Add the salt and pepper to the flour and coat both sides of the fish with
the flour mix. You can either put the flour on a plate and press the fish
into it, or - as I do - place the seasoned flour in a dredger and sprinkle
over the fish. A dredger is a cup with a screw-on perforated lid. You can
make your own by using a jam jar and punching some holes in the lid with
a carpet tack (from the inside).
Heat the oil and butter together then place in the
fish and cook over a moderate to high heat for about 3 minutes until the
flour coating is brown. Sprinkle a little more flour on the uncooked side
if necessary, then turn the pieces and cook on the second side until the
fish is done - about 5-6 minutes total cooking time depending on the thickness
of the fish.
Serve with wedges of lemon, some buttered new potatoes
and a tossed salad.
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