Nothing beats fresh fish. Liven up your repertoire with these three simple ways to prepare whatever fish you've managed to catch (or purchase!).
Halloumi and almond crumbed fish
For those needing to avoid gluten, these crunchy crumbed fish fillets can be enjoyed by the whole family. I only coat one side as it's quite rich with the haloumi and almonds.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
100 grams haloumi, grated
1 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
sea salt and ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
350 grams firm white fish
olive oil and butter for cooking
To serve
rocket leaves and extra capers
Caper Mayo (see recipe below)
Directions
1. Combine the haloumi, ground almonds and thyme in a wide, shallow dish and season with ground pepper.
2. Whisk the eggs and mustard in another shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dip one side of the fish in the eggs, then place egg side down in the haloumi crumbs, pressing them on to give a good even coating.
4. Heat a little oil and butter in a large sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Cook the fish crust side down, until golden and firm. Don't have the heat too high or the crust will quickly catch and burn. Carefully turn over and cook until just cooked through.
5. Serve with rocket, capers and the caper mayo.
Caper mayo
Makes 1 cup
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Citrus cerviche with avocado
I like to serve a bowl of corn chips for scooping up this fresh and light ceviche. Perfect as a light meal or snack.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
300 grams firm white fish
¼ cup lime juice
3 tablespoons orange juice
½ teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
To serve
1 large ripe avocado
2 limes
sea salt and ground pepper
1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
1 cup diced cucumber
olive oil for drizzling
coriander for garnishing
Directions
1. Trim off any bloodline from the fish and thinly slice on an angle.
2. Combine the lime and orange juices, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the fish and red onion, turning to coat in the juice. Set aside for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or leave longer if you prefer the fish to be more 'cooked'.
To serve: Mash half the avocado until smooth then stir in the zest and 1 tablespoon juice from one of the limes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the mashed avocado on a large plate.
Lift the fish and onions out of the marinade and place over the top. Dice the remaining half avocado and scatter over the fish along with the chilli and cucumber. Squeeze over the juice from the second lime, drizzle with olive oil and season again with a little salt and pepper. Scatter over the coriander.
Best-ever beer battered fresh-catch fish
'Best ever' is a slightly overused term these days and not one we use lightly. But this recipe certainly deserves that claim to fame. The secret is to have really cold flour and beer. I keep the flour in the freezer, weighed up in small bags, ready to be whipped out to make the perfect, crunchy and totally delicious battered fish.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 litre neutral oil for frying
11/3 cups plain flour, well chilled
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
250ml very cold lager
600 grams firm white fish, cut into serving portions
To serve
chips (see recipe below)
lemon wedges
tartare sauce (see recipe below)
Chips (GF) (V)
6 large agria potatoes
neutral oil for cooking
sea salt
Tartare sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped gherkins
1 tablespoon grain mustard
1 tablespoon chopped capers
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan to 180°C, or until a piece of bread dropped in turns golden in 30 seconds.
2. Whisk the baking powder and salt into the chilled flour. Quickly whisk in the cold beer until you have a thick batter. Do all of this just before you cook the fish.
3. Dip your fish into the batter then, holding it on the slimmer end, very slowly lower it into the oil so the batter starts to instantly puff up, before lowering it fully into the pan. If you let go straight away it will sink to the bottom and stick on the base of the pan.
4. The fish will take about 2 minutes each side to cook, but this will depend on the thickness of the fillets. Remove and drain on kitchen towels. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and keep warm on a cooling rack set over a baking tray in a low oven while you cook the remaining fish.
To serve: Serve the fish with chips, lemon wedges for squeezing over and tartare sauce.
Chips (GF) (V)
1. Peel and cut the potatoes into chips then place in a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil then cook until the chips have started to soften. Carefully drain and set aside to cool. This can be done well ahead of time.
2. Heat 1cm of oil in a large sauté pan and cook the chips until golden, tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Drain on kitchen towels and sprinkle with sea salt.
Tartare sauce
Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. Makes about ¾ cup.
- Recipes by Claire Aldous
Find more great recipes at dish.co.nz
