Fish pitas with tangy citrus herb salsa

Tam West

For the salsa

1	Lemon, or use two limes, peeled, sliced and diced
1	Green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4	Spring onions, thin, trimmed and very finely sliced
1 handful	Chopped mint
1 handful	Chopped coriander, leaves
4 sprigs	Dill, chopped, optional
¼ cup	Olive oil

For the fish

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
25 g	Butter
4 fillets	Gurnard, boned, or use other medium to firm-fleshed fish fillets (Main)
4 small	Pita breads, charred on a grill or toasted, to warm
4 Tbsp	Plain unsweetened yoghurt
1	Avocado, firm but ripe, halved, stoned, peeled and sliced

Directions

1. For the salsa, combine the diced lemon or lime, chilli, spring onion and herbs in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil and season well with sea salt flakes. Set aside while you cook the fish.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the fish fillets and pan-fry, turning once for 3-4 minutes. This will depend upon the thickness of the fillets. Remember that fish keeps on cooking once removed from the pan, so remove a little earlier than you might think. Gurnard fillets break open a little during pan-frying too so this helps you see into the flesh.
3. Spread each pita with yoghurt, top with avocado, then the fish and finish with a little salsa.

Make a change

• Slice a few leaves of cos lettuce and place under the fish.
• Dust the fish fillets in 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 Tbsp flour before pan-frying.
• Use a sweeter variety of lemon for a less tangy salsa and counteract acidity with salt and more oil if you prefer a more subtle flavour.