Fish with spicy mustard seed dressing

Name: Fish with spicy mustard seed dressing
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Peanut oil; 1 tsp Mustard seeds, either black or brown ones; 1 clove Chopped garlic; 1 Green chilli, deseeded and sliced; 4 cm Fresh ginger, peeled and shredded; 1 Tbsp Brown sugar, or more to taste; 1 tsp Fish sauce; 3 Limes, juice of 3 juicy ones (Main); 4 handfuls Chinese cabbage, (wombok) shredded (Main); 1 cup Mung bean sprouts, brown ends picked; 1 small handful Mint leaves; 1 small handful Coriander leaves; 5 leaves Vietnamese mint leaves, optional; 2 Finely chopped spring onion; 4 Snapper fillets, skin on, scaled and boned (Main); 1 knob Butter, for frying; 1 Lime, or lemon, cut into wedges to serve

for 4 people

Kathy Paterson

Food writer and stylist.

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I favour cooking fish fillets in butter. Use either lightly salted butter or clarified butter.

Spicy mustard seed dressing

1 Tbsp	Peanut oil
1 tsp	Mustard seeds, either black or brown ones
1 clove	Chopped garlic
1	Green chilli, deseeded and sliced
4 cm	Fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar, or more to taste
1 tsp	Fish sauce
3	Limes, juice of 3 juicy ones (Main)

Salad

4 handfuls	Chinese cabbage, (wombok) shredded (Main)
1 cup	Mung bean sprouts, brown ends picked
1 small handful	Mint leaves
1 small handful	Coriander leaves
5 leaves	Vietnamese mint leaves, optional
2	Finely chopped spring onion

Fish

4	Snapper fillets, skin on, scaled and boned (Main)
1 knob	Butter, for frying
1	Lime, or lemon, cut into wedges to serve

Directions

Make the spicy mustard seed dressing: Heat the oil in a small saucepan and cook the mustard seeds until they begin to pop. Add the garlic and cook until golden (watching it doesn't burn). Add the chilli and ginger and cook for a further minute or until the ginger begins to colour, but again watch for burning. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Set aside to cool.
Make the salad: Place all the ingredients in a large bowland gently toss together. Cover and keep in the fridge.
For the fish: Using a sharp knife make 2-3 slashes in the skin of each fish fillet. Season skin with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a little butter and when the butter sizzles, place in 2 fish fillets, skin-side down and cook until golden. Lower heat to medium. Turn fish over and cook for a further 2 minutes, until just cooked and still moist. Timing will depend on thickness of fillets, but be careful not to over cook: fish continues cooking after removing from the pan. Repeat with remaining 2 fish fillets.
To serve: Place a fish fillet and salad on each of 4 plates. Drizzle over the dressing. Place a lime or lemon wedge on each plate.