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Pan-Fried Whiting

By Maggie Beer

I Quit Sugar - Pan-fried whiting with celery and pomegranate salad
  • 4 servings
  • Prep - 10 mins
    Cooking - 10 mins
  • Total - 20 mins
I Quit Sugar - Pan-fried whiting with celery and pomegranate salad

With the exception of keen anglers who can catch their own, most of us have to buy our fish. Whiting is such a delicate and delicious fish so do buy it when you see it! All it needs is a quick fry in butter, with a bit of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon and perhaps a sprinkling of parsley.  

Servings: 4
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 160–180g skinless whiting fillets, bones removed.
  • Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling.
  • 40 g unsalted butter.
  • 1 lemon, juices and finely zested.
  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped.

Celery and pomegranate salad

  • 80 g green lentils.
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
  • 2 large sticks celery, thinly sliced.
  • 1/2 small Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and thinly sliced.
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley.
  • 1 pomegranate, seeds removed.
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions

1. To make the salad, rinse the lentils, then place in a saucepan with 4 times the amount of cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well and spread out on a tray so they don’t continue to cook. Place in a bowl and drizzle with a little of the olive oil. About 10 minutes before serving, using a mandolin, thinly slice the fennel into a bowl. Toss through the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice and stand for 10 minutes. Just before serving, add the celery, cucumber, parsley, pomegranate seeds and lentils and toss to combine well. Season to taste.

2. Heat 2 large frying pans over high heat so you don’t overcrowd the pan and ‘poach’ the fish rather than pan-fry it (see note). Season the fish, add a drizzle of olive oil to both pans and, when hot, add 2 fillets to each pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, then divide the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley between the pans. Shake to gently combine, then serve immediately with the salad.


Note

Note: If you don’t have 2 large frying pans that can fit comfortably on your stove top, preheat the oven to 150˚C (fan-forced) and keep half the cooked fish warm (covered loosely with foil) while you cook the remaining fillets, but be careful not to overcook it.

With the exception of keen anglers who can catch their own, most of us have to buy our fish. Whiting is such a delicate and delicious fish so do buy it when you see it! All it needs is a quick fry in butter, with a bit of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon and perhaps a sprinkling of parsley.

Ingredients

  • 4 160–180g skinless whiting fillets, bones removed.
  • Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling.
  • 40 g unsalted butter.
  • 1 lemon, juices and finely zested.
  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped.

Celery and pomegranate salad

  • 80 g green lentils.
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
  • 2 large sticks celery, thinly sliced.
  • 1/2 small Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and thinly sliced.
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley.
  • 1 pomegranate, seeds removed.
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Directions

1. To make the salad, rinse the lentils, then place in a saucepan with 4 times the amount of cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well and spread out on a tray so they don’t continue to cook. Place in a bowl and drizzle with a little of the olive oil. About 10 minutes before serving, using a mandolin, thinly slice the fennel into a bowl. Toss through the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice and stand for 10 minutes. Just before serving, add the celery, cucumber, parsley, pomegranate seeds and lentils and toss to combine well. Season to taste.

2. Heat 2 large frying pans over high heat so you don’t overcrowd the pan and ‘poach’ the fish rather than pan-fry it (see note). Season the fish, add a drizzle of olive oil to both pans and, when hot, add 2 fillets to each pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, then divide the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley between the pans. Shake to gently combine, then serve immediately with the salad.
Note

Note: If you don’t have 2 large frying pans that can fit comfortably on your stove top, preheat the oven to 150˚C (fan-forced) and keep half the cooked fish warm (covered loosely with foil) while you cook the remaining fillets, but be careful not to overcook it.