Red mullet recipe
Red mullet has such a beautiful sweet flavour that it doesn’t need anything complicated doing to it, just a simple pan-fry. I think this combination of potatoes and olives showcases the fish to perfection.The fish should have been caught on the day you buy them, and buy the biggest specimens you canfind – no tiddlers please. Each fish should weigh around 400g prior to filleting. Get your fishmonger tofillet them for you – each fish will give you two fillets of around 100g each.
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 thyme sprig, leaves only
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 30 pitted black olives
- 20 chive stalks, chopped
- 4 x 400g red mullet, filleted
- 1 splash of olive oil, for frying
Details
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
- Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible (use a mandolin if you have one), then mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped garlic and thyme leaves.
- Season, then spread the mixture over a greased baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked
- Meanwhile, blitz the olives and half the chives with the remaining olive oil in a food processor to make a thick purée
- Season the fillets. Heat a frying pan and oil until it is very hot - the oil should be shimmering but not smoking - and fry the mullet for a about a minute on each side. You want a crispy skin.
- Divide the potatoes between four plates, pop two fillets on top of each mound and, using a teaspoon, drizzle the plate with the olive purée. Scatter the remaining chives over everything and eat immediately
Recipe taken from Seasonal Spanish Food by José Pizarro.
Also worth your attention:
Mitch Tonks' grey mullet with mussels recipe
Ken Hom's steamed fish Cantonese style recipe