Parisian Fish with Almond Sauce

This Parisian Fish is another brilliant simple dinner inspired by my lovely friend Clotilde’s book Tasting Paris.

If you’re a Francophile like me you really should treat yourself to a copy. It’s wonderful insight into the Paris food scene through the eyes of a local.

Anyway back to this dinner! By using almond butter (or other nut butters) we make a delicious creamy sauce that’s the perfect accompaniment to crispy pan fried fish.

While I’ve used bream (a white fish) in the photo, I did enjoy it slightly (only very slightly) more the first time I made it with ocean trout.

Oh and the photo has macadamias because I was out of almonds. But roast almonds would be a better compliment for the flavours in the sauce.

If you want to take the green veg serving option, steamed green beans, asparagus or grilled zucchini would be my picks.

And as always, the water doesn’t count in my 6-ingredient limit!

5 from 1 vote

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Parisian Fish with Almond Sauce

Course Dinner

Cuisine French

Keyword almond, dinner, fish, sauce, simple

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 100 g 4 heaped tablespoons almond butter
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice + halves to serve
• 2 fish fillets
• salad leaves or green veg to serve
• roast almonds or other nuts

Instructions

1. For the sauce mix almond butter, water, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until it is smooth and creamy. Season with a pinch of salt. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.
2. Heat a medium frying pan on a medium high heat. If the fish has skin, score the skin 3-4 times to help prevent it curling up. When the pan is hot add a little glug of oil and cook fish skin side down for 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook for another 2-4 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking (thicker fillets may take longer unless you like them quite rare in the middle).
3. Smear sauce over the base of two plates in off centered circles. Top with hot fish (skin side up). Place salad or veg on the side and scatter over almonds and finish with lemon halves.

Recipe Video

WINE MATCH: A nice crisp dry Pinot Gris or Riesling .

Variations & Substitutions for Parisian Fish with Almond Sauce

vegetarian / vegan – serve the almond sauce with grilled or roast eggplant slices or halves. Add extra nuts to make it more substantial.

more substantial (carb lovers) – roast or steamed potatoes.

more substantial (low carb) – extra fish, extra nuts or extra low carb veg (beautiful boiled broccoli or grilled zucchini is excellent!).

Low FODMAP – make a peanut & lime sauce instead of the lemon and almond. This is one of those rare occasions where smooth peanut butter will work better. And skip the garlic or add a few tablespoons of garlic oil to the sauce.

nut-free – use tahini (sesame seed paste) or sun butter (sunflower seed butter). And replace almonds with croutons or torn chunks of sourdough bread.

carnivore – sauce is also good with grilled or pan fried chicken.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

almond butter / roast almonds or other nuts – keep them in the pantry.

garlic – will keep in the pantry for months. Best if in a dark corner in a brown paper bag.

lemon – whole lemon will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.

fish fillets – freeze them.

salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they won’t go slimy.

green veg – most will keep for a week or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Prepare Ahead

I like it best when freshly made but you could make the sauce up to a week ahead and keep it in the fridge. Allow to come to room temp before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or can be frozen.

Have fun in the kitchen!

With love,
Jules x

Tags: almonds. sauce, dinner, fish, french, simple