Luckily I’ve found if I pan fry mild flavoured white fish and serve it with lashings of hummus spiked with chilli oil, I don’t get any complaints!
I like to dust my fish in a little almond meal (flour works too) before frying so you get a lovely crust. This adds a beautiful textural contrast to the softness of the fish itself. It’s really worth the extra minute of two.
You can use any fish fillets here. I’ve used garfish in the photo. They’re super small so you need about 4 fillets per person.
Heat enough oil to cover the base of your frying pan by about 1cm (1/3in) on a medium high heat. When the oil is hot, test with your first fillet. If it sizzles vigorously, add all the fish.
WINE MATCH: A crisp dry white like a Pinot Gris or (my favourite!) Riesling.
Short on time - skip the chilli oil and just drizzle with your best peppery extra virgin olive oil.
vegetarian - serve the hummus and chilli oil with falafels or pan fry large flat mushrooms with the flour / almond crust or pan fry some chickpeas instead of the fish.
more substantial (carb lovers) - serve with potato chips! Or pita bread.
more substantial (low carb) - Serve with roasted almonds or extra veggies - steamed broccoli goes really well. Or if it's Spring try with some asparagus.
lower carb / no hummus - replace hummus with tahini yoghurt (50:50 blend of greek yoghurt and tahini) or try my broccoli hummus.
Low FODMAP - skip the almond / flour crust. Replace hummus with mashed potato (and really make an Irishman happy!) or mashed sweet potato.
different protein - lovely with chicken breast or thigh fillets, lamb chops or even pork chops.
You can but I prefer the fish when freshly cooked. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a week or can be frozen.