Today I made a rocket salad with an pan-fried, yuzu-miso white fish fillet; but first, let me fill you in on where I’ve been up to. I’ve had such a crazy busy couple of weeks, and as a result have been excessively stress-eating. Apartment hunting in Dubai is so hard, which is surprising since there are SO MANY apartments here! However, if you’re super picky like me and have very specific requirements on kitchen size, counter space, number of cupboards, window sizes, and what direction the apartment should be facing; expect to have a hard time.
Long story short, I finally found a place, and I also started a diet since my friend Rida has been slapping me silly to lose those spare 5 kilos that have found their way to me. She keeps shaming me by sending me pictures of her carb-free food.”Carb-free” is a long way from my current life status, but I can attempt a go at “low-carb”, so I had waffles for breakfast and salad for lunch and dinner.
The trick to make a salad filling, is by adding lots of protein. Protein takes longer to break down and hence keeps you fuller for longer. I am NOT a fan of roasted meats of any sort, but if said protein is marinated in some nice flavors and then grilled or pan-fried, I’ll happily gobble it down with a kilo of leaves.
I had some frozen white fish fillets in my freezer today, so I was even more motivated to eat healthy because I want to empty my refrigerator and pantry as much as I can before I move. A quick thaw (by soaking them in a bowl of water) later, I marinated them in some yuzu, miso, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger. I just had to let them sit for 10-15 minutes and they were good to hit the pan, since fish is a more delicate protein.
The very important thing about grilling or pan-frying fish is to ensure the pan is hot. You want it to be almost smoking. What this does it, it helps form an instant crust as soon as the fish makes contact with the pan. Be prepared for a LOT of sizzling and spattering, so I had a lid on hand to cover the pan with as soon as I slapped the fish in.
The white fish fillets only really need about 4-5 minutes on each side, with medium-high flame. The great thing about this recipe is that the dressing comes from the ingredients themselves, so you do want to deglaze the pan after the fish fillets are fried an make sure those plums are juicy! Garnish with some toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
This recipe makes for 3 entree-sized salads.
Ingredients
- 1 kg White Fish fillets (you'll get about 3 large fillets
- 1 tsp ginger juice
- 1 tsp yuzu
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1.5 packs of rocket leaves or mixed greens
- 3 plums
- 3 tsp toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Instructions
- Make sure the fish is thawed and drained well.
- Divide the greens amongst 3 deep plates or wide bowls.
- Cut the plums in half and place cut-side-down on a non-stick pan glazed with some cooking spray, on medium-high heat. Flip them over after 2 minutes, and remove from heat after another 2 minutes.
- Mix all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and let the fish marinate in them for 10-15 minutes.
- Line a large non-stick pan with cooking spray, and make sure it's very hot (almost smoking), before placing the fish fillet in it.
- Cover the pan with a lid as soon as you place the fillet in, to prevent spattering.
- Flip the fillet over after 4-5 minutes. Keep the heat medium-high throughout.
- Repeat this process for all 3 fillets, cooking them one at a time.
- Place the fish fillets on the bed of greens, and deglaze the pan by adding a very small amount of water. Drizzle the deglaze on top of the fish.
- Place plums on the salad/fish, and garnish with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
You may also like
