Get your fishmonger to fillet and pinbone this fish which, once prepared, is so easy to cook. Its gutsy flavour works beautifully with the salad.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200g shallots, peeled but left whole
- 1 tbsp caster or granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 50g pitted black olives, halved
- 30g pine nuts, toasted
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 red mullet fillets, skin on
- Small handful fresh basil leaves
Method
- 1. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and brown all over. Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar and garlic, and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the shallots are soft. Remove from the heat and stir through the olives, pine nuts, olive oil and season with coarsely ground black pepper.
- 2. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Season 4 of the red mullet fillets, then add, skin-side down, to the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the skin is crispy. Turn over, cook for 1 minute then remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining 4 fillets. Mix the basil leaves into the shallot salad, divide between serving plates and top with the fish fillets.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 403kcals, 24.8g fat (2 saturated), 34.7g protein, 10.4g carbs, 8.5g sugar, 0.7g salt
Wine Recommendation
Go for a sunny white such as Sicily’s Fiano or a ripe pink from Provence.