Red mullet with romesco potato salad
We’ve swapped the mayonnaise that features in a classic potato salad for a romesco sauce – it’s perfect served as a dip with fish on its own or stirred into warm potatoes, which absorb some of the flavour. Red mullet is a lovely, firm fish that’s ideal for pan-frying until the skin is crisp.
25 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY
new potatoes 250g, halved if large
blanched almonds 50g
garlic 1 clove
roasted red peppers from a jar 200g (drained weight) extra-virgin olive oil 50ml
hot smoked paprika 1 tsp
lemon ½, juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
runny honey 1 tsp (optional)
red mullet 2 fillets
plain flour 1 tbsp
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley a handful, finely chopped green beans or salad to serve
1 Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry.
2 Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden and smelling toasted. Tip out and leave to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a food processor. Peel the garlic and add to the food processor along with the peppers, olive oil, paprika and lemon juice. Blend until smooth, then check for seasoning, adding a dash more lemon juice or paprika if you like, along with some salt and pepper. Add the honey to balance any bitterness in the olive oil, if needed. Tip into a bowl and fold in the warm potatoes. Leave to rest while you cook the red mullet.
3 Pat the fish fillets dry on kitchen paper and remove any pin bones with tweezers. Season the flour, then use this to dust both sides of the fish – this will help crisp the skin when frying. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and, once hot, carefully lower in the fish, skin-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. If the fillets start to curl up, gently press them down into the pan using a fish slice. Flip and cook for a further minute before removing from the pan.
4 Toss most of the parsley into the potato salad, then divide between two plates. Top with the red mullet and the remaining parsley, then serve with green beans or salad.
PER SERVING 746 kcals | fat 54.8G saturates 5.5G | carbs 31.2G | sugars 2.7G fibre 3.3G | protein 30.4G | salt 0.3G