PAN-GRILLED FISH WITH FLAVOURED BUTTER
Serves: 4
■ Maître d'hôtel butter (see recipe below)
■ 8 fillets of fresh fish, skin on
■ Seasoned flour
■ Soft butter
■ Lemon cut in segments
1. Make the flavoured butter first and chill it.
2. Grease a large, heavy frying pan or grill pan lightly with a little olive oil or butter.
3. Dry the fish fillets with paper towels, then dip in seasoned flour. Spread each floured fillet with soft butter on the flesh side, as if you were buttering a slice of bread.
4. Heat the pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add 2 or 3 fillets of fish, buttered side down, the number will depend on the size of the pan.
5. Fry until the colour of the fish shows that it has cooked halfway up its thickness. Turn each fillet to cook the other side, and continue to cook until fish is golden and crisp. This will take approximately 10 minutes per inch or 5 minutes per centimetre of thickness for the first side, and half that time for the second side.
6. Transfer fish to a warmed platter and keep warm. Clean out the pan, grease it again lightly, and cook the remaining fillets.
7. Serve hot with some of the flavoured butter and a piece of lemon.
MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL BUTTER
■ 1/2 cup (125 ml / 110 g) soft butter
■ 2 tbsp (30 ml) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
■ Fresh lemon juice
1. Cream the butter, then cream in the parsley. Season to taste with a few drops of lemon juice.
2. Form into a sausage-shaped roll and wrap in aluminum foil, plastic wrap or wax paper, sealing the ends tightly. Store in a plastic bag. Refrigerate to harden. It will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.