Ingredients
- 400g zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1cm discs
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 8 or so flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely sliced
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten with milk for egg wash
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 800g ocean fish fillets (about 100-200g each)
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Steam the zucchini in a steamer over boiling water for 20 minutes or until very soft. Place it in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix with a fork to mash or partially puree the zucchini. Set aside.
- Place the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs in 3 bowls lined up left to right. Add a clean plate for your crumbed fish. Coat a fish fillet in flour and shake off the excess, then dip it in egg wash, then in the breadcrumbs to coat all over. Shake off the excess. Repeat with the remaining fish.
- Place the vegetable oil in a saucepan large enough to take 3-4 fish fillets at a time or a deep-fryer, and heat the oil to 180°C. (It must stay at that temperature during the entire process, so don’t overcrowd the fryer during cooking.) Line a plate large enough for all the fish with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- Deep-fry 3-4 fish fillets for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Place on the prepared plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining fish.
- Meanwhile, reheat the braised zucchini gently in a saucepan.
- Divide the zucchini among 4 plates. Place 2 fish fillets on each plate, sprinkle with sea salt and give a good grind of pepper. Place a lemon wedge on each plate and serve immediately.
Accompaniments
Baked potatoes.
Recipe: Neil Perry
