Pan-fried Fish with Banana-Lime Salsa

10:00 pm on 13 March 2004

Ingredients Fish

  • 4 x 180 gm pieces of fish, eg, snapper, blue cod, hapuku, gurnard
  • olive oil
  • small knob of butter

Ingredients Salsa

  • 2 medium bananas, sliced
  • 1½ tsp finely chopped seeded red chilli (preferably the common long red or green chilli available in most supermarkets – beware of small Thai chillies, as they can be fierce)
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1½ heaped tbsp finely chopped coriander
  • 1 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • tiny pinch salt

Method

Heat a little olive oil and a small knob of butter in a frypan until hot and pan-fry the fish (the butter helps achieve a golden brown colour).

Toss all the salsa ingredients together gently so as not to break up the bananas. Spoon over the fish and serve immediately.

Suggested accompaniments: steamed jasmine rice; broccolini, lightly blanched, or Asian bok choy stir-fried with fresh ginger, oyster sauce and sesame oil; a selection of fresh vegetables simmered in some coconut milk with a little Thai red curry paste, lemon grass and fresh basil.