This is one of my favourite ways of cooking fish at home and we eat it regularly at Vinnies for our staff meal because it’s so tasty and quick to prepare.
The fillets are in a sort of protective coating of flour and egg and this helps keep the fish beautifully moist, but at the same time there is this lovely buttery caramelised coating. To make this dish a little indulgent I serve it with my favourite simple sauce (see recipe below).
Be careful with the cooking time — it will vary depending on how thick the fish fillets are — allow extra time for the fish to cook through if they are thicker. Also keep a close eye on the heat of the frying pan. It needs to be hot when the fish goes in, but not too hot or the butter will burn. Put a little of the butter in to test the heat — if the pan is too hot, just lift it off the heat for a minute or two, then carry on.
When you are shopping smell the fish, it should have no odour at all and the fillets should look dry, not wet or slimy. Before seasoning and cooking fish fillets place them on paper towels, pat dry and remove any stray bones or scales.
Ingredients
| 2 | Fish fillets, such as snapper or any other fresh fish (Main) |
| 1 cup | Flour, for dusting |
| 2 | Eggs |
| 2 Tbsp | Butter |
| 1 | Lemon, cut into wedges to serve |
Directions
- Season the fish with salt on both sides then dip into flour, shaking off the excess.
- Whisk the eggs then pour into a shallow dish.
- Heat a large frying pan until hot, then use tongs to dip the fish into the egg, completely coating the fillets on both sides.
- Add the butter to the pan, allow to melt, then add the fish. Cook until golden on both sides and serve on hot plates with wedges of lemon and simple butter sauce (see below).
Simple butter sauce for the fish
Once the fish is out of the pan, add an extra Tbsp butter, cook until it begins to bubble and go brown, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, some freshly ground pepper (capers are also great) and spoon over the cooked fish.