Pan-fried groper with green lentils and parsley oil

Tamara West

Ingredients

1 cup	Green lentils (Main)
3 cups	Water
100 ml	Olive oil
½	Onions, small, brown, peeled and finely diced
½	Carrots, peeled and finely diced
½ stick	Celery, finely diced
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
¼ tsp	Ground cumin
1 tsp	Tomato paste
½ cup	Chicken stock, or water
½ cup	Parsley, chopped
500 g	Groper, fillet, cut into thick slices (Main)
2 handfuls	Green beans, blanched
1 bunch	Baby carrot, large, blanched
1	Lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Parsley oil

1 cup	Parsley, picked (Main)
2 pinches	Sea salt
½ clove	Garlic, peeled
¼ cup	Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. To make the parsley oil, place parsley, salt and garlic into a mortar and grind to a smooth paste. Add olive oil and muddle together.
2. Heat oven to 200degC. Place lentils and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce temperature and simmer until lentils are tender but still retain their shape. Drain, rinse under cold water and reserve for later use.
3. Heat 50ml of the olive oil inamedium-sized pot over a low to medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook without letting them colour for 6 to 8 minutes before adding cumin and cooking for a further 30 seconds.
4. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute before adding stock and cooked lentils. Bring to the boil and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in parsley and keep warm.
5. Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Lightly season groper with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry until nicely coloured on one side. Turn fish over in the pan with a spatula and place into the oven for 1-2 minutes or until just cooked. (Take care not to overcook the grouper as it will dry out.) Remove grouper from the pan and allow to rest on a plate.
6. Reheat carrots and green beans in a small pot of simmering water, drain and divide between 4 plates. Spoon lentils over vegetables and topwith groper. Finish with a drizzle of parsley oil and a wedge of lemon and serve immediately.