Pan-fried sole with wet polenta, garlic, chilli and basil

Tamara West

This is my all-time favourite fish dish because it is packed with flavour, so easy to eat and has a nice chilli kick. Make the polenta ahead of time and the whole dish only takes 5 minutes from start to finish. If necessary you can substitute parsley for the basil to good effect, and if fresh chillies are not available, dried chilli flakes work just as well, so it’s also a great dish to make on holiday or if you go bush with the family. The ultimate comfort food!

Ingredients

4 servings	Polenta, use wet polenta from the recipe below
120 ml	Olive oil
450 g	Fish, use sole fillets, skin removed and seasoned (Main)
2 cups	Baby spinach
5 cloves	Garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 ½	Red chillies, large, seeds removed and finely sliced
1 ½ cups	Fresh basil, picked, washed and roughly torn
1	Lemon, freshly juiced

Wet polenta

400 ml	Milk
40 g	Polenta
1 Tbsp	Butter
50 g	Parmesan cheese, shaved or ground

Directions

1. Heat wet polenta in a small saucepan with a little milk over a medium heat, stirring often to avoid catching. Once warmed, remove from heat and reserve.
2. Heat half the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook sole, being careful not to overcook.
3. Divide wet polenta between 4 plates, scatter with baby spinach and top with sole fillets.
4. In the pan in which the fish was cooked, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli and cook for 10 to 15 seconds until garlic begins to turn golden. Add basil and lemon juice, remove from heat, pour sauce evenly over the fish, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Wet polenta

1. Bring milk to the boil in a small saucepan over low to medium heat.
2. Pour into a stainless steel bowl and place over a pot of boiling water.
3. Add the polenta and whisk occasionally for 2 to 3 minutes until grains start to thicken.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the grains are soft. Season with salt and pepper and whisk in butter and parmesan.