FRIED REDFISH FILLET

Ingredients

• 250 g/9 oz white quinoa
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• handful of mint leaves roughly chopped
• ½ red onion, roughly chopped or finely sliced
• handful of rocket (arugula) leaves, roughly chopped
• 4 × 150–175-g/5–6-oz redfish fillets, skin on
• groundnut (peanut) oil for frying
• salt and pepper

1. Put the quinoa in a fine sieve (strainer) and rinse by running cold running water over it. Tip the quinoa into a small saucepan and add 500 ml/18 fl oz/2 cups of cold water plus a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
2. Roast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat for 1 minute.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, juice, mustard, white wine vinegar and olive oil with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the quinoa. Reserve some of the pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and chopped mint for garnish and stir the rest into the quinoa with the red onion and rocket (arugula) leaves.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal slashes in the skin of the redfish fillets at 2-cm/¾-inch intervals. Season with salt and pepper and brush the fillets all over with groundnut (peanut) oil. Heat a frying pan (skillet) over a high heat, add the fish, skin-side down, and, lowering the heat to medium-high, fry without moving the fillets around for 3–5 minutes, depending on their thickness. Turn the fillets over and fry for a further 2–3 minutes but don’t turn them again or their skin will lose its crispness.
5. Serve the quinoa salad with the fish fillets, garnished with the reserved pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and mint.