One of my absolute favourite ingredients in Southeast Asian food is seabass. It’s light and pairs wonderfully with Asian flavours like chilli and coriander.
It’s always my order at my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in London and a real cheap eating treasure, Banh Mi Bay in Clerkenwell. (Order the bun noodles with pan fried seabass, it’s not on the menu any more but they do have it).
So inspired by that, and some fresh bought seabass from Aldi, yes Aldi (I am a huge fan of their produce and prices – their meat and fish as well as fresh fruit and veg are usually excellent) I made pan fried seabass with firm mango and Asian inspired salsa.
Here’s my recipe, enjoy!
Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 fresh seabass fillets (preferably bought that day)
1 firm mango
1 red chilli (I like to use scotch bonnet but any will do)
2 spring onions
2 limes
Bunch coriander
Fish sauce
Soy sauce
1 tsp demerera sugar
1 garlic clove
1 inch piece ginger
Crunchy veg you prefer, I like to use asparagus, mini corn or broccoli
Rice as accompaniment
Crushed toasted peanuts
Method:
1. First prep all the ingredients: finely slice the chilli, garlic, ginger, spring onions some coriander (mostly stalks if possible). Julienne your mango into thin strips. Then roughly chop your crunchy veg and set aside.
2. Prepare some Jasmine rice or rice noodles, or whatever carb you’d like as an accompaniment.
3. To make the Asian dressing, place a tsp of the chopped chilli, a tsp of the chopped garlic and a tsp of the chopped ginger into a pestle and mortar. Add the tsp of sugar and a good little handful of the coriander and pound to a fine paste. (You can also use a mini blender if you prefer). Add 2 tbsp fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime as well as some more coriander and mix well.
4. To make crunchy veg as accompaniment, in a hot pan add a tsp of vegetable oil and the remainder of your chopped chilli, ginger and garlic and fry for a few mins. Then add your crunchy veg and spoon over a couple tbsp of your dressing and add 2 tbsp soy sauce and mix vigorously. Fry only for a few minutes, taking care not to overcook your veg (remember they will continue to cook after removed from the pan).
4. Remove the cooked veg from the pan and place in a bowl. Then in the same pan add a tbsp more vegetable oil and put the pan on high heat. Place the 2 seabass fillets skin down in the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for a further 3 minutes.
5. Once the fish is done layer up a plate with rice, vegetables, fish then add your mango on top and drizzle some dressing over the top. Garnish with crushed toasted peanuts and lime and coriander.
Et voila! Yummy and light Asian inspired dinner. 👌