Grilled fish is mouthwateringly good. I’m going to show you how to make this absolutely delicious dish. The blend of flavors is really magical, soft and succulent fish with a really crunchy crispy top, delicious roast potatoes balanced with the sweetness of the capsicum and the onions. Then you have that lovely fresh flavour of the mangetout and the asparagus. This dish can be cooked all year round and is a winner with seafood lovers!
To make this dish you need to marinate the fish, prep the vegetables and grill one set of vegetables. Next parboil the potatoes. Following this, do three processes in parallel grill fish, roast potatoes and saute vegetables. It comes together beautifully and is an impressive dish for the dinner table.
Notes on this dish
Salmon is quite an oily fish. To deal with this I’ve used a bed of semolina mixed with salt to draw out the excess liquids. This leaves the fish firm and succulent, with a crusty top. You can use any oily fish for this recipe. This method is suitable for fillets of pomfret, large sardines and mackerel and kingfish also.
In order to get perfect roasties make sure to cut the potatoes in large chunks. The fat should be spluttering hot when you add the parboiled potatoes. I’ve used lard but you can use any fat that can take a very high heat without smoking. Ghee, coconut oil and goose fat are other options.
Instead of the grilled vegetables I have used, you can also substitute other vegetables like courgette, aubergine and carrots.
Finally, if you find it hard to handle the last stage in parallel, you can do them separately. Make the vegetables first, followed by the potatoes. Grill the fish as the last stage as you want to serve it piping hot. You can keep the cooked items warm in the oven at a low setting.
Grilled fish, roasties and vegetables
Description
Grilled fish is mouthwateringly good. The blend of flavors is really magical. You've got soft fish with a really crunchy crispy top. Delicious roast potatoes are balanced with the sweetness of capsicum and onions. To finish, you have that lovely fresh flavour of mangetout and asparagus.
To make this dish:
Fish preparation
Grilled vegetables
Potato preparation
Sauteed vegetables
Instructions
Marinate fish
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Remove skin from the salmon fillet. Wash and pat dry.
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Powder fennel and fenugreek. Combine with rest of spices and coconut oil. Mix well.
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Rub generously over both sides of the fish and set aside to marinate.
Prep and grill vegetables
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Rub olive oil, salt, pepper and chilly flakes into the mangetout and asparagus. Pre-heat grill to the hottest setting.
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Grill vegetables for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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While vegetables are grilling, chop capsicum and shallots and set aside.
Parboil & roast potatoes
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Pre-heat the oven to 240C. Bring a large pot of water with salt to the boil.
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Cut the potatoes into large chunks. Add it to boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
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While the potatoes are boiling, place lard (or your choice of fat) into a large roasting tray. Heat until spluttering hot.
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Drain the potatoes. Return to the pot.
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Cover and give a good shake. This will give the potatoes a fluffy edge, which will crisp up in the oven.
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Take the hot fat out of the oven and tip the fluffed potaotes in. It should sizzle.Â
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Roast in the oven for 20minutes.
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After 20 minutes, turn the potatoes and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
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Remove from the roasting tray and set aside. Keep warm. Roast potatoes in parallel with grilling fish.
Grill fish
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Preheat grill to hottest setting. Combine semolina with salt and spread on a baking tray.
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Place the fish on the semolina bed. Tuck any excess semolina under the fish to prevent it from burning in the grill.
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Grill for 10 minutes, then remove and tuck in any excess semolina that might have seeped out. Return to the grill and cook for another 10 minutes.
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You should have a crisp fish crust, that is firm to touch. Grill fish in parallel with roasting potatoes.
Saute capsicum and onions
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Heat a large wok with olive oil.
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Add onions and saute for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
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Add salt and spices and sautee for another 5 minutes. At this point, check the fish in the grill.
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Now add capsicum and sautee for another 5 minutes. Then check the potatoes and turn them.
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Continue sauteeing capsicum and onions for another 5 minutes then transfer to a serving dish. By this time the fish and potatoes should be ready to serve as well.
To serve
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Dust off excess semolina and place the fish on a serving dish.
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Arrange the vegetables around the fish and place the roasted potatoes on top. Serve hot!
Note
To get crisp potatoes, the outside should be fluffed, and the fat should be sizzling hot.
If you can't do the steps in parallel, do the vegetables first. Next do the potatoes and last the fish. Keep the cooked dishes warm.
