this is a story about my dad. let me think… how can i describe my dad? fun, exciting, and happy-go-lucky… are all terms that i wouldn’t use. yes, anyone who has met ol’ mr. grainofsalt will attest to his generally serious disposition and dislike of almost everything. and yet, this self-proclaimed m.o.r.b.o.f (middle-of-the-road-boring-old-fart) has one surprising culinary gift: cooking fish to perfection!

i’m not kidding when i say that dad’s pan-fried snapper is better than any i’ve eaten at any restaurant anywhere. and, luckily for you, my many thousands of readers, he has graciously decided to share his fish-frying methods with grainofsalt. the following tips are priceless gems for you to use, share and cherish, and, which were passed on to me with a such a level of utmost seriousness that i can only hope to convey below.

according to dad, “snapper will seem expensive when you’re buying it, but compared to what those bastards at restaurants will charge you it’s not. get some snapper fillets, skin on. make sure your fishmonger takes out all the bones of the fillets, although they never do. when you get home, preheat the oven to 180°C and check again for bones. if you find any bones, get some sterilised tweezers or tongs and gently pull them out. next, get some flour and put it on a plate. mix in some salt and pepper…”

me: “umm, dad i should probably give more specific quantities than that, how much flour do you need?”

dad: “enough to coat the fish, i don’t know”

me: “ok… great. what’s next?”

dad: “coat the fish on both sides in the seasoned flour. get a non-stick fry pan, and it has to be non-stick, not non-stick-after-its-been-in-the-dishwasher-500-times. heat it so that it is hot but not burning hot. put a glug of oil in the pan and a knob of butter. when the butter has melted, put two of the fillets in the pan, skin side down. cook on that side for 2-3 minutes, pushing it down with a spatula and basting occasionally with the butter. flip over and cook on the other side for 1 minute. then, shove the pan into the preheated over for another 2-3 minutes.  take the fry-pan out of the oven without burning your hand on the handle like you always do.”

me: “yeah. ok sounds good, what’s left?”

dad: “serve the fish with some salt or sauce or lemon or whatever and wonder why a restaurant will charge you $38-$50 for the same thing.”

and there you have it folks, dad’s perfect pan-fried snapper. a great dish, by a great man. the image above is how i decided to serve it on that particular occasion: with a simple grapefruit, fennel and black olive salad and a smooth truffled potato puree (pictured below). for the puree boil six large peeled potatoes with four cloves of garlic. place the boiled potatoes in to a food processor, pulse for a few seconds, then add the garlic cloves (peel them, of course) and pulse again. next add spoonfuls of the starchy potato boiling water and puree until smooth and creamy (not runny!). finish by adding a generous amount of salt and pepper, and drizzling in some truffle oil, or regular extra virgin olive oil, whatever you have, while pulsing for a few more seconds. enjoy!

don’t you hate it when you exchange gifts with someone, and what they give you is ten times better than what you gave them? you know, like when you give your friend a box of chocolates for christmas and they buy you an actual present that wasn’t from the service station on the way to the party? me too.

i have a friend called alex. not only is she beautiful and funny, but she’s very thoughtful. annoying, i know. well, as fate would have it, alex and i share a birthday. on the most recent double birthday we had a great time celebrating together. little was i to know that alex was going to get me a cracker of a gift: dinner for two at district dining. suddenly her new navy beach bag wasn’t looking so impressive…

district dining is chef warren turnbull’s new (well, september ‘10) restaurant, discreetly located above the central hotel in surry hills. turnbull, known for his two-hatted restaurant assiette (also in surry hills), says his plans for district were about wanting “to create something where i wanted to go and eat all the time.” not only has turnbull achieved this simple goal, he has created a place where many more diners want to eat too. district dining offers a highly enjoyable dining experience, one that is refreshingly comfortable, unpretentious and, yes, is great. value. shocking, i know. 

our meal begins with district’s very impressive tasting plate. starting with (from top) smoked eel pate w/cucumber & green onion flatbread, salted yoghurt w/ beetroots, sumac & basil, veal tongue w/ pickled turnip, salsa verde & almonds, and finishing with crispy quail eggs w/ tarragon mayonnaise & white anchovies. each component was equally strong, and worked together to create one tasty wooden platter. the veal tongue may have been the most tender meat i’ve ever eaten, and the crispy quail eggs were as crunchy on the outside as they were warm and runny on the inside. however, most impressive has to be the ultra cute district dining-branded tin which housed the pate. very clever.

next up was ricotta gnocchi w/ smoked tomatoes, olives & caponata. fresh, summery and comforting. the caponata (hidden underneath the gnocchi) was sensational. 

as the sun set, and my camera became solarly confused, we were presented with the ras el hanout lamb rump w/ pumpkin hummus & honey feta. the lamb was coated with an unbelievably flavourful spice rub, and was cooked to perfection. at this point i wonder where turnbull gets his wooden boards from… i want them.

after a quick glance over at the specials board, and an even quicker disregard of common sense, i asked our lovely waiter if we could get some of the “caramelised garlic bread” that sounded so delicious. i was promptly warned that the bread was “very generous” in size. “we’re tough” i said, before naively getting excited for my impending bread delivery. of course, we couldn’t finish it, and may have ruptured something in the process of trying, but it. was. yum!

by this point, i was fairly full but managed to keep it together for the sake of our desserts: both of which were excellent. first up was the buttermilk pannacotta w/ spiced peaches & mint, looking oh so rustic in it’s own jar. it’s no mean feat for a pannacotta to be refreshing, but somehow district did it. 

finally, the dish i had been most excited for all night. turnbull’s fancy eaton mess: strawberries, raspberries, meringue & vanilla cream, with sorbet. this dessert is nothing short of special, and i highly recommend you eat some immediately, if not sooner.

for all us sydney-siders who long for better and more diverse dining venues in that price bracket between harry’s cafe de wheels and est. (large as it may be, it’s sparse), district is the place to be. (two) hats off to warren turnbull and team for a brilliant restaurant! many thanks too, to my darling friend alex for the dinner.

now, what do i get her next year?