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!
