Robin Ellis

This recipe is adapted from one I spotted in The New York Times a few weeks back.

It is quick and simple to do with an otherwise bland white fish (often a cheaper option).

I found whiting (merlan in France) at the market this morning.

(Tuesday market in Castres today was a sparse affair–everyone’s still in recovery mode I guess!)

The original recipe called for spring onions (scallions), but I couldn’t find them, so I sliced a sweet onion finely and spread it over the fillets bubbling away in the pan. Should work, but it won’t have quite the texture of spring onions.

This dish goes well on a bed of  brown basmati rice (to soak up the juices) and  perhaps a green salad.

A simple lunch for someone else in recovery mode–for not quite the same reason though!*

for 2/4

2 fillets of white fish, about one and a quarter  pounds of fish–cut in four

5 tablespoons mild soy sauce

5 tablespoons water

1 sweet onion–sliced very thin

1 red chili–fresh or dried (whole)

• Bring the soy and water to a boil.
• Slip in the fish fillets–flesh side down–followed by the onion and whole chili.
• Cook for about 5 minutes–the time depends on the thickness and texture of the fillets; mine were ready in 3 minutes.
• Add more hot water if you like–though the fish doesn’t need to be covered with liquid.
• Lift them out carefully with a fish slice onto a warm plate.
• Simmer the remaining liquid in the pan to reduce it by about half.
• Place the fish on top of a serving of rice.
• Spoon over some of the sauce and serve.
• No need for extra seasoning–the soya sauce is salty enough.

In the event Meredith preferred a poached egg on toast! understandably not quite ready for something as savoury as this.