Waitrose Dabs with Mediterranean Vegetables

Well, I finally managed to get some Dab fillets from my local branch of Waitrose and I did this with them:

Pan fried Dab fillets with Mediterranean Vegetables

Makes/Serves 2

Time: less than 30 minutes

You need this:

2 Dabs, filleted (you need three or four fillets per person, depending on their size)
5 or 6 medium size tomatoes (again, it depends on the size)
1 red onion
2 peppers (any colour, I happened to have a red and a green one)
1 courgette
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon capers
2 tablespoons fine semolina (or plain flour – see TIP)
1 bunch basil
Olive oil for cooking
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

You do this:
First, skin the tomatoes.

To do this, put a medium sized pan of water on to boil, score a cross in the base of each tomato, and when the water is boiling, plunge the tomatoes in using a slotted spoon, turn off the heat, leaving them in the hot water for no more than one minute,  carefully take them out and plunge them into cold or iced water for a few minutes. The skins will easily peel off.

Put a frying pan on to heat and pour in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, peel and dice the onion, dice the peppers (remove the seeds) and the courgette. Put them in the pan and stir, dice the tomatoes the same size and add them as well.
As you stir and cook, occasionally add a little more olive oil to keep the vegetables “moist” (the oil will add flavour as well)
Next, peel and chop the clove of garlic and add that together with a teaspoonful of capers.

Turn the heat down and keep stirring and adding a little more oil. The tomatoes and oil will have cooked into a “sauce” for the vegetables. Chop the basil and keep to one side (if you add this at the last moment, you will keep a great deal more of its flavour)

Lay the Dab fillets on a clean chopping board and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle over two spoons of semolina (see TIP below) and coat both sides of all the fillets.

Put another frying pan on the stove, add and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in it, and then carefully put the coated fillets in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes each side. Then remove and place on some kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil

Season the basil into the Mediterranean vegetable, stir in the chopped basil and put a couple of spoonfuls  on each plate.

Add the cooked fillets.

Serve! Eat! Enjoy!

TIP
1) Dabs are a great alternative to Plaice or Sole (Lemon or Dover), and I think they are plumper and tastier!
2) Using fine semolina instead of flour as a coating gives the fish a fabulous “crunch”

 

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