Salad of red mullet with lime and ginger

Description

A starter should sharpen and excite the appetite. This recipe does exactly that.

Ingredients

For the marinade
50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
3-4 limes, juice only
6 lime leaves
1 small carrot, very finely sliced
1 small onion, very finely sliced
1 small clove garlic, squashed flat
1 small, fresh red chilli, deseeded and very finely sliced
1 tsp palm sugar, more if needed
2 whole star anise
1 tsp coriander seeds
10 white peppercorns
salt
8 black peppercorns
80ml/3fl oz olive oil
For the mullet
a little olive oil, for frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red mullet, filleted
small knob of fresh ginger, about 1cm/½inch long, grated
a little parsley, finely chopped
rye bread, to serve

This is a Dig In recipe

Method

Pour the wine vinegar and lime juice into a stainless steel saucepan. Add the lime leaves, scrunching them slightly to release their fragrance as you go. Scrub the carrot and slice it as finely as paper - you should almost be able to see through it - then peel the onion and slice that similarly. Drop them into the pan together with the garlic, peeled and squashed flat (you just want the merest whiff), the chilli, the palm sugar (though you may need to add some more later), the star anise, coriander seeds and white peppercorns. Bring the lot to the boil, add a good pinch of salt and eight black peppercorns, then pour in the olive oil and let the mixture simmer for a minute or two. You want the onion to soften slightly. Heat off, lid on, and leave to settle.
Warm a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season the red mullet fillets with salt and black pepper and lay them in the hot oil, skin-side down. Cook them lightly on one side - which will mean keeping the heat high and letting them colour underneath - then turn them over and let them colour on the other side. Lift them from the pan with a fish slice or palette knife and place them in a shallow dish.
Grate the ginger into the marinade and stir in the chopped parsley. Taste it, adding a little more palm sugar if you think it needs it. It should have a kick to it. Spoon it over the fish and leave to cool.
Lift the fish on to plates and spoon over the vegetables and liquor. Serve triangles of rye bread on the side, buttered if you must.

This recipe has been tagged by Dig In. Make this dish even tastier, cheaper and rewarding by using your home-grown veg. If you're a novice grower wanting advice or a devotee with tips to share, visit Dig In and spread the word on growing your own.