This delicious fish dish is perfect for any day of the week. Daniel Galmiche’s pan-fried red mullet recipe with Thyme is a French classic, shared from his French Brasserie Cookbook, The Heart of French Home Cooking, a taste sensation…
Preparation time 20 minutes, plus making the potatoes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tbsp olive oil
4 whole red mullet, about 175g/6oz each, scaled and gutted by your fishmonger, or 8 fillets, skins on
25g/1oz butter
1 handful of thyme sprigs
juice of ½ lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Recipe quantity Warm Crushed Potatoes with Coriander & Lime, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the garlic for 3–4 minutes. This will ensure that it cooks in the same time as the fish. Drain and pat dry with kitchen towel.
Using a whole fish:
If using whole fish, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Season the whole fish with salt and pepper, then add them and the garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the skin is a lovely golden colour. Turn the fish over, add the butter and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 3–4 minutes or until the flesh starts to break up. Remove from the oven, drizzle the fish with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Using fillets of fish
If using fillets, heat the olive oil in large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then add to the pan, skin side down, along with the garlic, thyme and butter. Cook for 2 minutes or until the skin is a lovely golden colour. Transfer to a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 2 minutes or until the flesh starts to break up. Remove from the oven, drizzle the fish with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Serve 1 whole fish or 2 fillets per person with warm crushed potatoes.
More Great French cookery bookery:
Read our review of The French Brasserie Cookbook
See Daniel Galmiche’s recipe for pistachio madeleine cakes with chocolate sorbet – absolutely delicious!
Read our review of Revolutionary French Cooking by Daniel Galmiche – yes we are fans in the TGLF office!
Recipe for goats cheese quiche with summer vegetables and herbs
Recipe for Smoked duck breast and lentils with lavender by Daniel Galmiche
Recipe for Provencal Vegetable Gratin by Daniel Galmiche
