Recipe: Greek pan-fried perch with spinach hummus
2 min read
Food photography by Sally Greer
The traditional diet of many Mediterranean countries is heavy in fish, tomatoes, olive oil, and hummus. My father, a Cypriot Greek, would have absolutely loved this recipe. Papa, this one’s for you!
FISH
1 perch fillet, skin off
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
¼ red onion, sliced
¼ zucchini, sliced
8 kalamata olives
1 pinch of lemon pepper
1 pinch of fennel seeds
Salt & pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
TO SERVE
½ handful of fresh mint leaves
- In a large hot frying pan, brown the garlic, red onion, zucchini and kalamata olives in extra virgin olive oil. Add the lemon pepper and fennel seeds, and season with salt and pepper.
- Next, season the fish with salt and pepper, and fry in the pan for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and remove from the heat.
- Garnish with mint leaves and serve on a bed of spinach hummus.
- TIP: I tend to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe because it gives it a full rich flavour, which works really well with this style of dish
SPINACH HUMMUS
Once you’ve made fresh homemade hummus, you won’t go back to store bought stuff. Enough said.
1 x 400g can chickpeas
½ cup fresh baby spinach
2-3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup white tahini
¼ tsp salt
Pinch of smoked paprika
- Place all the ingredients into a blender. Carefully secure the lid and blend on pulse for 30 seconds or until smooth. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days. But trust me, it won’t last long in the fridge!
- TIP: If you want to make your own tahini, combine ¼ cup white sesame seeds with 2 Tbsp olive oil and mix in a blender until a creamy paste is formed, approx. 5 minutes.
Recipe extract from The Fish + Game Cookbook by Angelo Georgalli, RRP $59.99, beatnikpublishing.com.
