Fish fillets with pepper and thyme




The idea came from a fish dish that Jamie Oliver did in one of his cooking shows. He pressed the herbs and spices into the fish fillets and then fried them. I did it the way he did some months ago and the herbs burned before the fish was cooked through. Perhaps, the temperature of the cooking oil was wrong… I really don’t know.

I decided to try the recipe again tonight but I used less herbs. I also coated with fish fillets with flour after pressing the herbs into the flesh to create a shield between the herbs and the cooking oil. Oh, it worked beautifully. The pepper and thyme did not burn, I could smell the wonderful spicy-herby aroma as the the fish cooked and, after about ten minutes, the cooked fish fillets were wonderfully crisp on the outside and bursting with flavors inside.

To complete the dish, I served them with a spicy mayo-milk sauce.

fish fillets with pepper and thyme

Jamie Oliver used chopped fresh tarragon with his fish; I used dried thyme because I had run out of dried tarragon. And I didn’t use all that much either because I still wanted to be able to distinguish the flavor of the fish from the herb.

This recipe is goof for four persons.

Ingredients :

One large fleshy fish, about 1-1/2 kilos in weight
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
dried thyme
about 1/2 c. of flour
1/2 c. of cooking oil (more if you’re not using a non-stick pan)

For the sauce :

1 c. of mayonnaise
1/2 c. of milk
1 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic
a little salt
a pinch or two of dried thyme

Cooking procedure :

Make the sauce first by stirring everything together in a bowl. Chill while you cook the fish.

Fillet the fish (or have it done in the market), discarding the skin. Pat the fish fillets dry with absorbent kitchen towels. Lay on a large plate side by side and sprinkle with salt, rubbing the salt into the flesh for even distribution. You really don’t want some parts saltier than others. Sprinkle the black pepper and thyme on the fish, pressing them into the flesh with your hands. Turn the fish fillets over and do the same thing.

Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan large enough to hold both fillets in a single layer.

Place the flour on a large plate. Dredge both sides of the fish fillets on the flour, shake off the excess and lower them on the hot oil.

How long you need to cook the fish depends on how thick they are. Mine took about four minutes per side. Cook the fish fillets until the outside is golden and crisp, flipping them over for even browning.

Remove the fish fillets from the oil and drain on absorbent paper towels before arranging on the serving platter.

To serve, pour some of the sauce over the fish and serve the remainder on the side as a dipping sauce.

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Comments

12 Responses to “Fish fillets with pepper and thyme”

  1. brenda on January 7th, 2007 12:23 am

    aaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! sarap naman nito….. i will definitely try this recipe.

    jawsko, ang taba ko na kakaluto at kakain ng mga recipe dito, hehehheh… eh ang sarap kumain eh!

    thanks for another great recipe, connie… more power!

  2. Connie on January 7th, 2007 1:15 am

    sarap nga, brenda. may natirang kapiraso kanina nung bumalik ako sa kitchen, plato na lang, wala nang laman hehehe

  3. brenda on January 7th, 2007 6:31 am

    heehheehhe… kinain siguro ng pusa (pusang malaki ang ulo).

    when are you going to make egg pie??

  4. Aloha on January 10th, 2007 5:49 pm

    :shock::grin: I’m speechless and my mouth is watering! A girl can dream! lol Looks soo soo good Tita Con!

  5. taj on January 10th, 2007 6:19 pm

    hi connie, i’ve been enjoying your recipes! where do you buy your fish fillets? it’s quite expensive di ba? kahit sa palengke, lalo na lapu-lapu fillets. any suggestions, any cheaper kind?
    thanks, i’ll really try this one.

  6. Connie on January 10th, 2007 9:10 pm

    Aloha, it’s a very easy recipe. Eating the real thing is soooo much better. :)
    taj, we have different sources for the fish. sometimes, it’s S&R, other times it’s Shopwise… when there’s time, the best to buy fish fillets is Farmer’s market. And we rarely buy lapu-lapu precisely because it’s expensive. Most times, it’s maya-maya, labahita or talakitok. Tilapia fillets are very good too. :)

  7. Emily on January 11th, 2007 2:56 pm

    Miss Connie, hubster gave me a two thumbs up after dinner because of this recipe :smile: It’s a breeze to prepare/cook, too! Thanks again!

    Ay oo nga pala, I tried the leche flan recipe and it was yummy,too! Kaso sumablay ako sa isa kase instead of molasses ginamit ko sugar free pancake syrup!(cough* I know… heheheh). Good thing yung isa lang ginamitan ko nung syrup.

  8. Connie on January 11th, 2007 4:25 pm

    Anong effect nung sugar-free pancake syrup, emily? I was thinking of trying syrup too, although not sugar-free.

  9. Emily on January 12th, 2007 12:31 am

    Hubster said parang loose daw yung flan… tama nga naman cause when I poured the mixture, ndi nag settle yung syrup sa bottom ng llanera.

  10. Connie on January 12th, 2007 8:23 am

    thanks for the info, emily. i think i will stick to molasses. or maybe i’ll try honey next time. :)

  11. dee on September 21st, 2007 1:56 pm

    i was thinking on what to do with my fish fillets and i came across this recipe.. hmm, i think im going to do this for lunch tom. ^_^

    thank you sobra ate connie for the recipes. Sana makapg post ka na ng sour cream. I really want to try your recipes with sour cream eh.. Thanks again.

  12. Xia on January 18th, 2008 3:39 pm

    Fish fillet with thyme this is something new ^_^

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