I love eating fish. But it can be a challenge to get my Irishman to enjoy it as much as I do.

Luckily I’ve found if I pan fry mild flavoured white fish and serve it with lashings of hummus spiked with chilli oil, I don’t get any complaints!

I like to dust my fish in a little almond meal (flour works too) before frying so you get a lovely crust. This adds a beautiful textural contast to the softness of the fish itself. It’s really worth the extra minute of two.

You can use any fish fillets here. I’ve used garfish in the photo. They’re super small so you need about 4 fillets per person.

enough for: 2
takes: 20 minutes
1 fresh green chilli
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 fish fillets (about 400g / 14oz)
4 tablespoons almond meal or any flour
1 cup hummus
green salad or veg, to serve

1. For the chilli oil, finely chop the green chilli, discarding the seeds if you want it milder. Stir chopped chilli into the oil. Leave to infuse while you cook the fish.

2. Season almond meal / flour with lots of salt and pepper and place on a shallow plate. Toss fish fillets in the seasoned meal / flour to coat them well.

3. Heat enough oil to cover the base of your frying pan by about 1cm (1/3in) on a medium high heat. When the oil is hot, test with your first fillet. If it sizzles vigorously, add all the fish.

4. Fry for 1-2 minutes (for very small fish) or 3-4 minutes (for more normal sized fillets) on each side. Or until the fish is cooked. You want the flesh to look opaque and for it to flake easily when you prod it with a fork. And you want the crust to look golden brown (don’t worry some of the flour / almond meal will come off into the oil – that’s just what happens). Drain fish on paper towel to remove any excess oil.

5. Divide hummus between two plates. Top with the hot fish. Drizzle over chilli oil and serve salad leaves on the side.

WINE MATCH: A crisp dry white like a pinot gris or (my favourite) riesling.

Variations & Substitutions

Short on time – skip the chilli oil and just drizzle with your best peppery extra virgin olive oil.

vegetarian – serve the hummus and chilli oil with falafels or pan fry large flat mushrooms with the flour / almond crust or pan fry some chickpeas instead of the fish.

more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with potato chips! Or pita bread.

more substantial (low carb) – Serve with roasted almonds or extra veggies – steamed broccoli goes really well. Or if it’s Spring try with some asparagus.

lower carb / no hummus – replace hummus with tahini yoghurt (50:50 blend of greek yoghurt and tahini) or try my broccoli hummus.

Low FODMAP – skip the almond / flour crust. Replace hummus with mashed potato (and really make an Irishman happy!) or mashed sweet potato.

different protein – lovely with chicken breast or thigh fillets, lamb chops or even pork chops.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

green chillies – will keep for months in the fridge. Can be frozen or left unwrapped in the fridge they will slowly turn into dried chillies and still be edible.

extra virgin olive oil / almond meal or any flour – keep it in the pantry.

fish fillets – freeze it.

hummus – will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Can be frozen.

salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they won’t go slimy.

Prepare Ahead

You can but I prefer the fish when freshly cooked. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a week or can be frozen.