Mushroom & Herb Salad
Servings: for two
This simple salad from NYT is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled fish. Not only the mushroom slices keep the fish flakes firmly in the middle of the fork, the flavours are lemony and fresh. I eliminate the parmesan as I prefer the salad to be light and Mediterranean-like. The combination results in one of the best summer lunches I’ve made.
For the grilled fish, I picked up a whole "Royal Dorale" as it’s called here. I don’t know what it’s called in English. Googling results in ‘Mediterranean Sea Bass" or "Sea Bream". Not sure. Normally Royal Dorale is served ‘en papilotte’ with cherry tomatoes but I grill the fish using the Indonesian technique of massaging every kind of white meat with lemon juice to get rid of the fishy smell. As we can’t barbecue, I use my oven to grill. It works as well.
The Salad:
1/2 pound champignon, trimmed and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups fresh herb leaves, I use parsley and chives, all coarsely chopped (1 cup chopped herbs).
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ounce shaved Parmesan (Optional)
The Grilled Fish:
A piece of whole large fish, gutted and cleaned.
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 tbsp chives, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
The Salad:
1. Toss the sliced mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a salad bowl. Add the herbs and Parmesan (if using).
2. Combine the remaining lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, add salt and freshly ground pepper, and whisk in the olive oil. Toss with the mushrooms, herbs and Parmesan, and serve.
The Grilled Fish:
Make the flavourings the night before by mixing the smashed garlic and chopped chives in olive oil. Refrigerate overnight to infuse.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. When ready to grill, wash and dry the fish. Make two horizontal incision on each side of the fish. Rub the fish all over with lemon juice. Then, rub it again with the flavourings. Don’t worry if the garlic and chives stick to the skin. Place the fish in a fish wire and, using the grill mode, grill on one side for about 15 minutes or until some parts are golden brown. Flip the fish and grill the other side for another 10 minutes.
Remove the grilled fish and, while hot, season both sides with salt and pepper. Fillet the fish and season the insides with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with mushroom salad, some bread, and a bottle of Burgundy White for a lazy lunch.
