The character of the sea bream fillets accompanied by vegetables suggests a dry, medium-bodied, and sapid white wine. A Pinot Grigio or Riesling from Alto Adige or a white Sauvignon from Friuli would be perfect.
Pan-fried sea bream fillets with peppers, carrots, courgette and cherry tomatoes
Difficulty: easy
Method: 10
Cooking: 15
Difficulty: easy
Method: 10
Cooking: 15
Method
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01 / Prepare the vegetables for the side dish
Wash the pepper, cut it in half, remove the seeds and cut it into julienne strips
Wash the courgettes and cut them into julienne strips
Peel the carrots and cut them into julienne strips
Cut the cherry tomatoes into 4 pieces
Crush a clove of garlic without peeling it
Place the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat
Add the garlic clove
Brown without burning
Remove the garlic clove
Turn up the heat and add the peppers and carrots
Let them cook for 5 minutes
Add the courgettes
Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes
Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes
Add salt and pepper to taste
Cut the fresh basil into julienne strips
Add chopped basil and allow to take on flavour
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02 / Prepare the fish
Dip the fish fillets into the flour
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03 / Cook the fish
Put a saucepan on the stove with extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat
Add the thyme
Remove the excess flour from the fillets
Place the fish fillets down on the skinless side
Turn them over after about 2 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Sprinkle with white wine
Continue to cook the sauce, stirring for about 3 minutes
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04 / Serving
Place the fish on the serving dish
Add the fish fillet
Wine pairing
To maintain the characteristics of softness and succulence, fish fillets should be prepared just before cooking, preparing in advance is not recommended.
You can prepare the vegetables as a side dish a few hours in advance and then just warm them before serving.
Do not cook the fish fillets over a low heat, otherwise they will be as if boiled and not browned and crispy
Do not overcook the fillets, they should be soft and juicy.
Do not cook the vegetables all at once from the beginning, but put them in the pan according to their cooking times: first those that need to cook more, then those that need just a few minutes.
You can also use fish stored in the freezer. Before cooking it, defrost in the fridge and dry very well before seasoning.
To enjoy the softness of the fish, the fillets should be eaten freshly cooked. If some is left over, keep it in the fridge for a day, covered with cling film. Before serving again, reheat in the oven with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
If you would like to keep the fish for a few more days, even 3 or 4 days, we suggest preparing a quick “carpione”, soused fish recipe:
Cut 50 g of carrot, 50 g of celery and 300 g of onion into julienne strips.
Cook on a very low heat with a little extra virgin olive oil and a little salt until the vegetables are very soft.
Add 100 ml white vinegar and 100 ml white wine, a bay leaf and some peppercorns and let it simmer.
Pour the hot marinade over the leftover fish and keep it covered in the fridge. Perfect also as an appetiser.
You can replace the sea bream fillets with fillets of any other fish you like. If you fillet the fish yourself, remember how to make sure you buy fresh fish:
A lively, convex eye
Bright red gills without mucus
The skin is bright in colour, without discolouration
Scales attached to the skin Bones firmly attached to the flesh.
The meat is compact and elastic: if you press it with your finger, it should sink and then immediately regain its original shape.
The scent of fresh fish is brackish or fishy; when the scents turn to sour smells, the fish was caught a few days before.
Rigor mortis, i.e., there should still be a general rigidity.
The use of durum wheat flour instead of normal flour makes the fillets crispier during cooking.
Thyme is an aromatic herb that goes particularly well with fish fillets but can be replaced with something else to your taste, like rosemary or bay leaves.
In any case, the herbs should be cooked first with extra virgin olive oil, so the essential oils can release their aromas to the full.
Ingredients for 4 people
For the fish
4 fillets of sea bream – as in the fish fillet
100 ml white wine
1 bunch of thyme
30 g durum wheat flour
20 g of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the vegetables for the side dish
200 g of carrots
200 g courgettes
200 g yellow peppers
200 g of cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of basil
30 g extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Wine pairing
The character of the sea bream fillets accompanied by vegetables suggests a dry, medium-bodied, and sapid white wine. A Pinot Grigio or Riesling from Alto Adige or a white Sauvignon from Friuli would be perfect.
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