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Justine_Snacks

Little Salad Big Fish (Fried Fish with Chili Tomato Salad)

Crisp breadcrumb-fried fish fillets topped with a bright heirloom tomato, cucumber and shallot salad dressed with red wine vinegar and fruity Aleppo pepper. A light summer dinner that comes together in about 15 minutes of active cooking.

⏱ 25 min2Americanfried fishsummertomato saladquick dinnerseafood

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 small (5 oz)heirloom tomato
  • 1 small (1 oz)shallot
  • 1/2 large (4 oz)cucumber
  • 1/4 cupparsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoonsred wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoonAleppo pepper
  • 1 teaspoonflaky salt
  • —freshly cracked black pepper

For the fish

  • 1 poundhalibut, tilapia, flounder or lemon sole
  • 1 largeegg
  • 1/2 cupdry bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoonDiamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 cupneutral oil · vegetable, avocado, or canola
  • —flaky salt · for finishing

Steps

  1. 1

    Slice the tomato into big wedges, thinly slice the shallot and half of a cucumber, and tear 1/4 cup of parsley leaves. Add these to a large bowl. Season with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper, but don't mix yet. Set aside.

  2. 2

    Portion the fish into two pieces if it isn't already two fillets. Whisk the egg in a wide shallow bowl. On a large plate, whisk together 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Dip each fillet in the egg first, then coat in the bread crumbs.

  3. 3

    Pour 1 cup of oil into a 12-inch sauté pan and place over medium heat. Test the oil by adding a small pinch of the breadcrumbs — if they sizzle, it's ready. You can also use a probe thermometer, aiming for 325-350°F.

  4. 4

    Fry the fish for 2-3 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is at least 135°F. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with a pinch of flaky salt.

  5. 5

    Mix the salad and pile it on top of each fillet. Eat immediately.

Creator's notes

A summer staple Justine calls "little salad big fish" — simple because summer food doesn't need much. She usually uses halibut but tilapia works. Shallow frying is a drier cooking method than it sounds: of the 1 cup of oil in the pan, only about 2 tablespoons were absorbed, and the rest can be strained and saved.

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