Ok, next up in the Lean Ape low carb dinner diaries is a simple pan fried fish dish made extra tasty by some glorious posh bacon…
Since you can’t really get healthier than fish, the chances are that over time, there will be quite a lot of fishy stuff going on in the Lean Ape Recipes section. I won’t apologize for it either!
Our first fishy offering is simplicity itself. Pan fried hake. But to make it just a little bit more interesting some porky flavor filled fat has been included in the shape of pancetta too.
Here Then is Pancetta Fried Fish…
What you need…
Some fish! Hake loin fillets are pictured, but cod and salmon all regularly appear at the Lean Ape table in a similar guise. Pancetta – 2 or 3 rashers per person (or you could use streaky bacon or even parma or serrano ham). Green veggies (peas or broad beans plus a few broccoli florets are our usual mainstays but anything green is good). Lots of black pepper and a little olive oil too.
What we did…
I love things like this. Half an hour tops and you have a great dinner, and there isn’t too much washing up either! Chop the veg ready and make yourself a nice big salad to go with it all.
- First you need to get a good heavy frying pan or skillet heated up. Add a drop of olive oil and then lay in your rashers of pancetta or streaky bacon. Over a medium heat you want to get those nice and crispy which will take about 5 minutes longer than you think. Boil the kettle whilst that’s going on so you’re ready to get on with the veg.
- Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and turn the heat up full whack. There should be plenty of pork fat in the pan which is going to give oodles of flavor to your fish.
- Pop your veggies on to boil as you lay the pepper seasoned hake (skin side down) into the hot fat. You’ll probably need to turn the heat down to medium or so after a few minutes. We want crispy golden (not burnt black) skin.
- After about 5 minutes turn the fish over and turn the heat off. The fish will cook through in around 5 minutes more (but obviously it depends on how thick your fillets are so keep an eye on it). Once its opaque and flaky through to the center you’re done.
- Drain the veggies and toss with the pancetta which you have expertly crumbled.
Done. Serve the fish on its porky, beany bed of vegetables alongside that whopping big salad.
