We are very lucky living down the Bellarine Peninsula ! We have access to great fresh local Whiting. One of our mates is often fishing and sharing his catches or it’s just a quick trip down to Queenscliff, to buy from a locally owned fishmonger, who sells from an old fishing boat…
Recently I had some chorizo in the fridge that needed using and somewhere in my brain I was sure that whiting and chorizo went together. I can’t recall where that thought came from but after some googling for ideas I combined a couple of thoughts into the following for dinner.
This is enough for 2 people and I served the whiting with a simple green salad, with a light vinaigrette dressing, so as to not overpower the fish.
For the chorizo topping:
1/2 a fennel bulb, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 chorizo, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped chives
2-3 tomatoes, de-seeded and finely chopped
1-2 tbs (depending on your personal preference) each of fresh oregano, basil, Italian parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Gently pan fry fennel, onion, chorizo and garlic together and once cooked, drain on absorbent paper towel. Return to the pan to brown up the chorizo, and finish off with the chives, lemon zest, and other herbs – simply warm them through and set aside whilst cook the whiting.
Cooking the Whiting
The whiting is easy – all I do is flour the fillets (plain flour on a plate, with salt and pepper and cover the fillets in the flour) and pan fry in hot pan and a little butter and olive oil. Start with the skin side down until you see the flesh half cooked on the fillets (usually less than a minute), then turn over for 10-20 seconds and take off.
Place whiting on plates and top with warm chorizo topping and Voila !!!! Happy, tasty soul food moment 😍