Pan-grilled Lentjan with a Double Lime Twist

I'm yet to fully cope with my new digital toy (still reading chap one of a 200-page manual) . To keep the ball rolling, I guess I might just dig out the old pics for the time being then.

The spirits of minimalist cooking cannot be more relevant when it comes to seafood. Because seafood has its distinct freshness and delicacy. You gotta be careful when deciding what ingredients to go with. The balance must be right or else the very original flavours will be compromised.

What I'm showing here is my all-time favourite treat of a typical fresh seafish. And one of my favourite fishes is Lentjan (連尖). There are some better seasons. But, by and large, it's good through the year. Get one as big as you can. Alternatively, a red snapper will also do.

Minimalist's ingredients:
lime leaves, finely shredded; small amount of garlic, chopped (not pressed or crushed); tiny bit of ginger, finely shredded; and fresh lime.

Use a sharp knife to slice off the meat from the fish. Marinate with lime leaves, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of flour, sea-salt and fresh ground pepper (preferably a mix of white and black). Leave it in the fridge for couple of hours.

Heat up the pan to a grilling temperature, with a few drops of oil. Use one that can stand the heat and never use Teflon!

Toss the fish onto the pan. Leave it for 2 minutes, until one side gets "toasted". Turn over and give it another minute.

Give it some more fresh pepper and it's done! Sprinkle a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice to give it an extra kick.

Best served with Riesling and salad of your choice.

Cheers!