Pan-fried red mullet with orzo and mussels

Serves:: 2
Prep Time:: 7 mins
Cook Time:: 20 mins

I've always said red mullet is my favourite fish, and standing on Brixham market at half four in the morning reminded me why. Coral pink against the blue crates, holiday colours, and the box we picked was so fresh the fish hadn't come out of rigor yet. It's a delicate thing, soft-skinned, easy to damage, so it rewards being handled well and cooked simply. This dish is built around that. Mussels and wine make the sauce, the orzo finishes in it like a risotto, and the mullet is pan fried at the very end. One thing to focus on, not five.

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Ingredients

2 red mullet fillets
200g cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 glass white wine
200g mussels
Parsley, chopped
Olive oil
150g orzo

Method

Soak the mussels in cold water for a few minutes, picking through them to remove any beards.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add half of the garlic, keeping a close eye on it as it can burn quickly. Cook it until lightly golden, then add the mussels and the white wine. Stir, cover with a lid and turn the heat up high. After about 2 minutes, the mussels should have opened wide. Strain, reserving the cooking liquor.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the orzo for 6 minutes. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, gently sweat the remaining garlic in olive oil. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to burst and release their juices.

Stir the cooked orzo into the tomatoes, then add the mussels along with their cooking liquor. Keep everything on a low heat.

Heat a separate frying pan with a little oil. Pat the skin of the mullet dry and salt them, then place the fillets skin-side down, pressing gently for the first few seconds to ensure even contact with the pan.

Cook over a medium-high heat for 1½ minutes, until the skin is a little golden. Place the fillets skin-side up on top of the orzo. Let the residual heat gently finish cooking the fish for 2–3 minutes, once cooked it will turn opaque and the flakes will be separating from each other.

Finish with plenty of chopped parsley and serve.

Featured products

Red Mullet Fillets

Serves 1 - Min 140g

Filleted ready for cooking

£13.95

Sent fresh

A portion of Red Mullet fillets from Rockfish Online Seafood Market cooked in cast iron skillet in butter and rosemary.

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Alfie Turner

Alfie trained as a chef in London institution Trullo in Islington before helping to open Four Boys Cafe alongside his brothers George and Hal. He now advises and helps to curate the weekly menu, changing with seasonality

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