Szechuan & fennel-seed flake fillets with tomato & saffron butter beans

Real~Living

Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes

Cuisine: Chinese; Modern Australian

Healthy options: Healthy; Low fat

Serves: 4

Type: Budget; Seafood; Family

Tools

Kitchen friendly view

Szechuan & fennel-seed flake fillets with tomato & saffron butter beans

Photography and props styling Katie Quinn Davies

By Recipe & food styling Ali Irvine

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
Few strands of saffron
½ cup vegetable stock
2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained & rinsed
Handful parsley leaves, chopped roughly
Sea salt flakes & cracked black pepper
1½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt flakes
½ tsp fennel seeds
720g flake fillets, or fish of choice
Salad leaves, to serve

Sharp knife
Colander
Large saucepan with lid
Wooden spoon
Large frying pan
Mortar & pestle
Chopping board
Fish slice

Preparation method

Heat half the oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 7 mins, until softened and lightly coloured. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 2 mins.

Add saffron and stock to pan and simmer for 5 mins, then add beans. Reduce heat to low. Cover pan with lid until beans have warmed through. Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Make pepper mix Meanwhile, place Szechuan pepper, 1 tsp sea salt flakes and fennel seeds in frying pan over medium-high heat for several mins to toast, tossing occasionally until fragrant.

Remove from pan and allow pepper mix to cool, then grind using mortar and pestle.

Heat remaining oil in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Halve fish fillets and cook for about 2 mins each side (depending on thickness) until just cooked through.

To serve Season fish with Szechuan pepper mix and serve on bed of tomato and saffron butter beans, with leafy salad on the side.

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