Levantine cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Farrouj el Bahr

Pan-seared gilthead bream, crisp-skinned, topped with a spicy garlic-cilantro sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 gilthead bream
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 2 red chili peppers
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 lemons
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp flour
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Have the gilthead bream filleted or fillet them yourself, pat the fillets dry, season both sides with salt and pepper and let rest for 10 min.
2. Finely chop the garlic, seed the chili peppers and cut into thin rings, roughly chop the cilantro leaves.
3. Dust the fillets thinly with flour on the skin side and tap off any excess so the skin crisps evenly.
4. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large pan until hot, lay the fillets skin-side down, press flat and fry for 4 min., then finish for 1 min. on the flesh side and keep warm.
5. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, sauté garlic, chili and ground coriander over medium heat for 1 min. until the garlic turns pale gold and fragrant, then deglaze with the juice of one lemon.
6. Pour the hot sauce over the fillets, sprinkle with the fresh cilantro and serve immediately with wedges of the second lemon.