Something fishy
The Mediterranean Diet prescribes plenty of fish and less meat. This baby kingklip recipe is gluten free, sugar free, super low carb and super high in nutrition.
It also tastes divine, especially made with baby kingklip, takes only 30 minutes to make and it’s so very easy!
Nowadays, I find that fish is extremely expensive. Even the frozen fish fillets have become quite pricey and I look out for specials when I’m grocery shopping. I see you raising an eyebrow there and you’re absolutely right – Kingklip is not the cheapest fishy out there.
We have to shop smart though! Take the time to look around and you may find some excellent deals. At the Food Lovers Market fish section, I bought 800 grams of baby Kingklip (which is a perfect quantity for my family) at around R11.00 per 100 grams! This is substantially cheaper than both the Hake and more experienced adult Kingklipses 😉
If you’re able to hold your breath long enough (because let’s face it, the fish section is not the most pleasantly perfumed zone) you’ll discover more handy shopping tricks…
Cents and sustainability
As an example, the prepared, fresh salmon portions on the day were R299.00 per kilogram. In comparison, Woolworths’ fresh Norwegian salmon portions are R500.00 per kilogram, but that’s not the point. If you select a whole salmon, they will fillet it for you and package the quantity that you want. The price on the day was R179.99 per kilogram. That is a major difference!
As usual, I went that little bit further to be aware of where our food comes from. I looked into the sourcing of the salmon and found this on Food Lover’s Market website:
Although Food Lovers market currently procures farmed Norwegian Salmon which is on the WWF-SASSI orange-list we are implementing a procurement strategy that aligns with SASSI procurement guideline for Salmon. This means that all Norwegian on Food Lover’s shelves will come from farms that are affiliated to the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI – http://globalsalmoninitiative.org/) by January 2019. These farms have committed to work towards meeting the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard for responsible aquaculture by 2020. Food Lover’s has full traceability back to all source farms and is annually tracking progress of these farms towards their 2020 ASC target.
The more sustainable the better and I like the accountability and action plan. Now on to the recipe…
Baby Kingklip with Tuscan Style Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes to taste
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped optional
- 2 tins peeled & diced tomatoes
- 2 tins cannelini beans rinsed and drained
- 200 g fresh baby spinach washed and dried
- salt and pepper
- 800 g baby kingklip or hake fillets patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper
- fresh parsley and lemon to garnish
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
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In a large, deep pan with a lid, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and 1 tsp garlic. Saute until onion has softened. Garlic mustn’t brown.
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Add chilli flakes and rosemary if using. Add diced tomatoes and cannelini beans. Stir well then cover the pan, and reduce heat to simmer while cooking the fish.
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In a large non stick pan on med-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp garlic. When garlic is sizzling, add fish fillets and cook for a couple of minutes. Lift the edge of the fish when it is becoming opaque on top, and see if it is nicely browned on the bottom. Carefully turn the fish using a spatula. While fish cooks on the second side, add fresh spinach to the bean and tomato mixture. Stir well, and replace the lid. Turn off the heat. Allow the spinach to wilt. Check for seasoning. Stir.
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Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the cooked fish fillets.
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Divide the vegetable mixture among your plates or bowls.
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Top each with a fish fillet, and garnish with parsley and a wedge of lemon if desired.
