Pan fried bluenose with basil, garlic and lemon zest
![](https://drizzleanddip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_3625.jpg)
Bluenose is a deep water fish caught by long lines or as a trawl bycatch and is often incorrectly sold as a mussel cracker. Its flesh is firm and white, suitable for any cooking method and simply delicious to eat. With this recipe, I pan fried bluenose with basil, garlic and lemon zest
I bought a whole fish at Fish 4 Africa in Woodstock the other day.
![fish 4 africa](https://drizzleanddip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Jan-111.jpg)
I had a friend over for supper and decided to cook the first fillet (which could have fed 4 people) three different ways. I wanted to optimise the flavour of the fish. So I did it like this:
- salt and pepper and pan-fried in my zesty chilli oil
- smoked red pepper, garlic and olive oil
- basil, chilli, garlic, lemon zest, a bit of juice and olive oil
They all had good things going for them, but the last basting paste was the winner in overall appeal.
So I did the second fillet like this:
In a pestle and mortar ground up the following things: (enough for one large fillet / half a bluenose)
- finely grated zest of a lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- about 1 tsp of coarse salt (I used The Smoking Shed Fleur de sel)
- 1 small green chilli (add more if you want heat – or add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes)
grind all of these ingredients first before adding:
- a hand full of basil leaves
- juice of about 1/4 of the lemon (reserve the rest for after cooking)
- a splash of olive oil to get it to a nice spreading consistency – a little more than a thick paste
How to make this:
- Spread the paste over the flesh of the fish, evenly covering the surface.
- heat some olive oil in a pan (about 4 Tbs) – I also used a splash of my chilli oil.
- cut the fish into your desired size portions and fry with the flesh side down, cooking for about 3 minutes per side
- I left the skin on, I simply love crispy fish skin
- I found that the fillets were a little bit too thick to cook all the way through in the pan without burning the outside, so I finished off the cooking in a 200-degree oven for about 8 minutes.
- squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over and serve
This fish goes beautifully with virtually any accompaniment. I served it with my new potato salad with creme fraiche, spring onions and smoked red pepper sprinkle and a green salad loaded with asparagus. It would be wonderful on a braai / BBQ.
Lip-smackingly delicious.
![pan fried bluenose](https://drizzleanddip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_3621.jpg)
![bluenose](https://drizzleanddip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_3625.jpg)
![bluenose](https://drizzleanddip.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_3626.jpg)
The last picture is possibly one of your best ever
…oh and the fish looks awesome too
such pretty pictures of the fish darling! Makes me want to eat 🙂
Thanks Laurence, I tried a whole new lighting set up for these shots and I think they worked out well and I did zero editing on these.
Wow, my mouth’s watering, and I don’t call myself a fish fan at all. I agree, great pictures.
Thanks for this, I also bought some Blue Nose from Fish 4 Africa and used your recipe and it was Awesome!
Thanks!
Thats great LInda, thanks for letting me know. A fab fish indeed, you dont see it that often.