Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 20g butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 0.5 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 generous pinch of saffron
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons finely chop parsley
- 0.5 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 x 150g john dory fillets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 40g pine nuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- sea salt
- cracked pepper
- lemon wedges
Recipe also works with:
Method
- In a pot, bring vegetable stock to a simmer then set aside.
- Heat butter and oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over a moderate heat. Add the diced onion and gently fry until soft and translucent then add the garlic and chilli flakes and fry briefly until aromatic.
- Add in the saffron, orzo and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until orzo is cooked and stock has been completely absorbed and season generously with sea salt and cracked pepper.
- Remove the orzo from the heat and stir through the parsley, lemon zest and juice.
- Season john dory fillets with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place oil and fillets, skin side down, in a cold, nonstick pan. Place on a medium/high heat and fry until golden and crispy and mostly cooked through. Turn the fillets over and briefly cook the flesh side.
- Finely chop pine nuts, parsley and garlic and place in a small bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper and mix well to combine.
TO SERVE
Spread the saffron orzo on a serving dish or individual plates, top with crispy john dory fillets and drizzle generously
with parsley sauce Pop on a few lemon wedges for extra zing.
CHEF’S TIP
To guarantee a gorgeous crispy skin on your john dory fillets, cook in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan.
Species used in this recipe
John dory Mãori Name: Kuparu
John dory belong to the Zeidae family (dories).