Who’d have thought that a fridge tidy cook up of a single corn on the cob, few fine green beans and peas from the freezer with chopped coriander mixed through it, could result in such a good muddle of crunch and soft textures and gentle flavours. Delicious hot, the leftovers – I always make too much of dishes like this – are a great salad. The combo is particularly fresh and healthy with breadcrumbed fillets of sole. The dish is painless to make relying on pleasant cooking tasks, nothing taxing. Do try it.
Serves 2
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 15 min
4 lemon sole fillets (mine were Cornish megrim but other flat fish like plaice would be perfect)
flour
1 large egg
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 corn on the cob
100g fine green beans
150g frozen petits pois
few sprigs coriander
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 lemon wedges
If you shop at a fishmonger, buy a whole fish and ask for the fish to be filleted for you, the skin removed. When you get home, halve the fillets lengthways, so you end up with 4 roughly equally sized skinned and boned fillets. Any doubt about bones, run your index finger over the fish and use tweezers to pull out any stray bones. Dust the fish with flour, shaking away excess, then swipe through beaten egg and then press into the crumbs to cover. I find it easiest to use tongs for the egg and breadcrumb part and once all the fish are floured, work on one piece at a time. Transfer to a plate as you go. You can, if it suits, keep the fish on hold in the fridge, covered with a stretch of clingfilm. To prepare the veg, place the cob, flat-end-down, on a work surface and use a strong, sharp knife to remove the corns. Do this by pressing the knife hard against the top of the cob, then swipe down at where the corn grow out of the cob, cutting off the corn. Take care to avoid them scattering. Work round the cob. Top and tail then halve the beans. Boil the corn for 10 minutes in salted water. Boil peas and beans for a few minutes until just tender. Drain and mix the veg together with chopped coriander. Serve hot, warm or cold. To cook the fish, heat 2 tbsp veg oil in a trusted frying pan over a medium heat and cook the fish for a couple of minutes a side, adjusting the heat so the crumbs brown nicely rather than burn and the fish cooks through. Serve with a lemon wedge.