Recipe and image by Kathy Paterson
Trevally is an oily fish that stands up to the tart and punchy flavours of green kiwifruit and preserved lemon.
Serves 4
2 kiwifruit, peeled and finely diced
½-1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely chopped (see tip)
extra virgin olive oil
4 fillets trevally
zest of 1 small lemon
a few sprigs of fresh dill
16–20 small olives
Put the kiwifruit and preserved lemon in a bowl. Splash over a little olive oil and mix by very lightly crushing the kiwifruit to muddle with the preserved lemon.
Heat a large frying pan or hot plate over medium heat.
Lightly rub the trevally fillets with olive oil to prevent them sticking to your pan. Add to the pan and cook for about two minutes on each side, but this will depend on the size and thickness of the fillets. Be careful not to overcook to prevent dry fish and remember fish does cook a little more once removed from the heat.
Put a fillet of trevally on each dinner plate and top with some of the kiwifruit muddle. Finely grate over the lemon zest and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Finish by picking off the delicate feathery green leaves from the dill or use your kitchen scissors to snip the dill over the fish fillets. Scatter each plate with 4–5 olives.
Serve with crusty bread and a simple green leaf salad.
Tips
Remove and discard the white pith and any pips from the preserved lemon pieces. Wash the skins well and dry. Now they are ready for chopping.
Use olives that have had their stones removed if you want to add them to the kiwifruit muddle.
No dill? Use roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves or snipped chives. Late summer/autumn basil would work well too.