Chocolate Fish Cafe's Spiced Chickpea Salad with Fillet of Terakihi & Homemade Vinegarette
Try this fresh spiced chickpea salad by John and Penny Pennington from Chocolate Fish Cafe.
INGREDIENTS
For the salad
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ preserved lemon, flesh and pith removed, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
1 small bag baby spinach leaves
4 Tarakihi fillets (approx. 150g each)*
Preserved Lemon and Herb Vinaigrette
20g fresh mint leaves
20g fresh dill
20g fresh coriander
20g fresh parsley
½ preserved lemon, flesh and pith removed
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
150ml white wine vinegar
1½ cups olive oil
4 Tbsp water
* the fish can easily be substituted for
halloumi for a vegetarian option or omitted to make the dish vegan.
INSTRUCTIONS
For the vinaigrette, place all the herbs in a food processor and process to a fine chop.
Add rest of ingredients and process to an emulsion. Store in a glass bottle
For the spiced chickpea salad, place half the oil with the onions, garlic, celery and carrots into a large saucepan and sauté over medium to high heat until tender (4 to 5 minutes), add half the spices and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Add the tomato, season to taste and then add the chickpeas, preserved lemon, and coriander and keep warm.
To cook the Tarakihi, heat a large oven proof pan over a high heat and add remaining oil.
Sprinkle remaining spices over the fish and lightly sprinkle with pepper and salt. Add to hot pan and cook, turning once, until just crisp and brown (1-2 minutes on each side depending on thickness of fish fillet).
Transfer to oven to keep warm.
Heat a large pan over medium to high heat. Add a good splash of olive oil. Add the chickpea salad and heat through. Add the baby spinach leaves last, folding through to just wilt the leaves. Finally fold through ¼ cup of vinaigrette, adding extra if desired.
Divide chickpea salad between 4 plates, top with the fish fillet and finish with a squirt of lemon and herb vinaigrette.
