Pan-Fried Porgy with Tomatoes and Basil

October 13, 2017

Servings: 4

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We dare you to try a fish you never even knew existed - introducing, porgy!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 1 lb porgy (or red snapper) - ask the fish counter to de-bone it
• 1/2 cup flour
• Salt & Pepper for seasoning
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread flour out evenly on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Roll each fillet of fish lightly in the flour and coat evenly.
• Step 2 Prepare your tomatoes by tossing with olive oil, garlic & balsamic. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Toss with basil after removing from the oven.
• Step 3 While the tomatoes are roasting, cook your porgy. Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fillets of porgy, starting with the skin side up (trust me – otherwise the fish will buckle and curl!) 2 minutes per side.
• Step 4 Once the fish is golden brown on each side, plate and top with the roasted tomatoes.

The last time I tried to experiment with a new fish, it was a monkfish, and I can tell you one thing – that will not be making a reappearance in our household! (To this day when I mention it, Marc still cringes!) So, you can understand why I was a little wary when my the fishmonger at my local market suggested I try out porgy, aka pink snapper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at the fish counter, so I clearly needed an education. He must have seen the skepticism on my face, because he knew he really had to sell this thing.  But, to his credit, he dropped the O-bomb, informing me that porgy has a lot of Omega-3’s (don’t worry I fact checked this the second I got home) and I was as good as sold.

Chefs, meet porgy:

For those who know little about porgy – which a lackluster Google search for recipes would suggest is the majority of you – it’s a white fish, with a likeness to red snapper. I always associate red snapper with its crispy skin, so this was another reason I became a porgy fan. For that reason, I knew right off the bat I wanted to pan-fry it.

Then, since I still had some fresh cherry tomatoes lying around from our trip to the farmers market this weekend, I figured a tomato-basil relish would be a tasty way to finish off the dish.

This dish was a big hit and fairly easy to throw together for a weeknight dinner. For those who can’t find porgy (I don’t even know the next time it will cross my own path!), you can definitely substitute red snapper. I’d just recommend cooking it a little longer per side (3 minutes each side).