Goujons of Sole With Dill Mayonnaise
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA EXPRESSIntroduction
Goujons have fallen from grace, but it is hard to work out why. The crunch of the breadcrumb casing, the tender, yielding softness of the white fish within: this is a fish finger taken to the highest level. If you can find the Japanese seasoned breadcrumbs, panko, then get them: they create an almost feathery but crunchy casing. The traditional accompaniment is a sauce tartare, but my favourite sauce is a dill mayonnaise, with perhaps some cornichons heaped on a plate nearby.
Consider these a fabulously quick starter when you've got people over or a real treat of a midweek supper for two. The trick here is to prepare ahead for that. I make up a vast batch of these and freeze them. Then, when it's dinnertime and I don't know what I'm going to cook, I heat some oil in a pan and fry a handful from frozen. They barely need an extra minute. I prefer to fry in batches in a small saucepan rather than fill a frying pan with lots of oil and try to get them all done at once.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Goujons have fallen from grace, but it is hard to work out why. The crunch of the breadcrumb casing, the tender, yielding softness of the white fish within: this is a fish finger taken to the highest level. If you can find the Japanese seasoned breadcrumbs, panko, then get them: they create an almost feathery but crunchy casing. The traditional accompaniment is a sauce tartare, but my favourite sauce is a dill mayonnaise, with perhaps some cornichons heaped on a plate nearby.
Consider these a fabulously quick starter when you've got people over or a real treat of a midweek supper for two. The trick here is to prepare ahead for that. I make up a vast batch of these and freeze them. Then, when it's dinnertime and I don't know what I'm going to cook, I heat some oil in a pan and fry a handful from frozen. They barely need an extra minute. I prefer to fry in batches in a small saucepan rather than fill a frying pan with lots of oil and try to get them all done at once.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 16, enough for 3 people
For the Goujons
- 2 lemon sole fillets (skinned)
- 70 grams cornflour
- 100 grams white breadcrumbs (or panko)
- 2 large eggs
- approx. 250 millilitres groundnut oil (or grapeseed - or as needed depending on size of pan)
- Maldon sea salt flakes (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
For the Dill Mayonnaise
- 200 grams mayonnaise (preferably organic)
- 15 grams fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (to taste)
- Maldon sea salt flakes (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
For the Goujons
- 2 lemon sole fillets (skinned)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup white breadcrumbs (or panko)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup peanut oil (or grapeseed - or as needed depending on size of pan)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
For the Dill Mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise (preferably organic)
- ⅓ cup fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (to taste)
- kosher salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Method
- Cut the sole fillets in half lengthways, and then slice each fillet half into about four long strips on the diagonal. This will give you eight goujons from each fillet.
- Put the cornflour into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs or panko into another shallow bowl, and beat the eggs in an additional bowl.
- Dip each goujon into the seasoned cornflour, coating it well, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Lay the goujons on a cooling rack for a while, and heat the oil in a pan. (Or at this point you can freeze them in layers of baking parchment in an airtight container.)
- Fry the goujons for about 2 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove to pieces of kitchen paper as you go, to get rid of excess oil.
- Put the mayonnaise into a bowl, and finely chop the dill, adding it to the mayo.
- Stir in some lime juice and taste for seasoning.
- Cut the sole fillets in half lengthways, and then slice each fillet half into about four long strips on the diagonal. This will give you eight goujons from each fillet.
- Put the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put the breadcrumbs or panko into another shallow bowl, and beat the eggs in an additional bowl.
- Dip each goujon into the seasoned cornstarch, coating it well, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Lay the goujons on a cooling rack for a while, and heat the oil in a pan. (Or at this point you can freeze them in layers of baking parchment in an airtight container.)
- Fry the goujons for about 2 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove to pieces of kitchen paper as you go, to get rid of excess oil.
- Put the mayonnaise into a bowl, and finely chop the dill, adding it to the mayo.
- Stir in some lime juice and taste for seasoning.
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What 1 Other has said
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Posted by geminirider on 5th July 2013
Show more commentsI use a mix of Panko (which can be expensive) cornflakes, crackers, crispbreads and stale bread.