This is my interpretation of the classic chicken-shop dinner. From the seasoning added to the flounder to the soft white bread rolls, coleslaw and amazing gravy, this is a dish I hope you will want to cook again and again. Flathead, turbot and halibut all make excellent alternatives here, too. If you have one, use a grill basket specific to cooking flat fish, as it will enable you to flip the fish easily for controlled cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 x 500g whole greenback flounder, gutted and scaled
- 60ml (¼ cup) grapeseed oil
- sea salt flakes
- 4 soft white floury bread rolls, warmed cold butter, for spreading
- flounder gravy, to serve (optional)
- fries, to serve (optional)
Flounder seasoning
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Celeriac coleslaw
- ¼ red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 large celeriac, finely sliced
- 2 carrots, finely sliced
- 300g quality mayonnaise
- 60ml (¼ cup) chardonnay
- vinegar
- sea salt flakes and freshly cracked
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted celery seeds
Serves 4
For the flounder seasoning, combine all the spices in an airtight container and set aside until needed. It will keep in the pantry for up to 1 month.
To make the celeriac coleslaw, place the cabbage, celeriac and carrot in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper and celery seeds in a small bowl. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Slowly add more dressing until you’ve reached your desired ratio of coleslaw to dressing. Set aside.
Prepare a charcoal grill, making sure the grill is hot and the charcoal has cooked down to hot embers. Level out the embers so the heat is even.
Using scissors, snip off any fins around the skirt of the flounder, as these will be the first things to scorch and become tatty during cooking. Brush the fish on both sides with a little grapeseed oil and season well with salt flakes and the flounder seasoning (about 2 teaspoons for each fish).
Place the flounder directly on the grill racks, dark (top) side down, and grill for 4 minutes each side, or until the internal temperature on the bone of the flounder reaches 48°C on a probe thermometer.
Transfer the fish to a large serving platter and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the coleslaw, warm bread rolls, cold butter, gravy and a generous mound of fries, if you like.
Recipe extracted from Take One Fish
by Josh Niland
RRP $60, Hardie Grant Books
