Crisp skin-on zander fillets served over a warm mix of green and red lentils with finely diced carrot, celery, leek, and red pepper, brightened with lemon and thyme. A light, high-protein dinner that works with any white fish.
Lentils & vegetables
Fish & herbs
Stew the green lentils
Soak the red lentils in cold water and set aside. Sauté the green lentils in some of the oil with half of the finely chopped red onion and the sliced garlic. Add a splash of water (or vegetable stock) now and then and stew, ideally covered, until soft.
Build the vegetable lentils
In a pan, sauté the remaining finely chopped onion in oil. Dice all the vegetables into small cubes and add them to the pan with the onion. Stir in the soaked, drained red lentils and the stewed green lentils. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Pan-fry the zander
Clean the zander, remove any bones, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped thyme. Heat a pan, lay a piece of parchment paper on it, drizzle with oil, and fry the fillets skin-side down. Spoon the pan oil over the fish from time to time.
Plate up
Spoon the lentils onto the plates and top each with a fried zander fillet.
You can prepare fillets of any other white fish the same way.
