Photo: Goujons of Sole and Dill Mayonnaise Recipe
Goujons have fallen out of favor over the last two decades, but it is hard to work out why. The crunch of the bread crumb casing, the tender, yielding softness of the white fish within: this is a fishfinger taken to the highest level. The traditional accompaniment is a tartar sauce, but my favourite sauce is a dill mayonnaise, with perhaps some cornichons tumbled 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 is to prepare ahead for that. I make up a vast batch of these and freeze them. Then, when it's dinner time 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 a lot of oil and try and get them all done at once. If you can find the Japanese seasoned bread crumbs, panko, then get them: they create an almost feathery but crunchy casing.
Ingredients
- 2 fillets lemon sole, skinned
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or 2 cups panko
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup groundnut or grapeseed oil, as needed depending on the size of pan
Dill Mayonnaise:
- 1 cup mayonnaise, preferably organic
- Small bunch dill, about 1/3 cup
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon lime juice, to taste
Directions
Cut the sole fillets in half lengthways, and then slice each fillet half into about 4 long strips on the diagonal. This will give you 8 goujons from each fillet.
Put the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put the bread crumbs or panko into another shallow bowl, and beat the eggs together in an additional bowl.
Dip each goujon into the seasoned cornstarch, coating it well, then the beaten egg, and finally the bread crumbs.
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 towel, as you go, to remove excess oil.
For the Dill Mayonnaise:
Put the mayonnaise into a bowl, and finely chop the dill, adding it to the mayonnaise. Stir in some lime juice and taste for seasoning. Serve with the prepared fish.
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By cookin n tryin
Meridian, MS
on November 08, 2012
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My husband bought a pound of frozen hake and asked me to cook it. I ran across this recipe and decided to give it a try. I cut each filet in 4 pieces (it's a smaller but thicker fish than sole and prepared it as directed. It turned out quite edible--a very pleasing texture (although the hake would not be my fish of choice!
I breaded the pound but only fried up half for our meal--the other half I froze. I used virtually all of the cornstarch and egg, but wound up throwing at least a cup of panko away. Next time I will just start with 1 cup and be prepared to add a little more as needed at the end. Because the pieces are small, I fried in batches in a small cast iron frying pan so it didn't require a great deal of the grapeseed oil. However, be aware that if you use a less delicate fish than sole, you will need to fry it longer than 2 minutes!
I looking forward to trying this recipe with a better quality fish!
By divarecovery_11...
saint charles, MO
on June 22, 2009
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We really like this recipe. Finally, I have found the secret to keeping the breading on the fish. I also tried this process with chicken strips. Wonderful. Family loves it! Thanks Nigella. You are my favorite.
By xofmap_11704804
Paint Lick, KY
on May 27, 2009
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My husband and I loved these recipes. I fixed the fish exactly as called for except I used peanut oil for frying. I didn't have any fresh dill for the sauce, however, so I used dried dill and it was delicious! The only thing I might add next time is a little salt to the panko so that the fish come out a bit saltier. Regardless, these are definitely worth trying!
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