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Espada com banana
Fried scabbardfish with banana
Espada com banana: Madeira's black scabbardfish fried in egg, with caramelised banana
PortugueseThe long, black, sharp-toothed espada is caught at great depth off Madeira at night, and the Funchal fish market sells it every morning. Its white, tender fillets are eaten everywhere on the island, most famously dipped in egg and fried, then crowned with slices of the small, sweet local banana fried in butter. Black scabbardfish is hard to find elsewhere; hake, ling or cod fillets work well. Chef's tip: pat the fish completely dry before flouring it, so the egg coating clings and fries crisp.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 4 black scabbardfish filletsabout 150 g each, skinned; or hake, ling or cod
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 6 tbsp sunflower oilfor frying
For the bananas
- 4 small bananasor 2 regular, ripe but firm
- 1 oz butter
To serve
- 2 passion fruit (optional)pulp scooped out
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Lay 4 black scabbardfish fillets in a dish, rub with 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp white pepper and pour over 1 lemon. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, no longer, or the lemon starts to 'cook' the fish.
30 minStep 2: Pat the fillets dry with kitchen paper. Put 2 ⅛ oz plain flour on one plate and 2 eggs in a shallow bowl.
Step 3: Heat 6 tbsp sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Dip each fillet in flour, shake off the excess, then dip in egg, letting the excess drip back.
Step 4: Fry for 3–4 minutes a side, until the coating is deep golden and the flesh is opaque and flakes when pushed with a fork at the thickest point. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
8 minStep 5: Peel 4 small bananas and halve them lengthwise. Wipe out the pan, melt 1 oz butter over a medium heat and fry the bananas for 1–2 minutes a side, until golden and just soft. A common mistake is using very ripe bananas, which collapse into mush; they should still be slightly firm.
4 minStep 6: Lay the bananas on the fish, spoon over 2 passion fruit if using, scatter with 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve with boiled potatoes or salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does espada com banana take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of lemon?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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