Seared Grouper with Crunchy Cucumber-Carrot Salad and Soy-Mustard Drizzle
A vibrant, light fish dish featuring pan-seared grouper fillets over a crisp cucumber ribbon salad, finished with a savory soy-mustard dressing and crunchy fried garlic.
- Prep20 min
- Cook20 min
- Total40 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Servings4
This recipe turns a simple fish fillet into a restaurant-quality plate with minimal effort. The key is the contrast: warm, juicy grouper against a cool, crunchy salad, all tied together with a punchy Asian-inspired dressing.
The soy-mustard dressing does double duty—it flavors the fish as a marinade and becomes a vibrant sauce for the salad. A quick fry of shallots and garlic adds a golden, crispy topping that makes every bite interesting.
Ingredients
Servings
Converted amounts are rounded.
Advertisement
Method
- In a blender, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sake, mustard, and one-third of the garlic. Blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 6 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and blend until emulsified.
- Using a mandoline, thinly slice half of the cucumber lengthwise into ribbons. Finely julienne the remaining cucumber half, the carrot, and the daikon. Toss the julienned vegetables together in a medium bowl.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced shallot and the remaining garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallot and garlic to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Season the grouper fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Place them in the same skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the fillets, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until just opaque throughout, about 2 minutes more.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the soy-mustard dressing onto the center of each plate. Fold the cucumber ribbons and arrange them over the dressing. Set a grouper fillet on each bed of cucumber, browned side up. Top with the julienned vegetables, then drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with the fried garlic and shallot, chile strips, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro leaves, and chives. Serve immediately.
💡 Tips
- If you don't have a mandoline, use a sharp vegetable peeler to create the cucumber ribbons.
- For a milder heat, remove the seeds from the chile before cutting into strips.
- The dressing can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator; shake well before using.
Inspired by a recipe from Food & Wine