pan fried protein with raw veg salad

Pan Fried Protein with Raw Veg Salad

The dish in the picture is actually pan fried halloumi with chilli oil and a raw broccolini salad. Which sounds much more appetizing than ‘pan fried protein’. But please bear with me. I’m trying to teach how to think about recipes in general terms because it makes it much much easier to adapt and improvise.

per person:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 handfuls finely sliced raw veg
approx 150-250g (5-9oz) protein
lemon half, optional
flavoured oil or sauce, to serve

1. Combine lemon juice with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Season. Toss in finely sliced veg.

2. Heat a frying pan on medium high heat Add a little oil to the pan and pan fry the protein until browned on both sides and cooked to your liking. Anywhere from 2-5 minutes each side. Add the lemon, if using, cut side down to blacken while you cook the protein.

3. Serve protein on a bed of the salad with lemon halves on the side and flavoured oil or sauce drizzled over.

variations

veggie ‘protein’ – I’ve used halloumi in the picture. Tofu or setian would also work well here. Ot think about pan frying some precooked beans or lentils until they are just cooked and serving with the raw veg salad. Field or portabello mushrooms are great here too.

carnivore protein – for pan frying tender cuts are best. And preferably not too thick as it can be difficult to get the middle cooked without completely burning the outsides. Steak, lamb cutlets or lamb chops, pork cutlets or pork chops, chicken breasts, chicken thigh fillets.

raw veg – I’ve used broccolini here. Broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, snow peas or zucchini are all great. Pretty much any veg that will work in a shaved salad is good here. .

veg combo – feel free to use a combination of veg. I toyed with the idea of tossing in a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves but decided against it today. On another day the salad may go in.

flavoured oil – chilli oil is my favourite for dishes like this but a garlic, basil or lemon flavoured oil would also work.

sauce – if flavoured oils aren’t your thing, a good sauce will work here as well. Some ideas
Pesto
Chummuchurri
Parsley sauce,
commercial chilli sauce,
BBQ sauce.
Good quality ketchup.

warm veg – if you’d prefer a warmer meal. Steam the veg instead before dressing in the lemon juice mixture.

leftover potential?

OK!. Will keep in the fridge for a week or so but best when hot from the pan. Especially if you’re using halloumi.

problem solving guide

protein dry – It could be the quality of the meat or it could be overcooked. Next time err on the side of undercooking. You can always add it back to the pan but you can’t undo overcooked meat.

salad difficult to eat – with raw veg it’s super important to chop them as finely as possible to make it pleasant to eat rather than a chore. If it’s hard on the jaws, it needs more prep work.

salad dry – drizzle with a little more oil and lemon juice.

bland – don’t forget to be generous with the seasoning and add more sauce or try a different sauce.

serving suggestions

Serve protein on top of a bed of the salad with oil / sauce drizzled over.

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