Pan Fried Protein with Instant Sauce & Salad

Pan Fried Protein with Instant Sauce & Salad

This is one of my favourite template recipes. I love the concept of ‘instant’ sauces because they can quickly transform a dish from boring to exotic. I also love them because they help ‘hide’ if you’ve overcooked the protein and it has dried out a little.

Enough for 1:
approx 150-250g (5-9oz) protein
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 handfuls finely sliced raw veg or salad leaves
3-4 tablespoons sauce, to serve

1. Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Add a little oil to the pan or rub the protein with oil. Pan fry the protein until browned on both sides and cooked to your liking. Anywhere from 2-5 minutes each side.

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

3. Serve protein on a bed of the salad with sauce drizzled over.

variations

veggie ‘protein’ – Halloumi, tofu or seitan would also work well here. Or think about pan frying some precooked / canned beans or lentils until they are just cooked and serve with the raw veg salad. Field or portabello mushrooms are great here too. Or think about slicing an eggplant into thick ‘steaks’.

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. Also consider forming minced (ground) meat into burger patties.

pescetarian protein – any fish fillets will be great.

raw veg – Broccolini, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, fennel, snow peas, carrots, capsicum (bell peppers) or zucchini are all great. Pretty much any veg that will work in a shaved salad is good here. You could use salad leaves as well. Think baby spinach, rocket (arugula), flat leaf parsley, mint leaves, basil leaves, finely sliced kale or any salad leaves.

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.

‘instant’ sauce – Don’t be afraid to call on convenient ready-made options if you don’t have time to make your own. Things like pesto, hummus, babaganoush, chilli oil, basil oil, lemon oil, tabasco, mayonnaise, aioli, hollandaise, chilli sauce, lemon wedges, lime wedges, oyster sauce or soy sauce (for an Asian vibe), even good old ketchup can all work.

warm veg – if you’d prefer a warmer meal. Steam or pan fry the veg 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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