Silver Perch is one of Australia’s few commercial freshwater fish (along with Barramundi and Murray Cod). Its natural habitat is the Murray-Darling system, but it’s now mostly farmed.
Ingredients:
4 x 180g Silver Perch fillets, skin on, bones removed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 eggplant, cut into 1.5cm-thick slices
Tomato Salsa
4 ripe roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
2 teaspoons sumac (see notes)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Make Tomato Salsa: combine all ingredients.
Heat a barbecue or char-grill plate.
Cut several slashes into the skin of each fillet.
Combine cumin, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub over both sides of the fillets.
Brush the eggplant slices generously with olive oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and tender, brushing with extra oil as needed. When the eggplant is almost cooked, cook the fillets, skin-side down, for 3 minutes then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute.
Divide eggplant between plates, top with fillets and a spoonful of salsa. Pass the remaining salsa separately.
Notes: Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice, a granular purple powder with a lemony taste; if it is unavailable use grated lemon zest.
Alternative species: Australian Bass, Barramundi, Blue-Eye Trevalla, Ling, Mulloway.