White Fish in Saffron Sauce for a colorful dish

Did you know that to make a kilo of saffron you will need 150.000 stigmas of flowers? Crocus Sativus is the flower which is being picked in the autumn entirely by hand and it makes one of the most expensive spices in the world.

I normally use saffron in risotto or pasta. It gives lot of colour to the dish and I love its delicate taste. When you add saffron you don’t need much else and you can cut down the salt too.

This time I have tried using it in fish. I normally never use sauces on fish because I like the taste of the sea and I have always felt it would spoil it. In cooking there is always something new to learn and I have changed my mind on this occasion. This sauce was a great success and went down well with the children too; it is delicate, of great effect, not too rich and it actually enhances the flavour of the fish.

Also, another very important detail: it is ready in minutes!

• Prep Time : 25 minutes
• Cook Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients

• white fish fillets – 800 g
• white wine
• olive oil – 2 tbsp
• garlic cloves – 2
• saffron – a few stems
• chopped parsley – 1 tbsp
• hot water – 250 ml
• vegetable stock cube – 1
• flour – 2 tbsp
• butter – 90 g
• paprika

Instructions

In a pan stir fry the olive oil with the garlic then add the fish fillets and cook them on a moderate heat. Pour a dash of wine and keep cooking until the fish is soft.

Make the stock by dissolving the stock cube in the hot water, then add the saffron and mix it all up well.

Make the sauce by melting the butter over a source of heat in a pan, add the flour, paprika and slowly add the broth. Add the juice the fish has released during cooking and cook for 10 minutes whilst keep stirring all the time until the sauce has thickened up.

Now put the fish fillets on a plate and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Serve will plenty of colourful vegetables!