Yakof Debono serves up this local delicacy covered in a mixture of breadcrumbs and ground almonds
ingredients
4 lampuki fillets, cut in half to have 8 pieces
100ml white wine (or apple cider) vinegar
150g Panko breadcrumbs
60g ground almonds
Some plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
Olive oil for cooking
1 tbsp dried thyme
Sea salt and black pepper
method
Place the fish fillets in a Pyrex dish or bowl, season well with salt and pepper, and pour over 75ml of the vinegar. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the hour, drain the vinegar from the fish and dab each fillet with kitchen paper until dry.
Mix the breadcrumbs and ground almonds in one hollow plate. Beat the eggs in another hollow plate/bowl. Put some plain flour in another hollow plate. Dredge the fillets in the flour, then dip into the eggs and coat with the breadcrumb mix.
Heat a large sauté or frying pan over medium heat. Pour in olive oil for shallow frying, about 1cm depth. When the oil is hot, add the fillets, skin side down, and fry for 3 minutes or until golden. Turn the fillets over, add the dried thyme, and continue to fry for another 2 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Leave the fish in the pan and switch off the heat. Do not discard the thyme-infused oil.
Pour the remaining vinegar over the fillets, the remove from the pan and drain on a plate layered with kitchen paper.
Serve the fish hot with the thyme-infused oil and vinegar from the pan.