Pan-Fried Spicy Pangasius

Sorry for the long silence, I'm not a very good blogger I'm afraid ;( But I will try to update more often now. Here's a recipe that has become a favourite in our home. Pangasius is cheap and is very mild in flavour and texture, so it goes very well with strong-flavoured spices and sauces. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons powdered paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup milk
4 pangasius fillets (or use 1 pound of white fish)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons chives (optional)
2 tablespoons parsley (optional)
Butter and/or olive oil for frying

Method
1) Place flour in a large flattish bowl or deep plate. Add thyme, paprika, cayenne, chili flakes, salt and pepper, and mix till evenly distributed.
2) Pour milk in a large bowl and soak all the fillets in it. Make sure all the fillets are coated with milk.
3) Place a large pan on stove over medium-high heat. Melt some butter and/or heat some olive oil.
4) Take each milk-soaked fillet and place in the flour mix. Do this one fillet at a time. Make sure each fillet is well coated with the flour. Use chopsticks or forks to turn the fillets to avoid rubbing off the coating with your fingers.
5) When the pan is hot but not smoking, fry the fillets one at a time. Cook for a few minutes per side until the coating is golden brown and fish is firm. Add more butter/oil where necessary. Handle the fish carefully as the coating is very delicate (taste won't be affected, but the fillets will look better with all the coating attached). Remove from pan and place on a plate.
6) When all the fillets are done, add lemon juice and capers (and chives/parsley if you're using them) to the pan. Reduce until slightly thickened, for about 1 minute. Pour over fish and serve immediately.

I suggest serving it with blanched vegetables like broccoli and carrots, and perhaps tumeric rice, as I usually do. To make the tumeric rice, I just add 1 tablespoon of tumeric powder into the rice cooker, and half a chicken stock cube.

Tip: I do the flour coat for each fillet just before I fry it. Doesn't take any extra time and you will have less dishes to wash.

Adapted from IDineAlone