Fish Linguine

Robyn and I were watching Jamie Oliver on TV and he made this dish. Its really simple to prepare and absolutely delicious! You can find his recipe on The Food Network.

The recipe is Sicilian and calls for fresh sardines. Jamie Oliver used red mullet fillets on the show. I made mine with fillets that were on sale at the grocery store.

Ingredients
1 garlic clove, grated
1 bulb fennel, tops removed and reserved, grated
4 anchovies
1/2 red onion
Pinch of salt
2 red mullet fillets, skin on, scaled and bones removed (any white fish fillet will do)
1 lemon, zested
Splash of white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
1 red chile, seeds removed and finely chopped
9 oz dried linguine

Procedure
In a large stockpot, heat olive oil. Add the grated garlic and fennel and stir fry for a few minutes to soften them.















Add the anchovies and red onion. Saute, but do not let the onions brown.
















Add the salt then lay the fish fillets on top, skin side up. Sprinkle with the lemon zest, and pour a little white wine to stop everything from frying, and start stewing.

Add a good bit of olive oil, some pepper and the chile. Turn the heat down. Juice 1/2 the lemon and add to the fish.












Add the fennel tops.















Meanwhile, cook the linguine in boiling salted water until al dante. Drain.

Take a pair of metal thongs and toss the sauce and linguine together, breaking up the fish meat.

Drizzle with olive oil and some fennel tops.

Fish in Coconut Milk

This is a South Indian recipe.

When we were growing up, we never had non-veg south Indian food. It wasn't until I was working in India that I got a chance to explore South Indian food outside the confines of my family cooking.

This is a dish from Kerala, where by Dad was born and raised, but I actually first had it at a Kerala restaurant in Chennai. Its absolutely divine!

The fish is fried and then poached in a coconut cream sauce with banana leaves. Delicious!






Ingredients
4 whole small white fish or whole fish, weighing about 12 oz each (1.5 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3.5 tablespoon oil
3/4 inch ginger, sliced
6-8 garlic cloves
3-4 green chilies, slit and deseeded
6 green cardamom pods, bruised
2 medium onions slice
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1.5 cups coconut milk
Banana leaf (optional but really nice!)
30 fresh curry leaves
1 cup thick coconut milk (1/2 cup coconut cream will also do)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 lime, squeezed, for garnish

You can get good fresh fish and banana leaves at most Filipino markets. I got the banana leaves at the Island Pacific Supermarket in Union City. (see my Store I Frequent page for listing)

Take out 2 or 3 of the banana leaves. If they are frozen, it is best to take them now to let them defrost naturally.


Clean the fish. Pat dry with paper towels. Cut slits on both sides of the fish to allow the spices to penetrate.

Combine tumeric, red pepper and salt in a dish or small baking pan. Sprinkle over the fish and gently rub in so the whole fish is covered. Marinate for 5 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Fry the fish for  5 minutes on both sides, or until outer skin is crispy and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel or banana leaf.

In the same wok, add ginger, garlic, green chilies, cardamoms pods and onion. Stir in the ground coriander and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk and allow to heat through. Heat until the coconut milk begins to simmer. Remove from heat and cool slightly for a few minutes. Do not let the coconut milk come to a boil.












Once slightly cool, add the coconut milk and masala mixture to a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste.

In the meantime, take a banana leaf and put it over an open flame on your range. The heat will release natural oils that give the banana leaf its special unique flavor! As you put it under the flame, you will see the leaf change color and turn a bright green. Remove from the flame when all the leaf is that bright green. Be sure not to burn the banana leaf.

Take a wide, thick bottomed skillet and line with banana leaf. Preferably you want a flat bottom pan, not a round bottom pan like a wok.


Place the fish on the banana leaf. Sprinkle with curry leaves.













Pour the coconut sauce all over it. Bring the coconut mixture to a boil uncovered. Reduce the heat to low.

Continue to simmer the coconut milk, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until the fish is cooked. Add the coconut cream and heat through. Do not allow the coconut milk to boil.

Take a seperate small frypan and heat 1/2 tablespoon oil. Stir fry the mustard seeds for 1 minute, until they begin to pop. Pour the mustard seeds and the remaining oil over the fish. Serve with freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice on top of the fish. Delicious!