Pan Seared Fish With Cooked Tomato Salsa

I went and bought avocados from the fresh fruit and vegetable market in Dubai and wanted to use them to make a tomato and avocado salsa. I thought pan seared fish would go well with it. After I was done chopping the tomatoes, I sliced open the avocados and it turned out that each one of them was rotten from the inside!! So much for buying "fresh" fruits and vegetables! Since I didn't want to waste the tomatoes, I decided to make a quick cooked tomato salsa. It turned out quite delicious, considering it only took me 10 minutes to make it. Do give it a try...its yummy and very light.

Calories: Approx. 250-280 per serving

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

For the tomato salsa:

2-3 medium tomatoes, diced

1 medium red onion, sliced into half circles

1 green chili, finely chopped

1/8 tsp cumin powder

Salt, to taste

1/8 tsp paprika (optional)

1 big handful cilantro, chopped

Juice from 1 small lime

1 tsp olive oil

For the fish:

200-250 grams of fish fillet (Mahi Mahi, Tilapia or any white fish), divided into 2 equal portions

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt and freshly crushed black pepper, to taste

1 tsp olive oil

In a small pot, heat oil and add garlic. Then add the onions and stir fry for 3-4 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Add the green chilies, salt, paprika, cumin and half the cilantro. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, till tomatoes and onions are soft and have a thick consistency. Squeeze the lime juice on the salsa and sprinkle the rest of the cilantro (saving a little for garnishing later). Cover and keep aside.

Separately, in a flat pan, heat the olive oil and garlic together on a low flame. When the garlic begins to sizzle (but before it starts to brown), increase the heat to medium and add the fish fillets (after sprinkling salt and pepper on one side), spiced side down. Sprinkle the exposed side of the fish with salt and pepper as well. Cook fish for approximately 4 minutes on each side (time differentiates depending on the fillet's thickness) till its flaky and done.

Put a generous portion of the tomato salsa on a plate. Carefully place one fish fillet on top and garnish with a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Note: Do not keep flipping the fish. Let one side cook completely before turning it over and letting the other side cook.

Mahi (Fish) Pulao

Yes, yes, I know....rice has to be avoided, but I can't help it, I'm a big fan! I got this recipe from my mother, who got it from her friend's mother. I have altered it a little to make it a bit healthier. It is VERY simple to make but takes just a little bit longer than most of my recipes. It's totally worth it though, and people think you've slaved over it all day! Also, it doesn't require too much oil (unlike most desi food), so it shouldn't be something you feel too guilty about...besides the rice, of course!!

Makes: 4-6 servings*

Ingredients:

Fish:

1 kg fish fillets, cut into 2 inch wide pieces

4-5 tbsp lemon juice

salt, to taste

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tbsp garlic paste

1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

1/2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

1 heaped tbsp gram flour (besen)

Masala:

1 kg green onions, thinly sliced

1 kg tomatoes, chopped

6-12 tbsp olive oil (or regular oil and you can use more of it if you wish, but I find this quite sufficient)

2 tbsp garlic paste

salt, to taste

1 tbsp (or to taste) red chili powder

1/2 tbsp turmeric (haldi) powder

4 whole peppercorns

2 whole black cloves

1 bunch cilantro/green coriander leaves, chopped

6-8 whole green chilies

1-2 tbsp yogurt (only to be used if the masala seems too dry)

Rice:

3-4 cups basmati rice, soaked in water about 15-20 minutes before you start to cook them, then drain before cooking

2 handsful green onions, thinly sliced

2-3 tbsp olive oil

4 whole peppercorns

4 whole black cloves

1/2 tbsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder (to give a yellow color to the rice, which doesn't really show in the picture I have put up)

salt, to taste

6-8 cups water

For the fish, mix the lemon juice, salt, red chili powder, garlic paste, turmeric, coriander powder and gram flour together. Add it to the fish and let it marinate for about 30 minutes. Then shallow fry in hot oil on relatively high heat till golden brown. Do not overcook the fish because it will be cooked a little bit more later. Keep aside.

While the fish is marinating, make the masala. Heat the olive oil and add the peppercorn and cloves till they crackle. Add the green onions and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes and then add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro, green chilies and yogurt. Let it cook on medium heat for about an hour, giving it a stir every so often to make sure it doesn't burn from the bottom. The onions and tomatoes will wilt considerably and reduce to about half the amount you started off with. After about an hour, add the cilantro and the green chilies (and yogurt only if the masala seems to be too dry, which it usually isn't). Give it a taste to make sure the salt, etc is adequate. Let it simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the fried fish, give it a quick stir and then let it sit, lid on, on the lowest flame/heat possible till ready to serve.

For the rice, heat the oil in a pot and add the peppercorns and cloves. Add the garlic paste and green onions. Add the rice and give it a stir and then add the water (6 cups for 3 cups of rice, 8 cups for 4 cups of rice). Add the turmeric and salt. Cook till water evaporates and rice is done.

Serving suggestion: Spread the rice on a large platter and then lay the fish and masala mix on top of it.

*This recipe can easily be halved or doubled.

Baked Fish With Chili-Garlic Sauce

We went to the fresh fish market the other day and found an amazingly fresh whole Sea Bass. I used a recipe I found online, altered it slightly and it turned out fantastic!

I used a big banana leaf to wrap the fish in to bake (aluminum foil would work just as well) and not only was it fragrant, but the presentation looked pretty impressive too without having to do much. Sadly, my camera ran out of battery, so I don't have a picture, but I am posting one that I found online which looks a little bit similar to the fish I made.

Ingredients:

1 (about 2 kg) whole fresh fish, scaled and cleaned from the inside and with vertical slits (head to tail) about 1/2 inch apart on both sides of the fish.

6 tbsp oyster sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce

10 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

2-3 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper (powder or coarsely ground)

3 tbsp lime juice

3-5 thai chillies (I mixed red and green for color), sliced

1 stalk lemon grass, sliced and smashed (optional)

Handful fresh cilantro/coriander leaves

1 lemon, sliced

Banana leaf or aluminum foil

For the marinade, mix together oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, lime juice, chillies and lemon grass in a bowl.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and put the banana leaf on top (or another piece of aluminum foil). Place the fish on top and pour about 4 tbsp of the marinade on one side, making sure that the marinade goes into the slits you have made. Flip over the fish and pour about 3 tbsp of the marinade on this side. Then, put about 2 tbsp of the sauce inside the fish (reserve the leftover marinade). Cover with the banana leaf and use toothpicks to secure the leaf into place.

Preheat oven to 375 F and bake the fish for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish (till opaque from the inside, not pink). Take out the fish, open the banana leaf and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Place the cilantro in bunches around the fish and the lemon slices on top as well as side. Put the fish under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes (or till the fish is slightly crispy from the top). Serve on the banana leaf.