Ingredients:
½ tsp ground turmeric¼ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch carom seeds (ajwain seeds), available in Asian stores and some supermarkets
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
2 halibut steaks
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp flour
lemon juice, to serve
Directions:
Sprinkle all the spices and seasoning over the fish, then rub in the ginger and garlic and one teaspoon of the oil.
Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Dust the fish with the flour on both sides. Place the fish into the pan, reduce the heat slightly and fry for four minutes. Turn over and fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through and crisp.
To serve, place the fish onto serving plates and squeeze over some lemon juice.
Ingredients:
For the marinade:½ large red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
2.5cm / 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground coriander
5 fenugreek seeds
salt, to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 halibut steaks, or other firm white fish
To cook the fish:
1 heaped tbsp flour
1 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut
1½ tbsp vegetable oil
½ lemon, to serve
Directions:
For the marinade, pound together all the ingredients for the marinade, apart from the fish, in a pestle and mortar. Be generous with the seasoning as it will be absorbed by the fish. Coat the fish in the marinade, place into a bowl and leave to marinate for at least half an hour. To cook the fish, mix together the flour and the desiccated coconut in a bowl. Coat the fish in this mixture well.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the fish to the pan and cook on a low heat without moving for four minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Squeeze over some lemon juice and serve hot with the chopped salad with peanuts.
This Chinese recipe uses traditional bean curds and pork in simmering fish stock creating a wonderful mix of flavors.
When a fish of firm texture is large enough, the Chinese often make two dishes out of it: stir-frying the fillet and making a soup with the head and carcass. This practice is especially common in the South of China, where the yield from the sea enriches the table with such delicious fish as grouper and perch. Small turbot and other flat fish are also suitable for this purpose.
