Balance in life is generally considered an admirable quality although personally I quite enjoy a bit of the outrageous sometimes. However, on the plate balance is essential and with our Barbecued Snapper with Curry Sauce and a Spicy Salad we think we’ve achieved it perfectly.
The curry sauce is rich, refined and subtly spiced and the Spicy Salad is … well … very spicy, providing a wonderful balance of textures, flavours and heat. And fish, well we’re all encouraged to eat less meat.
While this recipe was designed as a main course, I have served the leftovers as an entrée, foregoing the rice and topping the salad with flaked fish tossed through the curry sauce.
No waste … now how balanced is that!
Rosie
BARBECUED SNAPPER WITH CURRY SAUCE AND A SPICY SALAD
Serves 6
6 180gm white fish fillets with skin (Snapper, Blue Eye, Mulloway etc. skin on or off)
3 tablespoons ghee
Steamed rice to serve
Spicy Salad to serve, see below
Kaffir lime leaves for garnish (optional)
The Sauce
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
1.5 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon ghee
1 small dried red chilli
2 golden shallots, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
30 gm ginger, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 cinnamon stick or piece of cassia bark
3 whole cloves
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons firmly packed, grated palm sugar
1.2 litres coconut cream
2 limes, juice only, or to taste
In a small saucepan, dry roast, in separate batches, the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds. Allow to cool a little and roughly grind.
Heat the ghee in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the chilli, shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon stick or cassia bark and cloves and fry for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the roasted and ground seeds.
Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and coconut cream and bring to a simmer.
Maintain the simmer, stirring often, until the mixture has reduced by half (about an hour).
Season with lime juice to taste and add more fish sauce or salt if necessary.
Pass sauce through a sieve and discard the solids.
Any leftover sauce will freeze well.
To Cook the Fish
Preheat a barbecue until the hotplate is very hot.
Pat the fish fillets dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the ghee on the hotplate until smoking.
Place the fish fillets on the hot plate. If using fish with the skin on, place the skin side down and weight the fillets to keep them flat. If you don’t have fish weights (and who does?) use a plate or two with a can of tomatoes or the like on top.
If you have skinless fillets, the fish weights will be unnecessary. Cook until the upper flesh is lukewarm then turn the fish over and cook for a further 10 seconds.
Transfer to warm serving plates and serve coated in curry sauce, garnished with shredded kaffir lime leaves if desired, with steamed rice and Spicy Salad.
SPICY SALAD
100 gm bean shoots, root ends trimmed
3 green onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
1.5 cups Chinese cabbage (about a quarter), very finely sliced
1/2 bunch coriander, leaves only
1 long green chilli, seeded and finely julienned
1 long red chilli, seeded and finely julienned
70 gm ginger, peeled and very finely julienned
300 gm mixed green vegetables (snow peas, asparagus, beans etc), blanched and sliced
Chilli Dressing
2 birds eye chillies, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon firmly packed, grated palm sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons fish sauce, or to taste
1 tablespoon cold water
With a mortar and pestle, pound the chillies and garlic to a paste with the palm sugar. Add fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Add the cold water and set aside.
To serve
Toss salad ingredients together and drizzle with enough chilli dressing to coat.