Marinated Sweet and Sour Fish

Amarante

Sun, Dec 27 2015, 7:00 pm

Another excellent recipe from Yottam Ottolenghi's cookbook (Jerusalem: A Cookbook).

It is hard to find a fish recipe that is meant to be served cold because most of the cold fish dishes are either variants of poached salmon or gefilte fish. Because the fish is served cold, I did splurge on very fresh cod. I made on Friday and it was at its peak on Saturday. So a plus for a fish dish that can be made ahead of time.

Marinated Sweet and Sour Fish

Source: Yottam Ottolenghi - Jerusalem A Cookbook

SERVES 4

This dish is best served at room temperature, preferably after resting for a day or two in the fridge, with a chunk of bread. It makes a substantial starter or can be served at the center of a light meal. Small whole fish are also good here: red mullet, sardines, or small mackerel, scaled and gutted. We would like to thank Danielle Postma for this recipe.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into ⅜-inch / 1cm slices (3 cups / 350 g in total)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 peppers (1 red and 1 yellow), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into strips ⅜ inch / 1 cm wide (3 cups / 300 g total)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
1½ tbsp curry powder
3 tomatoes, chopped (2 cups / 320 g in total)
2½ tbsp sugar
5 tbsp cider vinegar
1 lb / 500 g pollock, cod (sustainably sourced), halibut, haddock, or other white fish fillets, divided into 4 equal pieces
seasoned all-purpose flour, for dusting
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
⅓ cup / 20 g chopped cilantro
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and coriander seeds and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, curry powder, and tomatoes, and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, vinegar, 1½ teaspoons salt, and some black pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in the flour, then in the eggs, and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once. Transfer the fish to paper towels to absorb the excess oil, then add to the pan with the peppers and onions, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan. Add enough water just to immerse the fish (about 1 cup / 250 ml) in the liquid.

Place the pan in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature. The fish can now be served, but it is actually better after a day or two in the fridge. Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper, if needed, and garnish with the cilantro.