39
FOOD
Hard-grilled fast midweek curry fish, serves 2.
Ingredients
• about 800g whole fish, scaled and gutted (ask your fishmonger to do)
• 150ml (2/3 cup) Green Seasoning
• 2 green bird's-eye chillies, finely chopped
• 10g (1/3 oz) finely grated fresh ginger
• grated zest of 2 limes
• 3 tsp Caribbean curry powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• cooking oil of your choice, for rubbing
• about 100ml (generous 1/3 cup) fish or chicken stock
• 1 heaped tsp unsalted butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Wash the fish in very cold water, then pat dry with a piece of kitchen
paper (paper towel). Transfer the fish to a chopping board and score the
skin with a very sharp knife to ensure that your seasoning can penetrate
the fish effectively. Put the fish into a wide bowl.
2. Pour most of the green seasoning over the fish (saving about 1 teaspoon
for the sauce) and give it a good mix around so the fish is fully coated. Add
the chillies, ginger, and lime zest, then rub the curry powder and garam
masala all over, making sure it goes inside the cavity of the fish as well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover the bowl with cling film
(plastic wrap) and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat
the grill (broiler) to its highest setting.
3. Line a grill tray with tin foil and rub with oil. Lay the marinated fish on top.
Slip the tray into the preheated grill and hard-grill until the skin on the
fish is popping and has a lovely deep golden colour, perhaps blackened and
charred in places. Flip it over and do the same on the other side. (It should
take about 8 minutes per side.)
4. Pour off the juices that have come from the fish into a saucepan, add the
fish or chicken stock and the reserved teaspoon of the green seasoning.
Bubble it all up, then whisk in the butter until melted and combined. Pour
the sauce back over the fish and serve with a crisp green salad and a roti,
or some Lemon & Garlic Dressed Callaloo.
This works with
any kind of fish,
but my favourites
are most definitely
at the oilier end of
things. Something
with a bit of body
works best - a
mackerel, a bass,
a bream, even
a piece of wild
salmon. It's quickquick fast-fast
and
loads of bang for
your buck
~ Andi Oliver