No week is complete for me without curry of some kind. This week’s curry was intended to bring extra flavour to white fish which I eat quite a lot of (mainly basa and tilapia). I followed the recipe for the most part…not an easy feat for me but I wanted to get as close to the intention of this recipe as possible. I served it with white rice and a medley of curry vegetables. Truthfully, two curries in one meal overwhelmed my fish a but it was still delish fish. I’d make this again in a snap.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 fillets salmon, red snapper, cod, or other fish, preferably fresh, but frozen will work too (SERVES 2-3)
- 1 pkg. banana leaves (if frozen, thaw for at least 1/2 hour) OR 2-4 sheets parchment paper, OR tin foil (I used tin foil)
- CURRY MARINADE/SAUCE:
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic (hah, I used 4 cloves)
- 1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), sliced
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- handful of basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into small pieces with scissors (discard central stem)
- 1 fresh red chilli, sliced (seeds removed if you prefer a milder sauce)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- juice of 1/2 lime
Preparation:
- Place all curry marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and process well.
- Place fish fillets in a large bowl and add 1/2 the curry marinade. Reserve the rest for later.
- Slather the marinade over both sides of the fish, then let it sit in the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes. Tip: If you’re pressed for time, you can cook the fish immediately, as the flavors are so strong, they will still permeate the fish sufficiently.
- When fish is done marinading, spread a banana leaf approximately 1 foot square on a working surface (you will have to cut the leaf) – or the equivalent of parchment paper or tin foil. Place one fillet in the center of the leaf/paper/foil.
- Fold both sides of the wrapping material over the fish, then fold both ends to create a square “packet”. Turn it seam-side down to keep sides from opening (unless using foil, which will stay by itself). Do the same for the other fillets.
- Place packets in a glass casserole dish or pie plate (to catch the drippings in case packets leak) and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees, or longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.
- After 15 minutes, open one of the packets. Insert a fork into the center of the fillet or steak (the thickest part) and gently pull back. If inside flesh is opaque and no longer transparent, the fish is cooked. If not, return to oven for another 5-10 minutes.
- Over low heat, warm up the reserved curry sauce/marinade.
- To serve the fish, scoop several spoonfuls of rice onto the side of the fish (right on the banana leaf, if using). Spoon some curry sauce (marinade) over the fish, then add a sprinkling of basil and/or coriander leaves. S
Condofire 