by Anissa Helou
2. To make the curry: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the coconut paste, ground spices, and lemongrass and cook, stirring very regularly, until fragrant. Add the crab pieces and mix well with the sauce. Add the coconut cream and bring to a boil. Add the pineapple and salt to taste, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until a little oil rises to the surface. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.
Indonesian Fish Curry
GULAI
INDONESIA
Indonesian chilies, known as lombok, have a mild heat and can be used in abundance to make the various sambals and chili pastes essential to Indonesian food. Those available in the West are either mild or too fiery. Use the mild ones with one or two fiery chilies to re-create the mild heat so typical of Indonesian chili pastes. You can also buy excellent Indonesian ready-made pastes to use in curries and other dishes. Serve this curry with plain rice or Indonesian Yellow Rice and shrimp crackers.
SERVES 4 TO 6
2¼ pounds (1 kg) tilapia or other similar fish, cut into steaks or big chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
FOR THE CHILI PASTE
5 mild fresh red chilies
1 bird’s eye chili
3 small shallots, peeled
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon shrimp paste (terasi)
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh turmeric, peeled
FOR THE CURRY
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, halved lengthwise and smashed
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (400 ml) coconut cream
2 teaspoons seedless tamarind paste, diluted with 2 tablespoons water
Sea salt
Vegetable oil, for pan-frying the fish
1. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then rub it with the lemon juice and a little salt.
2. To make the chili paste: Put all the ingredients for the chili paste in a food processor (see Note) and process until you have a fine paste.
3. To make the curry: Heat the 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or a wide deep pan over medium heat until hot. Add the chili paste and fry, stirring regularly, until fragrant. Add the bay leaves and lemongrass and stir for a minute or so. Add the coconut cream, tamarind water, and season with salt to taste. Let bubble gently until a little oil rises to the surface, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat, pour in enough oil to cover the bottom, and heat until the oil is hot. Working in batches, slide the fish into the pan and sear on both sides until crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. In between batches, wipe the pan clean and add more oil.
5. Add the pan-fried fish to the sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
NOTE: Indonesian cooks use a shallow mortar with a horizontal pestle to grind the ingredients for the chili paste rather than beat down on them, but many also use a food processor.
Fish Kibbeh
KIBBET SAMAK
LEBANON
North Lebanon is home to the Sunnis whereas most of the Shias hail from the southern part of the country, and this fish kibbeh is a Sunni northern specialty that is not often seen in other regions. You can prepare it in one large pie, as it is done traditionally, or you can shape it into 4 to 6 smaller pies depending on how large you want your individual portions to be.
SERVES 4
FOR THE STUFFING
⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions (11 ounces/300 g total), halved and cut into thin wedges
⅓ cup (50 g) pine nuts
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
FOR THE KIBBEH
¼ bunch cilantro (2 ounces/50 g), most of the bottom stems discarded
1 pound 2 ounces (500 g) skinless whitefish fillets
1 medium onion (5 ounces/150 g), peeled and quartered
Grated zest of ½ unwaxed orange or lemon
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Sea salt
¾ cup (150 g) fine bulgur
TO FINISH
Extra-virgin olive oil
1. To make the stuffing: Put the oil, sliced onions, and pine nuts in a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Sauté, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and golden and the pine nuts have colored slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with the pepper and salt to taste and mix well.
2. To make the kibbeh: Put the cilantro, fish, and quartered onion in a food processor and process until you have a somewhat smooth mixture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the citrus zest, cinnamon, pepper, and salt to taste.
3. Rinse the bulgur under cold water and drain well. Add to the fish. Using your hands, mix until you have a smooth mixture. Pinch off a piece, pan-fry it to taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 10-inch (25 cm) round baking dish with a little olive oil.
5. Divide the fish kibbeh into two equal portions. Layer and decorate the kibbeh as per steps 6, 7, and 8 of Kibbeh bil-Saniyeh. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done to your liking. Serve hot or warm.
Fish in Tahini Sauce
SAMAK BIL-TAHINI
LEBANON
My grandmother made the ultimate samak bil-tahini. She used whole fish and cooked the fish in the sauce long enough for it to absorb its flavor. But as much as I loved her recipe, I use fish fillets or steaks so as not to worry about picking out the bones. And I often use black cod, which is not only unorthodox, but also extravagant. Still, it works brilliantly with the sauce (a simpler, milder version than the sauce for Spicy Baked Fish in a Tahini, Herb, and Nut Sauce). If you find black cod too expensive, use sea bream fillets or any other white saltwater fish, although pike also works well here. And unlike my grandmother, I cook my fish separately so as not to overcook it, slipping the cooked fillets into the sauce at the very last minute. You could flake the fish into the sauce, which is what some Lebanese cooks do, in which case the dish is known as tajen, from the word tajine.
SERVES 4 TO 6
½ cup (125 ml) tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
Juice of 1½ lemons, or to taste
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound (450 g) whitefish fillets, cut into 4 or 6 pieces
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt
Finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1. Put the tahini in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, then slowly add the lemon juice, stirring all the time—at first you will notice the tahini becoming quite thick despite the fact you are adding liquid, but do not worry, it will thin out as you add more liquid. Gradually add ¾ cup (180 ml) water, still stirring, until you have a thin creamy sauce.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Slide the fish pieces into the pan, skin side down, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn the fish over and cook for another minute or so, until it is just done. Remove to a plate and wipe the pan clean.
3. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tahini sauce. Season with the cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Let bubble for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until you see a little oil rising to the surface.
4. Take the sauce off the heat and slide the fish fillets into it. Gently shake the pan back and forth to coat the fish with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove to platter and serve warm or at room tempe
rature garnished with the toasted pine nuts.
Fish Yassa
NIGERIA
Here is a lovely Nigerian recipe for a spicy marinade that is used to marinate fish, then cooked and served as a sauce to go with either grilled or fried fish.
SERVES 4 TO 6
2¼ pounds (1 kg) whitefish steaks
Sea salt and finely ground black pepper
FOR THE MARINADE
Juice of 2 lemons
½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
6 medium onions (2 pounds/900 g total), halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
White rice, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Pat the fish steaks dry with paper towels and rub with a little salt. Grind a little pepper over the steaks and let sit while you prepare the marinade.
2. To make the marinade: Whisk the lemon juice, oil, garlic, mustard, paprika, and pepper flakes together in a large bowl. Add the sliced onions and mix well.
3. Add the fish to the marinade and mix well to coat the fish all over with the marinade. Let marinate, covered, for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, in the refrigerator.
4. Remove the fish from the marinade and place on a large platter. Transfer the marinade to a large deep skillet and place over low heat. Cook, stirring regularly, for 30 to 45 minutes, until the onion is completely softened and caramelized to a golden brown color. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) water halfway through so that the onion softens completely before starting to caramelize.
5. Now you have three choices as to how to cook the fish steaks: grilled or broiled—in which case prepare a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill or preheat the broiler to high—or pan-fried. Whichever method you use, cook the fish until done to your liking.
6. Slip the cooked fish into the skillet of marinade and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the fish to absorb the flavor of the onion. Serve hot with plain rice, together with lemon wedges and more pepper flakes for those who want their fish spicier.
Indonesian Fried Fish
PECEL LELE
INDONESIA
Indonesia is a collection of more than seventeen thousand islands. Wherever you go you will not be far from the water. When I traveled there, I visited several islands, with the most enchanting being Banda Neira, once a rich Dutch nutmeg outpost. There, I stayed in Tanya Alwi’s gorgeous if somewhat crumbling hotel, right on the water. Sadly, I spent only one night, and that evening there was no fish on the menu because Tanya had organized a goat feast for me. But my first meal in Indonesia, straight off the plane, was at a wonderful fish restaurant in Jakarta. I can’t remember if I had the fried fish (for which I give a recipe below) that night, but I remember that one of my favorite dishes that evening was pomfret cooked in a delectable spicy sauce with stinky beans, which look like green colored almonds and taste a bit like fresh almonds. It was a totally new ingredient to me, like so many others on that trip. Unfortunately, you cannot find it easily abroad so I am not giving a recipe for that fish dish, whereas you can make the one below easily without having to source any special ingredients.
SERVES 4
FOR THE FRIED FISH
4 whole red snappers (10½ ounces/300 g each), gutted and rinsed, slashed across on the diagonal on both sides at two or three intervals
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
Sea salt
FOR THE CHILI SAMBAL
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), quartered
1 medium red bell pepper, quartered
3 mild red chilies, trimmed but not seeded
1 bird’s eye chili, seeded and quartered
4 cloves garlic
10 small shallots (7 ounces/200 g total), halved
6 blanched almonds
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh turmeric, minced to a fine paste
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
Sea salt
TO FINISH
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Onion, sliced thinly into rings
Leaves from a few sprigs basil
White rice or Indonesian Fried Rice, for serving
1. To prepare the fish: Pat the snapper dry with paper towels. Then mix the lemon juice, coriander, garlic, and salt to taste. Rub the marinade into the fish. Let sit while you prepare the sambal.
2. To make the chili sambal: Put a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Drizzle a little oil over the bottom and when the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, bell pepper, chilies, garlic, shallots, and almonds. Stir the ingredients until softened and slightly colored, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Add the turmeric, lemon juice, and salt to taste and process until almost completely pulverized.
3. To finish: Wipe the pan clean, put 3 tablespoons oil in it, and return to medium heat. Pour the sambal into the pan and let it bubble until it thickens slightly, stirring regularly, 7 to 10 minutes. Take off the heat.
4. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) oil into a large deep skillet and heat over medium heat until hot—test by dropping a piece of bread in it; if the oil immediately bubbles around the bread, it is ready. Slide the fish into the oil and fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is just cooked. Remove to the wire rack to drain off any excess oil.
5. To serve, alternate the slices of tomato, cucumber, and onion all around the edge of a serving platter. Arrange the fried fish in the center and sprinkle basil leaves over the salad garnish. Serve immediately with the sambal and white rice or fried rice.
Algerian Fish Cakes
OJEIJAT AL-HÛT
ALGERIA
I wonder if these fish cakes are not a remnant from Algeria’s French colonial days. They are remarkably plain for an Algerian recipe. Regardless, they are delicious, and make a lovely light meal served with a green salad. They are also great for picnics.
SERVES 4
10½ ounces (300 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
Sea salt
14 ounces (400 g) whitefish fillets
¼ lemon
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter, plus more for frying the fish cakes
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), grated on the fine side of a grater
A few sprigs flat-leaf parsley, most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
3 organic eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Finely ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1. Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon salt, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until completely tender but not falling apart. Drain and mash. Keep covered with a clean kitchen towel.
2. Put the fish and the lemon in a small pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and let the water bubble gently for about 3 minutes, or until the skin comes off easily and the fish flakes easily. Remove the fish from the water and discard the skin. Flake the fish and place the flakes on a plate. Drain off any excess liquid from the plate.
3. Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook, stirring very often, until lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the onion burn or it will be bitter. Add the parsley and stir for a few seconds more.
4. Put the mashed potatoes in a medium pot and add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Place over medium heat and stir the mash until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated. Transfer to a large mix
ing bowl. Add the flaked fish, the fried onion and parsley, beaten eggs, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Shape the fish cakes into disks 2½ inches (6 cm) across by 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick and place on a platter.
5. Set a fine-mesh wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom. Put some flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the oil is hot, dip the fish cakes into the seasoned flour on both sides. Shake off the excess flour and slip into the hot oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden. If your pan is not large enough to cook all the cakes at once, work in batches, wiping the pan clean and adding more oil in between each one. Remove the cakes to the wire rack to drain off any excess oil. Serve hot.
EGYPTIAN FERMENTED FISH
* * *
FESIKH
EGYPT
Fesikh or feseekh is a fermented fish that is beloved by Egyptians, although not by most other people, who find it too pungent. I rather like it, but in small quantities. Fesikh is served during the Sham-El-Nessim festival, a spring celebration that dates back to the time of the Pharaohs. It is prepared by a specialist known as a fasakhani who uses grey mullet—fesikh can be toxic if not prepared and stored properly. People eat it with aysh baladi (thick whole wheat pita), diced onions, and lemon juice. I am not giving a recipe for how to make it here as it is not so easy (nor so safe) to prepare if you are not familiar with the process. But it is worth knowing about, and if you can source it, try it. The larger the fish, the better the fesikh because of the fat content. It is made by first soaking the fish to get rid of all traces of blood. Then it is put to dry in the sun or in the sand, before being salted and fermented.