Salmon Curry

My husband loves fish and I hate it, but I love experimenting with the fish dishes. The dishes that are approved by Praveen, find a place in my blog. Here is one such successful experiment with Salmon.

Ingredients:
Salmon Steaks - 1 lb/500 gm (You can use any fish with firm flesh)
Onion - 1 medium sized, ground to paste
Tomato - 1 large, diced
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies - 6(Adjust according to spice levels)
Dry Coconut Powder - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - lemon sized ball, soaked in warm water
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Fenugreek Seeds - 6 (For tempering)
Curry Leaves - few (For tempering)

Method of Preparation:
1. Dry roast mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies on medium heat, till they emanate aroma. Cool and grind them to a fine powder.
2. Add diced tomatoes, coconut powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder to the already ground powder and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed non stick pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add the ground onion paste after the spluttering stops and fry till it turns slightly brown in color.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the ground masala or the tomato spice mixture to it and fry till oil gets separated.
5. Meanwhile, extract the tamarind pulp by squeezing the soaked tamarind. Add the tamarind extract and a cup of water. Stir well.
6. Let the gravy boil and then simmer for few more minutes.
7. Add the cleaned fish to the gravy and cook covered for 4 minutes, then turn the fish around and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Depending on the size of the fish pieces, increase or decrease the cooking time. Turn off the heat and cover the lid. Let the curry rest for a minimum of 2 hours, before serving.
8. Enjoy the salmon curry with steamed rice.

Baked Tuna steaks With Spice Rub

My experiments with spice rubs, especially for seafood is a never ending saga. I made a wonderful spice rub for tuna, the other day. I marinated the tuna steaks in olive oil, crushed garlic, lime juice along with the spice rub and then baked them. The result was a wonderfully smelling baked tuna. My hubby dear liked it a lot.

Ingredients:

Tuna Steaks - 2, 4 oz portions

Garlic - 1 large clove, crushed

Lime juice - 1/2 tsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

For the Spice Rub:

Oregano - 3/4 tsp

Marjoram - 3/4 tsp

Paprika/Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Peppercorns - 10

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it lightly.

2. Add the ingredients for the spice rub to a mortar and grind them all using a pestle to a fine powder.(If you like eating spicy, then add whole arbor chillies and grind them, as I did :))

3. Place the tuna steaks in a glass or non reactive bowl. Add the spice mix, olive oil, crushed garlic, lime juice and mix well using your hands or alternatively, you can add all the ingredients to a ziploc bag and mix well.

4. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and marinate the fish for 2 hours.

5. Place the marinated fish on the baking tray, and bake for 14-15 minutes or until you can easily flake the fish  using a fork.

6. Enjoy the baked tuna steaks with spice rub while it is warm.

Baked Tuna steaks

This weekend we got home two 4 oz fresh tuna steaks. Tuna contains omega-3 fatty acids, which is a bit of protection for the heart. This is the first time I have worked with tuna and the dish was well appreciated by my better half. The recipe is very simple with very few ingredients. We were in a hurry to go out today, hence could not a good job with the picture.

Ingredients:
Tuna - 2, 4 oz tuna steaks(3/4 inch to 1 inch thick)
Lime Juice - 1 tbsp
Jalapeño/Thai Green Chilli - 1, chopped into half inch pieces
Pepper Powder - 1/8 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Garlic - 1 clove, finely chopped
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per Taste

Method of Preparation:
1. In a plastic or glass bowl, add all the ingredients except the fish and mix well.
2. Now add the fish pieces and mix well, so that both the sides of the fish get a good coat of the marinade.
3. Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate it for an hour or two(not more than 2 hours)
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake the tuna steaks on a greased foil lined baking tray for 10-12 minutes(or until you can easily flak the fish using a fork).
5. Serve the baked tuna steaks warm or hot.

Sending this recipe to 'Hearth 'n Soul' being hosted by Girlichef

Baked Whole Fish

We have a love hate relationship with seafood. My better half loves sea food and I hate it :) However, I enjoy experimenting with seafood for him. Yesterday we got home fresh pompano from the grocery store. So, Baked whole fish was today's dinner for my better half. With subtle flavors of star anise, dill, garlic and Italian herbs, the outcome was much appreciated by my better half.

Ingredients:
Whole Fish - 1 Pompano(cleaned and scaled, any white fish will work for this recipe)
Onions - 1 large sized, sliced length wise
Green Pepper/Capsicum - 1 medium sized, sliced length wise
Star Anise - 1
Italian Herbs - a small pinch(Rosemary, parsley, oregano)
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh Dill Leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Garlic Cloves - 1 large clove, finely chopped
Paprika/Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Lime - 1 small sized
Salt - As Per Taste
Aluminium Foil - 9X11 sized sheet

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash the fish using cold water and wipe it dry on both sides and inside using a paper towel.
2. Make slits on both sides of the fish using a sharp knife.
3. In a small bowl add a table spoon of oil, chopped garlic, paprika/chilli powder, chopped dill and little salt. Mix well and apply this mixture on the fish, inside the fish and in the slits as well. Squeeze little lime juice on the fish and inside as well. Refrigerate the fish for a couple of hours.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small pan and add the sliced onions and bell peppers/capsicum.
5. Add a little salt and pepper and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
7. Place 2/3 of the vegetable mixture on the center of the aluminium foil. Place the fish on top of it. Place a star anise inside the cavity of the fish.
8. Top the remaining vegetables mixture on top of the fish. Sprinkle the Italian herbs on it. Fold the edges of the aluminium foil in such a way that no steam escapes while baking.
9. Place the parceled fish on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the fish you use.
10. To ensure that the fish is baked through, use a fork and see if it flakes easily.
11. Serve the baked whole fish hot or warm, by opening the foil and serving it in the foil itself.

Sending this recipe to the event 'Two For Tuesdays', hosted by Girlichef

Fish in Banana Leaf

Cooking fish in banana leaf is very common in kerala, India. However I have been thinking of trying it for a long time now. Getting fresh banana leaves here in USA, is very hard. Hence, I got frozen banana leaves from a Mexican Grocery Store. Though one can never compare cooking in a fresh banana leaf and a frozen leaf, this is the best I could do with the available ingredients. Check in the frozen section at Indian or Mexican Grocery stores for the frozen banana leaves. I used a frozen Cod fillet for this recipe, you can use any of the available fish.

Ingredients:
Banana leaf - 1
Fish Pieces/Fillet - 2
Fresh Curry Leaves - 3-4, finely chopped
Oil - 1 tsp

For the Marinade:
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 small, roughly chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 2 pods
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Lime/Lemon - 1/2 squeezed
Salt - as per taste

Method of Preparation:
1. If using a frozen banana leaf, wash it with cold water and pat it dry using a kitchen towel and leave it at room temperature for around an hour.
2. Grind all the ingredients for the marinade into a smooth paste.
3. Apply the marinade to the fish pieces evenly and let them rest in the refrigerator for around 2 hours.
4. Fold the banana leaf into half, so that you have double layer of the leaf to work with.
5. Place the fish pieces in the center, sprinkle the chopped curry leaves on them and then fold the leaf edges to form a parcel with the fish pieces in the middle.
6. Heat a pan/tawa, add a teaspoon of oil and place the fish pieces wrapped in banana leaf on it.
7. If using small pieces of fish, turn the fish parcel around in 3-4 minutes and if working with large fish pieces, turn it around in 4-5 minutes. Let the fish cook for 3 minutes and switch off the heat. let the fish rest on the hot tawa for a while.
8. Enjoy the fish in a banana leaf while it is still warm.