Another Ottolenghi: Marinated Sweet&Sour Fish

I am not anti-meat or anything but I do feel we should eat as much fish as possible.

If you have been following my blog, you will know that I am quite Ottolenghi-addicted. I love his recipes mainly because they use the ingredients that I am completely familiar with here in Turkey but he uses them in very different ways.

Here in Istanbul, we do like our fish. This recipe is suitable for any white fish fillet which gives us plenty of leeway. In this instance, I have used mezgit/whiting.

bought in Kadiköy çarşı

My only objection to an Ottolenghi recipe is that it’s a bit longwinded! But a few extra ingredients with instructions to match make for a dish with a depth of flavour that our regular everyday offerings cannot compete with.

I think this is a great dish to try out next time you’re having people over. It’s really not difficult and makes regular fish look festive. You bring it to the table in a huge serving dish, the one you actually cooked it in, and because of the colours, it immediately looks appetising and just plain fabulous! Which it is. At least we can get those beautiful red and yellow peppers now in Turkey. And the aroma is incredibly inviting…

love those red and yellow peppers!

• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole that fits in the oven. Add the onions and coriander seeds and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes before adding the garlic, bay leaves, curry powder and tomatoes. Cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the sugar, vinegar, 1½ tsp of salt and some black pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan. Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in flour, then in egg and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once. Dry on a paper towel and add to the pan with the peppers and onion, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan. Add about 250 ml of water so that the fish is just immersed in the vegetables and liquid.
• Place the pan in the oven for  10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked.
• Remove and leave to come to room temperature. the fish can be served then but is actually better after a day or two in the fridge.
• Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper, if needed, and garnish with coriander.

 

 

it looks yum, doesn’t it?

here is the dish with all the ingredients in place, the fish sitting on the bed of peppers and onion