Fish Curry with Green Beans
Back from a week in Italy and I’m in need of something Completely Different. This hot spicy fish curry will knock your socks off. Red snapper or other meaty white fish, fresh chili and turmeric, hot homemade curry powder, red lentils to thicken and a splash of colour with some green beans. Serve with some simple basmati rice, a paratha from the freezer and sprinking of fresh coriander. Totally delicious.
Serves 2
You will need:
1 medium whole red snapper or other white fish, cleaned and chopped into 4, including head and tail.
½ cup red lentils
2 handfuls of green beans, halved
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 fresh turmeric root
1 - 2 green chilies
1 - 2 heaped tsps curry powder
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
400 ml chicken or fish stock
cooking oil of your choice
Wash the fish in lemon juice, water and a scrubbing of salt. Drain, pat dry and set aside. Chop the onion, garlic, turmeric root and green chili and whizz up half of the mixture in a blender with a tablespoon of lemon juice, a large pinch of salt and 3 tbsp of water. When you have a paste, smear it all over the fish pieces, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan and gently fry off the remaining onion/garlic/turmeric/chili mixture. Add the curry powder and fry a little. Add the chopped tomatoes and the stock, a pinch of salt and the red lentils. Bring back to the boil and add more liquid if necessary. Gently add the pieces of fish and the marinade, along with the green beans. Bring to a rolling heat, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat and then gently flake the flesh from the fish head and tail. Lift as many bones away as you can without disturbing the flesh too much. Leave for as long as you need and reheat gently later.
Cook up your rice. Invite some mates. Fry off a paratha or 2. Chop your coriander. Open cold beer. Serve ;-)