Charred--not marred :)

I won't say this again. Fish it is today. Again. See, I cannot help it. I mean not only is fish just so good for you...it is also so much more soothing on the palate. And there is hardly ever much to do to  get a good fish dish on the table. Today's one though will involve 'some' work. But the taste-- I promise you , will be heavenly, and all worth the little effort. I mean with this recipe, I got non-fish eaters to eat fish even with whiskey. No I don't know how that worked. But ..okay enough talk..take a look..maybe that is a better way to get everyone into fish :)

Does it look good or what ! Okay in case some of you are having a hard time figuring out the variety of fish used--its called Pomfret.

I have not encountered this fish in this part of the world. But its a super popular sea fish in the Indian subcontinent. But take heart. I have done this with Mackerel, Sea bass, tilapia, Flounder-- any flat, white variety of sea fish. Also I am positive this will go fantastic with Trout!

This is an original recipe of my grandmom--who btw is a lovely chef --But I have modified it to fit my needs :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsf olive oil or regular oil for each fish piece.

Half a cup of unsweetened coconut

2 tbsf grated ginger

2 tbsf corn flower

half a cup of good quality yoghurt

1/4th cup of water

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

1 tsp of sugar

Salt to taste

Season with lemon and black pepper

Cilantro for garnish. You can take your pick of parsley or any herb you want.

The Fish: You can use a 2 -3 fillets of flounder, sea bass, crawfish, herring, sardines, Tilapia, pomfret

(of course). If you are using whole fish-- be sure to clean out the fish throughly. If you are using thick fillets, slice them through their centre--basically reducing the fillet thickness into half. That way it will cook faster.

Also make sure to make slight indents into the fish flesh (on both sides) parallel to the small side. This way when you marinade the fish, the marinade will make its way all through the fish, giving it an all over flavor. Not just the surface.

Okay here is how you do it!

Mix all ingredients together ( except lime, black pepper and oil) and whisk. It should be a thick granular paste. Place the Fish in a shallow ( preferably oven proof)  shallow dish and pour the mixture all over the fish, generously coating it. Leave in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Take the tray out and now you have two options

Fry:

Heat oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is hot, lower heat and very very carefully scoop up a piece and lay it softly in the skillet. Make sure the there is as much marinade on the fish as you possibly can scoop up without causing a mess or breaking the fish. Fishes are soft creatures :). Fry on each side for ~ 3-4 minutes. Do not move the fish around. Once done it will be opaque.

Bake:

Heat your oven to  450F.  Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the the fish with olive oil. Place the fish in it for 20 minutes, turning once (10 minutes on each side).  While you have turned it, drizzle the other side with oil before placing it back in the oven. After baking broil on high for 2 minutes- each side. Will give you the charred effect!

Season with lemon and  black pepper. Garnish with whatever you wanted to

Serve by itself, or with a citrus salad.

Happy eating and healthy living!