Halibut fish cutlets

Halibut fish cutlets

   Halibut fish cutlets

Fish cutlets are very tasty. Everyone loves it. It is time consuming to make the cutlets. But it is worth the effort. I am making this cutlet in Asian style. If you omit the chili it will still be tasty.
Cutlets can be served for evening tea or as a starter of a main meal. It is excellent for a glass of chilled beer with friends.

                                      Recipe summary                                                                                              For
                                    Halibut fish cutlets

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves : 5

Preparation

Halibut fish cutlet

1. Cut 640 grams halibut fish into medium sized pieces. Marinate the fish with ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.



2. I Steamed the for 10 minutes to save the omega 3 oil instead of boiling. Make sure that the fish is cooked by inserting a fork in it. Let the fish cool and the pull the flesh into very small pieces with a fork.  

Steamed halibut fish

3. Boil 250 grams potatoes  Mash them with a potato masher. Do not mash into a smooth paste but leave small pieces. Potato is our binding agent for the fish and other ingredients.

Flaked fish

4. Chop 250 grams onion, 2 green chili, 2 sprigs Curry leaves,  6 garlic cloves  and 17 gram ginger finely. 

Ingredients

Method
Heat 2 table spoon of vegetable oil and heat it up.  Reduce the heat to medium and add onion, green chili, Curry leaves,  garlic cloves ginger, and lightly temper them for about 
10 minutes, stirring frequently, so that they won’t get burnt. Take the pan off the heat and let the ingredients cool.

Adding spices

6.Add pulled fish, mashed potato, all the spices: 1 tsp chilli powder; ½ tsp garam masala powder; ½ tsp pepper powder and ½ tsp roasted cumin powder 1 tsp salt.

Final mixture

Fried onion chili,curry 
leaves,ginger and garlic

7. break the egg and remove the whites of the egg in a cup and set aside. Add the two yolks to the mixture. Mix all ingredients well. The mixture should not watery. It should be fairly dry.

8. Form round balls or oblong rolls or flat patties out of the mixture. These are out cutlets.

Cutlet served with bread  dip and salad 

9. Beat the egg whites in the cup.
Spread 250 grams bread crumbs on a plate. Coat the cutlets in the egg white and then in the  bread crumbs. When you have coated all of them you are ready to fry them. If you like you can give another coat of egg white and bread crumbs.

Heat 1/3 cup oil in a large frying pan or a wok. Fry the cutlets in batches of five or six.

Note: For a party this can be made the previous night and place in the refrigerator.  On the  day of the party you can give coating of just bread crumbs and fry. It is ideal accompaniment for a drink. This can be made with canned fish too. You will get 24 round cutlets in a can.

Halibut fish cutlet is ready.

                    Recipe follows in detail with pictures.



Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves : 5

Ingredients
Main
640 gram Halibut fish
250 grams potato
Others
250 grams onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves finely sliced
2 green chili, finely chopped
17 gram ginger, finely chopped
2 sprigs Curry leaves, chopped finely
2 eggs
250 grams Bread crumbs
2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Spices
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp pepper powder
½ tsp roasted cumin powder
2 eggs
Marinade for fish
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder

Preparation
Cut the fish into medium sized pieces. Marinate the fish with turmeric powder and salt.  Now we have to cook the fish.

Marinated fish

 We can either boil it steam it. I decided to steam it because only very little of the fish oil which is rich in omega-3, will be lost. I steamed it for 10 minutes.

Steamed fish

 Boiling also will take the same amount of time. You will have to make sure that the fish is cooked by inserting a fork in it. If it goes in smoothly, it means the fish is cooked. Let the fish cool and the pull the flesh into very small pieces with a fork.  Break big pieces with your fingers. If there are big pieces it will be difficult form the balls.

Flaked fish

I cooked the potatoes in the microwave with one table spoon of water for 3 minutes  and after turning the potatoes over another three minutes. Let the potatoes cool. Peel and cut them into thick pieces. Mash them with a potato masher. Do not mash into a smooth paste but leave small pieces. Potato is our binding agent for the fish and other ingredients.

Adding potato

I cut onion garlic, ginger and curry leaves into small pieces in the food processor with the S blade. Do not make a paste. Just cut them into very small uniform sized pieces.
Method
In a large frying pan or a wok add 2 table spoon of vegetable oil and heat it up. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium and add onion, green chili, curry leaves,  garlic and ginger and lightly temper them for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, so that they won’t get burnt. Take the pan off the heat and let the ingredients 
cool

Frying onion chili,curry leaves,ginger and garlic

Add pulled fish, mashed potato,

Adding fried item

  all the spices,salt and all the spices.

Adding spices

 Take the whites of the egg in a cup and set aside. Add the two yolks to the mixture.

Adding egg yolk

 Mix all ingredients well. The mixture should not watery. It should be fairly dry.

Final mixture

Form round balls or oblong rolls or flat patties out of the mixture. These are out cutlets.

Cutlet before adding bread crumbs

 Beat the egg whites in the cup.

Beaten egg white

 Spread bread crumbs on a plate.

bread crumbs

 Coat the cutlets in the egg white and then in the bread crumbs. 

Dipping in egg white

When you have coated all of them you are ready to fry them. If you like you can give another coat of egg white and bread crumbs.

Cutlets with bread crumbs

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a wok. Fry the cutlets in batches of five or six.

Frying the cutlet

The cutlet is ready. 

Note: For a party this can be made the previous night and place in the refrigerator.  On the  day of the party you can give coating of just bread crumbs and fry. It is ideal accompaniment for a drink.

Cutlet served with bread  dip and salad 

Mild green chili dip with ginger and grated coconut

In this recipe hot green chili is made mild with the cooling coconut.

This goes well with Indian snacks like roti, thosai, idly chapati vadai  even with flat breads and baguette.

Mild green chili dip with ginger and grated coconut

                                    Recipe summary
                                              For
         Mild green chili dip with  ginger and  grated coconut

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes

serves : 4

1. Add 5 green chillies coarsely chopped,1 large onion coarsely chopped, 80 grams shredded coconut 5 grams ginger, ½ teaspoon salt to a blender with ¼ cup water. Grind into a smooth paste.

Green chili,onion,curry
 leaves,dry chili,ginger,
lemon juice,coconut
 and mustard

2. Heat 2 table spoon vegetable oil in a medium sized frying pan or wok. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds to splutter and  add dry chili and ½ sprig curry leaves and fry for 1 minute. Add the ground paste and fry for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon lime juice (or to taste). Taste for seasoning.

Mild green chili dip with 
ginger and grated coconut

The dip is ready. If you want a little hot you can add more green chili. If you want it milder just reduce the chili. For very mild dip use 1 chili.



Double the quantity of ginger, to get a ginger sauce with green chili.

Mild green chili dip with  ginger and  grated coconut is ready.

                          Recipe follows in detail with pictures.


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
serves : 4

Ingredients
Main

5 green chillies coarsely chopped
1 large onion coarsely chopped
80 grams shredded coconut
Others
5 grams ginger shredded
1 dry chili
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon salt
½ sprig curry leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice (or to taste)
¼ cup water
2 table spoon vegetable oil

Green chili

     

Green chili,onion,curry leaves,dry chili,ginger,lemon juice,coconut and mustard

                                                 

Method
Add all the above ingredients except lime juice, curry leaves, dry chili and mustard seeds to a blender with water . Grind into a smooth paste.

 Chili blended in small blender

Heat oil a medium sized frying pan or wok. Add mustard to splutter and add dry chili and curry leaves and fry for 1 minute. Add the ground paste and fry for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lime juice.
The dip is ready. If you want a little hot you can add more green chili. If you want it milder just reduce the chili. For very mild dip use 1 chili.

Double the quantity of ginger, to get a ginger sauce with green chili.

Prawn gravy with spices and coconut milk

Prawn gravy with spices and coconut milk

Today I am going to make a spicy prawn curry with gravy.  A curry can be made dry or watery. What I mean by gravy is a watery curry. When you serve gravy with rice, the rice will be more taster with the gravy.
         

                                     Recipe summary
                                              For
                                   Spicy prawn gravy

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4


1. If the 300 grams prawns come with head and shell, remove the head and shell and discard them. Some people like to leave the tail for particular recipes.

2. You need to devein the intestinal veins. Use a sharp knife to make a thin slit along the rib across the back of the shrimp. Use the knife and pull out the black vein. Wash the prawns again.

3. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon salt and mix well. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.

4. In a medium sized frying pan or a wok add ½ cup of vegetable oil vegetable oil. Heat the oil and  fry the prawns in medium heat until they become golden brown in color. Remove the prawns and set aside.

Prawn gravy with 
spices and coconut milk

5. Using the same oil deep fry 2 large onions chopped coarsely, and  5 cloves of garlic sliced into halves in medium heat till they become slightly crispy and dark brown in color. This will take about ten minutes. Remove the onion and garlic and set aside.
Reserve the balance oil.

6. In a medium sized saucepan add two tablespoons of used oil from frying the prawns. Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they ½ teaspoon mustard seeds splatter add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds and ½ teaspoon fennel seeds and fry for one minute. 

Fried prawns

7. Add 1 piece cinnamon, 1 dry chili cut into small pieces,  fried onion and garlic, 1 green chili sliced into small pieces,1 sprig curry leaves  chopped and continue frying.

8. Now add fried  prawn and  potato.

9. Add 1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon salt and 3 cups of water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat.In medium heat cook covered for about 15 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon tamarind juice or to taste, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

10. Add ½ cup coconut cream and ½ teaspoon pepper powder and simmer for 2 minutes.

The curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or bread.
The curry can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks.

I used small prawns .You can use the large prawns using the same recipe.

Prawn gravy with spices and coconut milk is ready.

                    Recipe follows in detail with pictures.



Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Main
300 grams prawns
1 Potato
Others
2 large onions chopped coarsely
5 cloves of garlic sliced into halves
1 green chili sliced into small pieces
1 spring curry leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon tamarind juice or to taste
½ cup coconut cream
½ cup of vegetable oil
3 cups water
Spices
1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon garam masala (optional)
½ teaspoon pepper powder
1 piece cinnamon
1 dry chili cut  into pieces.

Onion,garlic,green chili,curry leaves

Preparation

If the prawns come with head and shell, remove the head and shell and discard them. After you cut the head off by hand,  and then press hard onto the tail and holding on to the tail and pulling it off gently will remove tail then  you can remove the shell as well. If this does not happen then make a slit along under side of the belly and peel off the shell. Some people like to leave the tail for particular recipes.

You need to devein the intestinal veins. Use a sharp knife to make a thin slit along the rib across the back of the shrimp. Use the knife and pull out the black vein.

Wash the prawns again.

Add turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Prawns being marinated with turmeric and salt

Wash and cut potatoes into small pieces.

Potato

In a medium sized frying pan or a wok add the vegetable oil.Heat the oil and  fry the prawns in medium heat until they become golden brown in color. Remove the prawns and set aside.

Prawn is frying

In the same oil fry the onion and garlic in medium heat till they become slightly crispy and dark brown in color. This will take 

Fried prawns

about ten minutes. Remove the onion and set aside.

Fried onion

Reserve the balance oil.

Method
In a medium sized saucepan add two tablespoons of used oil from frying the prawns. It will now fragrant with the juices from onion and prawns. Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they splatter add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds and fry for one minute. Add cinnamon, dry chili,  fried onion and garlic,  green chili, curry leaves and continue frying.

Onion,chili,garlic,spices frying in a wok

Now add fried  prawn and  potato.

Prawn and potato added

Add curry powder, salt and 3 cups of water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat.In medium heat cook covered for about 15 minutes. Then add tamarind juice, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning

Add coconut cream and pepper powder and simmer for 2 minutes.

The curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or bread.
The curry can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 2 weeks.

I used small prawns .You can use the large prawns using the same recipe.