This is a delicious and exotic fish recipe from one of our favourite recipe books, Jerusalem. Chefs and business partners Yotam Ottolenghi (an Israeli Jew) and Sami Tamimi (a Palestinian Arab), write about the city they grew up on opposite ends of. "In this soup of a city it is completely impossible to find out who invented this delicacy and who brought that one with them. The food cultures are mashed and fused together in a way that is impossible to unravel. They interact all the time and influence one another constantly, so nothing is pure any more. In fact, nothing ever was."
Preheat the oven to 375º.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and coriander seeds and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, curry powder and tomatoes and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, vinegar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a separate frying pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in the flour, then in the eggs, and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once. Transfer the fish to paper towels to to absorb the excess oil, then add to the pan with the peppers and onions, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan. Add enough water just to immerse the fish (about 1 cup/250 mL) in the liquid.
Place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature. The fish can now be served, but it is actually better after a day or two in the fridge. Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper if needed and garnish with cilantro.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375º.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and coriander seeds and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, curry powder and tomatoes and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, vinegar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a separate frying pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in the flour, then in the eggs, and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once. Transfer the fish to paper towels to to absorb the excess oil, then add to the pan with the peppers and onions, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan. Add enough water just to immerse the fish (about 1 cup/250 mL) in the liquid.
Place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature. The fish can now be served, but it is actually better after a day or two in the fridge. Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper if needed and garnish with cilantro.