Belated Merry Christmas! I always think maybe I should leave a message here saying Merry Christmas on the actual day, but really who is looking at my blog on Christmas day (who wants to be told Merry Christmas anyway)? You guys are all celebrating with your families. I hope.
Anyway I promised you this fish curry. And really I think the timing is perfect. It is warming without being heavy and is healthy enough to qualify for any New year’s resolutions you might have. (I apologize for the color differentiation–these pictures were taken at night and I have fought and fought with the white balance and cannot get the picture above to agree with the picture below).
I found the inspiration for this recipe in one of my new favorite cookbooks, Fish: 54 Seafood Feasts
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- ½ t paprika
- ½ t turmeric
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1 t dark mustard seeds
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- salt, to taste, several pinches throughout recipe
- 4 celery stalks, sliced thinly
- water, as needed
- ¼ t ground cloves
- ¼ t ground cardamom
- ½ t cinnamon
- ½ T ground cumin
- ½ T ground coriander
- 2 T curry powder
- 2 cups split red lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock (what I used) or fish stock
- 4 white fish fillets, such as cod, halibut, mahi mahi or hake (I used a mix of what I had leftover in freezer), cut into large chunks
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- lime wedges, plus the juice of half of a lime
- Basmati rice, for serving
- Apple-Pomegranate Relish, for serving (recipe below)
- Place the yellow split peas in a pot of boiling water (enough to cover the split peas) with the paprika and turmeric (1/2 teaspoon each). Cook until still firm but no longer crunchy. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet. Add the mustard seeds and cover the pan. When the seeds stop popping, add the onions with a pinch of salt.
- When the onions have released much of their water and are starting to stick a bit, add the celery with another pinch of salt.
- Place a cup of water beside the cooktop. Cook until the onions are caramelized. Splash a little water into the pan if the onions start to stick or scorch. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Add all the ground spices and stir. Cook until fragrant--add a splash of water if at any time the spices seem like they might stick or burn.
- Add the parcooked split peas, split red lentils and stock. Stir and cook for 20 minutes, until the lentils and split peas are tender.
- At this point the dish should be thicker and reduced but still wet enough to submerge the fish. If it is not add a little more stock. Make sure the dish is at a simmer before adding the fish.
- Add the fish and stir to submerge the fish under the liquid. Cover the pan and reduce the heat as low as possible to maintain a very gentle simmer.
- Braise the fish for 6-8 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes when a fork is inserted into the thickest piece.
- Stir in the mint and lime juice. Taste for salt.
- Serve with Basmati rice, lime wedges and Apple-Pomegranate Relish.
- 2 sweet, firm apples, cut into tiny chunks (I left the skin on)
- seeds from one pomegranate
- ½ cup raisins or currants
- 2 T fresh lemon or lime juice
- small pinch of salt
- Toss all ingredients together. Serve with curry.
As always, Amazon affiliate links were used in this post, but only to link to items I would be discussing and linking to anyway.
Joanne says
December 27, 2013 at 7:51 amI love the mix of spices like this. Definitely making me crave a warm bowl of curry right now!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
January 3, 2014 at 9:14 pmI’ve never made a fish curry before, and this one sounds great! Love the fresh relish!