Ingredients

• 1.5 kg fish fillets (cod, halibut, etc.), skinless
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 6 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lg. white onion, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2.5cm piece ginger, crushed
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 3 tbsp. tomato puree
• 200g tomatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 600ml warm water
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• green chiles
• a few sprigs cilantro

Preparation

Cut the fish fillets into 12 equal portions. Mix 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the turmeric, then rub on all sides of the fish and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a shallow saucepan, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. If you are using mustard oil, heat the oil until it is smoking hot – this removes its bitter pungency – then bring it down to a medium-high heat. Add the fish to the pan and fry to seal each piece, but do not let the fillets cook through. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes over a medium-high heat. If the paste is burning or sticking to the base of the pan, add a splash of water. Add the remaining salt and turmeric, followed by the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, tomato puree and diced tomatoes. Pour in the warm water and cook for 5 minutes. Let the liquid reduce for 15 minutes or until the oil comes to the surface and seeps to the sides of the pan.

Gently return the fish fillets to the pan and cover with the gravy, ensuring all sides of each fillet are cooking evenly. If possible, cook the fish fillets in a single layer in the pan as this will prevent them from breaking up into flakes. Lower the heat, add the sugar and cook, covered, until the fillets are cook through – this should take no longer than 5 minutes.

To serve, garnish the fish with whole green chillies and sprigs of fresh coriander leaves.

Asma Khan / BBC

Ingredients

• 400g de filet de saumon, en dès
• 400g de filet de cabillaud, en dès
• 10 crevettes tigrées décortiquées
• 400g pommes de terre épluchées
• 300g épinards frais
• 50ml lait
• 50g fromage râpé
• 1 boîte bisque de homard concentrée (env. 500ml)
• beurre

Preparation

Préchauffez le four à 190C (chaleur tournante 180C). Coupez le saumon et le cabillaud en dès.

Faites cuire les pommes de terre durant 20 minutes dans assez d’eau. Réchauffez entre-temps 1 cuillère à soupe de beurre, faites y ensuite réduire les épinards.

Mélangez le contenu de soupe en boîte avec 100ml d’eau (pas le 500ml normal!) dans un bol. Faites une purée avec les pommes de terre et 50ml de lait.

Graissez le plat allant au four et couvrez le fond avec la purée. Déposez ensuite les épinards et répartissez le poisson (le poisson ne doit pas être précuit) et les crevettes au dessus des épinards. Ajoutez la soupe et répandez ensuite le fromage râpé.

Laissez cuire au milieu du four durant 25 min.

Knorr

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 dozen mussels
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Four 6-ounce skinless cod fillets
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Preparation

1. Bring the wine to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the mussels, cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pan a few times, until they open, 3 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Shell the mussels and reserve. Rinse out the pan. Pour the mussel liquid into the pan, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season the cod with salt and black pepper and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side.
4. Bring the mussel liquid to a boil and remove from the heat. Whisk in the mayonnaise, then stir in the mussels. Transfer the cod to shallow bowls and spoon the mussels and sauce around it. Garnish with the red pepper strips and serve.

Food and Wine

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
• 2 thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound skinless cod fillets—bones removed, fish cut into 2-inch chunks
• Crusty bread, for serving

Preparation

Soak the porcini in the boiling water until softened, 10 minutes. Strain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, and rinse to remove any grit. Finely chop.

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the shallots, apple, garlic, curry powder, thyme sprigs and porcini and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the mussels and toss. Add the wine. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over high heat until the mussels have opened, 3 minutes. Add the cream and 1/2 cup of the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit. Bring to a simmer. Nestle the cod in the broth, cover and cook until the fish lightly flakes, 4 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Transfer the cod and mussels to large bowls and spoon the broth on top. Serve with crusty bread.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

(amounts in brackets are scaled for a 515 mL European can of tomato soup)

• 1 lb. [750 g] fresh salmon (or canned)
• 1 can concentrated tomato soup (10.75 oz) [515 mL]
• 8 oz. [360 g] cream cheese
• 2 envelopes gelatine (1/2 oz., around 14g) [26g, 2 European packets]
• 1 [2] onion, chopped fine
• 1 [2] celery stalk, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp. [5 tsp.] Worcestershire sauce
• 1 c. [350 g] mayonnaise
• 2 [4] dashes Tabasco

Preparation

If using fresh salmon, bake the salmon until it flakes easily; cool.

Heat the tomato soup (undiluted) in a large pot, melt in the cream cheese. Dissolve the gelatine in 1/2 c. of cold water. Add to the soup, and cool.

Add in the remainder of the ingredients, pour into a serving dish, and refrigerate until set. Serve with black or French bread.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons minced thyme leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
• ¾ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 (6-ounce) blackfish, flounder or hake fillets
• Fresh lemon juice, for serving
• Dill fronds or fresh parsley, for serving

Preparation

Heat the broiler. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in garlic, thyme, curry powder, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt; heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest.

Season fish with salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour sauce over fish and broil until fish is flaky and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh dill, and serve.

New York Times

Ingredients

• 4 (6-8 oz) halibut fillets, ¾ to 1 inch thick
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 fennel bulbs, halved, cored, and sliced thin
• 4 shallots, halved and sliced thin
• ¾ c. white wine
• 1 tsp. lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh tarragon

Preparation

1. Sprinkle fish with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over low heat. Place fish in skillet, skinned side up, increase heat to medium, and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown (fish should not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Using spatula, carefully transfer fish to large plate, raw side down.

2. Add fennel, shallots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Add wine and bring to gentle simmer. Place fish, raw side down, on top of vegetables. Cover skillet and cook, adjusting heat to maintain gentle simmer, until fish registers 135 to 140 degrees, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using 2 spatulas, transfer fish and vegetables to serving platter or individual plates. Tent loosely with aluminum foil.

3. Return skillet to high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish and sprinkle with tarragon. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

CI

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. plus ¾ c. panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp. minced parsley
• 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 (1 ¼ pound) skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ c. vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Combine 3 tablespoons panko, parsley, mayonnaise, lemon juice, scallion, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Working in 3 batches, pulse salmon in food processor until coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, about 2 pulses, transferring each batch to bowl with panko mixture. Gently mix until uniformly combined.

2. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in pie plate. Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop level amount of salmon mixture and transfer to baking sheet; repeat to make 8 cakes. Carefully coat each cake in bread crumbs, gently patting into disk measuring 2 3/4 inches in diameter and 1 inch high. Return coated cakes to baking sheet.

3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place salmon cakes in skillet and cook without moving until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip cakes and cook until second side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to drain 1 minute. Serve.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4-5 potatoes, cubed
• 5 1/2 c. fish stock
• 1 lb. fresh salmon fillet, cubed
• 2 c. whole milk
• 1 c. fresh dill, finely chopped
• 5 bay leaves
• dash sea salt
• dash pepper
• dash allspice

[CP: To test the next time I make this: juice of 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon?]

Preparation

Place the potato cubes in water to keep them from discoloring. In a soup pot, simmer the chopped onions in the butter over medium heat until soft .Add peeled and diced potatoes and then enough water to just cover the potatoes. Turn up the heat to high, cover, bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are just soft, adjusting the heat down as necessary.

Add the cubed salmon to the pot and cook until it is mostly opaque (this will take about 5 minutes, if that). Do not stir the soup so as not to break up the salmon. If you want to keep the Salmon cubes looking like cubes, once the salmon is cooked, remove from the soup and set aside. Add the fish stock, milk, bay leaves, and spices. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in the fresh dill. If you removed the salmon cubes, transfer the cooked salmon into individual bowls and ladle the soup over them. Serve with rye bread and butter.

Alternative Finland

Ingredients

• 1 whole striped bass or sea bass (about 1 ½ lbs), cleaned (see instructions)
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely julienned
• 2 scallions, finely julienned with green and white parts separated
• 8 sprigs fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• Fresh ground white pepper to taste

Preparation

Preparing the fish:

1. Remove any scales from your fish using a serrated steak knife. The areas to look for are the belly and the edges of the fish including the top, near the dorsal fins, and the head. There is nothing worse than having to pick out scales while you’re having dinner.

2. Cut off any fins with kitchen shears. They are pretty tough, so be careful with this step. Leave the tail and head in tact for presentation.

3. Look at the cavity, and you should see the backbone. You may also see a membrane that you should pierce and cut, revealing a blood line near the bone. Run your finger or a spoon across it to clean it thoroughly.

4. Check the head and gills. You should not see any gills left, and if there are, remove them with the kitchen shears and rinse the area clean. Older Chinese folks who like dining on the fish head will appreciate this step.

5. Give the fish a final rinse, shake off the excess water (no need to pat it dry) and transfer to a heat-proof plate for steaming. No salt, seasoning, or wine should be used on the fish before steaming. Repeat. Nothing on the fresh fish before steaming!

Assembling the dish:

For steaming, I used an elongated heat-proof plate. To accommodate that, I needed to MacGyver a steaming apparatus that would fit said plate. It’s simple enough. I used a wok and metal steam rack. If you need more height to keep the plate above the water in the wok, set a rack on top of a metal can with both ends removed. It’s a handy and cheap addition to your kitchen arsenal!

Steam for 9 minutes and turn off the heat. Use a butter knife to peek at the meat and confirm the fish is cooked through. The meat should be opaque down to the bone, but the bone should be slightly translucent and not fully cooked (remember, you will not be eating the bone. Trust me on this one!).

Next, carefully pour off all of the liquid accumulated on the plate from steaming and spread half of the ginger, the green portions of the scallion, and the cilantro over the fish.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil and the other half of the ginger in a saucepan until the ginger begins to sizzle. Next, add the water, salt, soy sauce, and fresh ground white pepper and heat the mixture until simmering.

Once simmering, add the rest of the oil and white portions of the scallion and stir until the liquid begins to simmer and sizzle once again. Spoon the entire mixture evenly over the fish and serve hot!

The Woks of Life