South India-Style White Cornmeal-Fried Stripped Bass

RECIPES | February 2017

South India-Style White Cornmeal-Fried Stripped Bass

When most people think of the foods of India, their minds jump to rich curries brimming with warm spices. But there’s another, lighter side to food in the coastal south, where fresh ingredients predominate and spicy fish, sautéed veggies, and light lentil curries are predominate This marinade is packed with flavor – ginger, shallot, chili powder, green chilies, cilantro, cumin and turmeric. This is a versatile preparation for fish as well, so try it with other white flaky fish.

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Main, Entree, Fish, Seafood

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Fish
1 Onion, small, chopped
2T Shallots, chopped
3T Fresh Ginger, chopped
1T Turmeric
2t Chili Powder
D Sea Salt, freshly ground
2T Cilantro, freshly chopped
1T Olive Oil
2 Striped Bass, cleaned
2C Canola Oil, for frying
1t Cumin Seeds
3 Green Chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1C White Cornmeal Flaky sea salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Sides
12 Baby Zucchini, halved and sautéed
16 Cherry Tomatoes, sautéed
4 Long Fancy Radishes, cleaned and halved
8 Lemon Wedges

Yogurt Sauce
1C Strained Yogurt
1T artSavor 75, already mixed with olive oil
1 Persian Cucumber, Grated
2T Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS

Deep Pan for frying

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
In a blender, add onion, shallot, ginger, turmeric, chili powder, salt, cilantro and oil
Pulse to blend making a paste
Place fish on the cutting board
Pat dry with kitchen paper
Make 3 cuts on each side
Rub fish with paste all over
Cover and refrigerate for couple of hours

STEP 2
Transfer to your work counter
Pat fish dry without removing the paste
Heat oil in a frying pan
Fry cumin and chopped chilies, about 1 minute
In a baking dish, combine cumin mixture, cornmeal, salt and pepper, mix well
Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture
Shake off the excess
Add fish one at a time
Fry on both sides until brown
Transfer to a plate cover with paper towel to absorb excess oil
Cut fish in individual portion for serving

PLATING & SERVICE

Place zucchini slices and tomatoes on the plate
Place a piece of fish on the plate
Dress with a dollop of yogurt sauce
Garnish with a piece of radish and lemon wedge
Serve immediately

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