whole Kingfish with turmeric and ginger: HotM 15

What a delightful Thursday I had sharing my regular market wanderings with a fellow blogger. I don’t joke when I refer to Vic Market as my church and the pursuit of fresh produce as my religion. How reassuring it is when you find others with the same outlook on life and a shared passion for healthy food.

After wandering through the organic section (a post on kohlrabi coming soon but I think I need some help, ideas anyone?), sharing the highlights of the conventional stalls (here’s the kangkung, there’s the samphire, don’t the different mushrooms look wonderful), a whirlwind tour of the Asian supermarket (Hawthorn berry sweets and umeboshi vinegar for me, ginkgo nuts for her), there was only a few minutes of precious parking meter time left to grab some fish for dinner. Prossers always has a fine line up of whole fish. It’s the place to find bonito and other species that are less popular with the masses. The freshest fish in a two person (and a couple of hopeful felines) size was a kingfish, with the telltale yellow tail. Time to try a new fish I reckoned.

The herb of the day was a small piece of uber-fresh, baby turmeric root. It is a member of the ginger family and its earthy coolness goes well with its cousin ginger whose characteristics are hotter, spicier and a little acrid.



With a little playing around over the last year I am no longer intimidated about making up a spice paste. Something once exotic and mysterious has become demystified as just another way to use flavours. I figured I would use what was on hand to make a bit of slurry to rub into the whole fish, wrap it in foil and let it marinate for half an hour before putting it into a moderate oven. You might have other spices you like, so just use them instead. Go on - be brave!


Whole Kingfish with turmeric and ginger
(Serves 2-4 depending on appetites and side dishes, for a larger fish scale up the paste and increase the cooking time)

I whole fish (750 g for 2-3 people)

Blend the following in a food processor:

a small knob of fresh turmeric*
a small knob of ginger
1 small onion (or a couple of shallots)
4 cloves of garlic
1 Birdseye chilli

Dry roasted these spices in a pan for a couple of minutes and pounded in mortar and pestle:

1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp coriander seeds

Add the dry herbs above and below to the blended wet herbs in the food processor and give it a whirr.
1 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder (just for an extra kick but you could add more of the dry roasted spices and chilli if you don’t have any)
a pinch of salt

Finally moisten the mix with 1-2 tablespoons tamarind water (or just plain water of coconut milk if you’d prefer)

Cut three slits in the fish on each side. Rub the paste into the fish, including the slits and gut cavity. Wrap in alfoil or parchment (a healthier option). Leave to marinate 30 minutes.




Bake 180c for about 30 minutes. Test the flesh to see if it is cooked.


I’ve long talked of the joys of cooking whole fish, like meat (the carnivores assure me) the flavour is better when cooked on the bone. Fish, which we know is full of health giving oils and provides a very digestible form of protein, is even more affordable when purchased this way. The kingfish above cost around Au$10 and with the side dishes I ended up making could have happily served 4. The benefits of preparing fish this way are numerous – a meal full of omega 3’s, healthy herbs and a ‘fat-free’ method of cooking as the fish quietly steams in its own juices. What is more the dish is gluten-free, dairy-free and it is also a breeze to clean up afterwards.

I served this with a mild vegetable curry (orange and green vegetables plus chickpeas and cashews) and basmati rice. The spices blended well with both the vegetables and the flavour of the fish, an oily member of the tuna family, mackerel or bonito would work equally as well. Even the cats liked it!

This is my inaugural entry in the Heart of the Matter, which considering it is a food blogging event that promotes healthy, heart friendly food is right up any food nazi’s alley. This month's theme is healthy herbs and is hosted by the accidental scientist.



* while fresh is always best, if the root is unavailable it can be substituted with a heaped teaspoon of dried turmeric.

more turmeric

In my previous post I mused on the joys of fresh turmeric. Though we are lucky to get this herb at all, I mentioned that it was rather hairy old grandchildren that came our way. This morning at Vic Market Organics, fresh from the grower, is some beautiful, young turmeric. Such an example leaves no doubt it is a zingiberaceae (member of the ginger family).

Sorry for those trying to source it in other places, just keep asking your suppliers. For Melbournites, this little organic darling is yours for the price of $22/kg (much cheaper than garlic at this time of year).

Enjoy!

a new star in the kitchen

Weekend Herb blogging is a fine institution, initiated by the delightful Kalyn many moons ago now. It’s been a long time since I contributed a post specifically for this weekly event, which is just plain laziness on my part because almost all my recipes fit the criteria of featuring a herb, plant, vegetable or flower. Today’s recipe stars many wondrous herbs and vegetables but what makes it special for me is it is the first time I have used one particular herb in its fresh form – Turmeric.



Curcuma longa is a member of the ginger family (of which there are 3 from the clan in this recipe) and like it’s close, edible relatives it is the rhizome that is used in cooking. In Bali I saw the plumpest healthiest example of the root – our teacher explained the large, central mass was the “grandmother” and the smaller fingers, grandchildren. Here in Melbourne I’ve only ever found the babies at the market and I suspect they are all a little long in the tooth. It has a mild fragrance, nowhere near as zingy and peppery as ginger but it is a quiet achiever in the medicinal world. Other than a dye and a food flavouring, turmeric is a star in the arena of medicinal herbalism. All gingers have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties, technically a cox-2 inhibitor like some of those fancy arthritis meds but without the negative side effects. But I like it best as a liver tonic, which the Indians and Indonesians have always known about. As mentioned in a previous post, it is also a local cure-all antiseptic, the natural version of betadine.

But back to the food. In a curry so fragrant as this it is hard to single out the taste of turmeric. It is a member of a broader orchestra, adding a bit of a base note to a culinary symphony.

My favourite dish that we learnt to cook at the Casa Luna Cooking School was the fish coated in spices and bundled up in banana leaves. A quick whiz around the market filled the few gaps in fresh herbs needed to make this meal, however time ran out before the essential banana and salam leaves could be sourced. Undeterred we reproduced an altered version of the paste and added more water to make it a rich sauce in which to simmer fish and vegetables. As this curry is made with a little tomato it is a lovely change from a coconut curry, exploding with flavours as it hits your palate.

Balinese inspired fish curry

2-3 tabs vegetable oil (we used unrefined coconut)
250 g fish and 350 g assorted vegetables (we used locally caught blue eye, sweet potato, cauliflower and carrots)
(If you wish to make this with fish only use about 600 g firm fish)
4 shredded kaffir lime leaves
water

Curry Paste
1 large clove elephant garlic
small handful cashew nuts
3 tsp shrimp paste (toasted)
1 large tab tamarind, softened in hot water
4 small red chillies
1 tab fresh turmeric
2 tabs palm sugar
1 small red onion (or 3 shallots)
1 tsp sea salt (to taste, for balance)
2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised and chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1.5 – 2 tabs galangal
1 tab fresh ginger
1/2-1 tin tomatoes (or equivalent fresh)



Toast the shrimp paste and coriander seeds. If using a food processor - grind the black pepper and coriander first. We decided to processes the paste, not pound in a mortar and pestle due to quantity, so we grated the ginger, galangal and turmeric as well. Whiz the spices up to a delicious mush.

Cube your fish and vegetables and put aside til needed. Fry the spice paste in some vegetable oil to release the aromas then add the vegetables and shredded lime leaves. Stir them all together, toss in the remaining tomatoes if you reserved half the tin and top up with water til you get the right consistency to simmer the veg. Once cooked, add the fish for about 3 minutes. Taste for balance in flavours – add more salt or a splash of fish sauce is needing a boost, palm sugar dissolved in hot water if it needs more sweet or a squeeze of lime juice if the acid is lacking.

Serve with steamed rice.

This is a great dish, high in flavour and low in fat. The herbs alone must add a couple of extra years of good health to your life!

Weekend Herb Blogging is hosted this week by Susan from Food Blogga. Don't forget to check FoodBlogga over the next few days to see the Herb Blogging round up for this week.