Goan-style recheado sea bream

Name: Goan-style recheado sea bream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian recipes
Ingredients: 1 large sea bream (about 750g), ideally gilt-head, canoe filleted (see Know-how); 2 lemon wheels; 2 orange wheels; 2 parsley sprigs; 2 coriander sprigs; Charred spring onions and lemon to serve (optional); For the recheado paste; 20g dried kashmiri chillies, deseeded (see Know-how); 90g cider vinegar (or coconut vinegar if you can find it); ¾ tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; ½ tsp black mustard seeds; 80g garlic, roughly chopped; 15g ginger, roughly chopped; 40g jaggery or light brown sugar; 1 tbsp gram flour, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant; 4 cloves; 1 tsp pomegranate molasses; 2 tbsp coconut oil; Juice ½ lime; Vegetable oil to loosen; For the dressing; ½ pink grapefruit, segmented; 1 orange, segmented, plus 50ml juice; Handful coriander, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Specialist kit; Barbecue; Fish clamp or basket

Portion size: Serves 4
Prep time 15 min, plus 15 min soaking. Cook time 10 min
Difficulty: easy

Dairy-free

Gluten-free

Aktar Islam

Michelin-starred chef

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Learn how to cook a whole sea bream on the barbecue with this impressive Goan-style recipe from acclaimed chef, Aktar Islam. The boneless whole fish is finished with a zesty citrus dressing.

Traditional Goan flavours: “Recheado (‘stuffed’ in Portuguese) is a fiery, tangy masala from Goa in southwest India, which was once a Portuguese colony,” says Aktar. “The use of vinegar is what makes this region’s cooking unique, and it’s key to the fiery recheado paste, which is slathered over a beautiful whole but boneless bream, brightened with a citrus-heavy dressing.
Make ahead: The recheado paste can be made the day before and kept in the fridge.”

Round out your al-fresco feast with some delicious barbecue side dishes.

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Ingredients

1 large sea bream (about 750g), ideally gilt-head, canoe filleted (see Know-how)
2 lemon wheels
2 orange wheels
2 parsley sprigs
2 coriander sprigs
Charred spring onions and lemon to serve (optional)

For the recheado paste

20g dried kashmiri chillies, deseeded (see Know-how)
90g cider vinegar (or coconut vinegar if you can find it)
¾ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp black mustard seeds
80g garlic, roughly chopped
15g ginger, roughly chopped
40g jaggery or light brown sugar
1 tbsp gram flour, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
4 cloves
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp coconut oil
Juice ½ lime
Vegetable oil to loosen

For the dressing

½ pink grapefruit, segmented
1 orange, segmented, plus 50ml juice
Handful coriander, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Specialist kit

Barbecue
Fish clamp or basket

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Method

For the recheado, put the chillies in a bowl and cover with the vinegar. Leave to rehydrate for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make 5 light slashes on each side of the bream with a sharp knife. Put the citrus wheels and herb sprigs inside the cavity.
Put all the remaining recheado paste ingredients (except the veg oil) in a food processor or blender. Drain the chillies (reserving the vinegar), add them, then whizz until smooth. Add 20ml of the reserved vinegar, a big pinch of salt and whizz again.
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Light the barbecue and wait until it’s hot/the coals glow white. Rub most of the paste over the fish and put in the fish clamp. Loosen the remaining paste with oil until brushable.
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Cook the fish on the barbecue, turning regularly and brushing over the marinade, for around 10 minutes; it’s ready when the flesh is white and opaque.
Transfer the fish to a platter. Pour the dressing all over, then serve with the charred spring onions and lemon (if you like).

Nutrition

485kcals Calories
27g (10g saturated) Fat
32g Protein
25g (18g sugars) Carbs
5.9g Fibre
0.3g Salt

Cook smarter

Canoe filleting is a method in which the fish is gutted and has its bones removed through the back, rather than the belly. It’s the best way to prepare round fish like bream when you want to stuff them, as it keeps everything looking neat and means there aren’t any bones to worry about when serving. Your fishmonger will be able to do it for you if you ask. The recipe will still work with a bream filleted in the regular way too.

Never segmented fruit before? Read our handy guide to segmenting citrus fruit before you start prepping this recipe.

Mild and fruity, dried kashmiri chillies are a Subcontinent staple. Buy them in South Asian stores or online. The ground powder is also available in M&S.