Roast cod with coconut curry sauce

Ingredients

4 x 200g skin-on sustainable cod fillets, cut 3-4cm thick
¼ tsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander to garnish

For the coconut curry sauce

50g shallots, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3cm piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato passata or tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp kashmiri (medium-hot) chilli powder (if unavailable use mild chilli powder), or to taste
½ tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tsp black mustard seeds
50g creamed coconut (see Know-how)
300ml good quality fish or fresh vegetable stock
100ml coconut milk
½ tsp light muscovado sugar
12 fresh or freeze-dried curry leaves (see know-how)

Ingredients

4 x 200g skin-on sustainable cod fillets, cut 3-4cm thick
¼ tsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander to garnish

For the coconut curry sauce

50g shallots, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3cm piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato passata or tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp kashmiri (medium-hot) chilli powder (if unavailable use mild chilli powder), or to taste
½ tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tsp black mustard seeds
50g creamed coconut (see Know-how)
300ml good quality fish or fresh vegetable stock
100ml coconut milk
½ tsp light muscovado sugar
12 fresh or freeze-dried curry leaves (see know-how)

Method

Heat the oven to 200ºC/fan180ºC/gas 6. For the curry sauce, put the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and passata/tinned tomatoes in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add the chilli powder, salt, black pepper and turmeric, then bend briefly.
Heat the 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the black mustard seeds and as soon as they start to pop, add the curry paste. Fry gently for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the creamed coconut and as soon as it has melted, add the fish or vegetable stock, coconut milk, muscovado sugar and curry leaves. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning and keep warm while you cook the fish.
Season the cod all over with a little salt, pepper and the curry powder. Heat the 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee in a non-stick ovenproof frying pan, add the cod skin-side up and cook for 4 minutes or until nicely golden. Turn the fish over, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 4-5 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.
Bring the coconut curry sauce back to a simmer. Remove the cod from the oven, then serve golden-side up on steamed rice, if you like, with the curry sauce spooned over and scattered with the chopped coriander.

Method

Heat the oven to 200ºC/fan180ºC/gas 6. For the curry sauce, put the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and passata/tinned tomatoes in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add the chilli powder, salt, black pepper and turmeric, then bend briefly.
Heat the 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the black mustard seeds and as soon as they start to pop, add the curry paste. Fry gently for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the creamed coconut and as soon as it has melted, add the fish or vegetable stock, coconut milk, muscovado sugar and curry leaves. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning and keep warm while you cook the fish.
Season the cod all over with a little salt, pepper and the curry powder. Heat the 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee in a non-stick ovenproof frying pan, add the cod skin-side up and cook for 4 minutes or until nicely golden. Turn the fish over, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 4-5 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.
Bring the coconut curry sauce back to a simmer. Remove the cod from the oven, then serve golden-side up on steamed rice, if you like, with the curry sauce spooned over and scattered with the chopped coriander.

delicious. tips

Debbie says: “For a Thai favoured curry, replace the curry paste ingredients with those for your favourite Thai curry paste. Use kaffir lime leaves in place of the curry leaves and season the finished sauce with Thai fsh sauce and lime juice.”
Creamed coconut comes in a solid block and is available from the world food aisle of large supermarkets and Asian grocers. Don’t confuse it with coconut cream, which comes in a tin.

Small, dark green, shiny curry leaves are best used fresh. Look for them in Asian grocers and online. If you can’t find them, use freeze-dried curry leaves from the spice section of large supermarkets.

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Lynn Reeve says:

6th Jan 2016 at 7:47 pm

lovely meal, just right for a simple mid-week meal, 7.5/10

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