I recently tasted a wonderful Australian fish called barramundi that is now being farmed in the United States. I wanted to do something Asian with fish for my husband, Bruce, and I found it had enough strength and flavour to stand up to the coconut-curry sauce that I was developing. Barramundi is available in some fish stores (I got mine at City Fish in Toronto). Striped bass is a good substitute.
THAI SALAD
WITH CRISPY SHRIMP
I like the contrasts of crispy, fresh and tangy in this salad. Cape gooseberries or physalis are little orange fruit covered in a straw-coloured papery husk, which you discard. They are tangy and terrific in salads. Sambal Oelek is an Asian chili sauce and panko is crispy Japanese fried bread crumbs. You can find them both in the Asian section of the grocery store or at Asian food shops.
What you need
12 large shrimp, peeled
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
1/2 cup panko
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bunches watercress, thick stems removed
1 cup snow pea sprouts,
1 cup sliced red onion
12 cape gooseberries, cut in half
Lime dressing:
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped Thai basil or mint
What you do
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Dust with flour. Beat egg with sambal oelek. Dip shrimp in egg and roll in panko. Place on greased baking sheet.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through, until shrimp are pink and just cooked through.
Combine watercress, snow pea sprouts, red onion and cape gooseberries in a bowl. Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, oil and basil.
Toss salad with half of dressing. Top with shrimp and drizzle remaining dressing overtop. Serves 4.
BARRAMUNDI
WITH COCONUT-CURRY SAUCE
This is a complex sauce
with some fire to it. You can
decrease the heat if you wish.
I recommend using 3 barramundi for 4 people because they are a fairly small fish. Some might like 2 pieces.
What you need
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
4 teaspoons chopped garlic
4 teaspoons red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped coriander
3 barramundi, filleted
What you do
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic and curry paste and sauté 1 minute or until combined.
Pour in coconut milk, tomato paste and stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Season with salt and stir in mint and coriander. Reserve.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add remaining oil.
Season fish with salt and pepper and place fillets skin side down and fry skin for 1 to 2 minutes or until beginning to crisp. Place fillets on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until opaque.
Serve 1 to 2 fillets per plate and spoon sauce over. Serves 4.
THAI NOODLES
WITH MUSHROOMS, EGGPLANT AND GREEN BEANS
These vegetarian noodles are a good dish to serve with the fish. You get a starch and lots of vegetables together.
Use the broad rice noodles that you would use for Pad Thai.
What you need
8 ounces rice noodles
Sauce:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (or to taste)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup water
Stir fry:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced on the bias
50 grams (2 ounces) thin green beans, stem ends removed, halved if long
250 grams (8 ounces) wild mushrooms, thickly sliced (5 cups)
1/4 cup coriander sprigs
What you do
Soak noodles in hot water to cover for 15 minutes or until softened. Drain and rinse with cold water and reserve.
Combine fish sauce, sugar, sambal oelek, lime juice and rind, oyster sauce and water and set aside.
Heat wok over high heat. Add oil and swirl carefully to coat. Add ginger and garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add zucchini and green beans.
Stir fry for 2 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and fry for 1 to 2 minutes more or until just cooked.
Add noodles and toss to combine. Add sauce and toss until noodles are coated.
Bring to a boil and cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until noodles have softened. Sprinkle with coriander sprigs. Serves 4.
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