Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Pesto

If you don’t have a grill, use a heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet instead. But make sure to grease the skillet lightly and cook over high heat.


Ingredients


• Salmon 2 thick fillets
• Olive oil 1 tablespoon
• Salt to season
• Black pepper to season


Method

Heat the grill to high. Brush the salmon fillets with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon fillets on the grill, skin side down, and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Flip and grill the other side for 1-2 minutes. Remove and let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve with Corn rice.

For the pesto

• Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1 bunch
• Garlic: 2 cloves
• Salt: to taste
• Black pepper powder: to taste
• Lime juice: 2 tablespoons
• Pine nuts (optional): 1 tablespoon
• Olive oil: 1 tablespoon 

Grind cilantro, garlic and pine nuts into a smooth paste. Add the lime juice and a little water if needed. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper.


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CREAMY SPICY PRAWNS

Serves 2


I came up with this recipe because I had run out of coconut milk and decided to use cream instead. I know mustard and cream seem like an odd combination, but you will be surprised at the results. The cream gives the sauce a rich and smooth texture, and nicely balances the spiciness of the mustard. Give it a try today!


Ingredients

• Jumbo Prawns 12-15
• Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
• Mustard paste 2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Green chillies 3 sliced
• Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
• Cream 2 tablespoons




Method


Heat oil in a pan. Add green chillies and mustard paste and sauté for 1 minute. Add prawns and sauté for another minute. Now add turmeric powder and salt and sauté on low heat for 5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked. Turn off heat, add cream and serve with steamed rice.


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ASIAN STYLE GRILLED SALMON

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

• Salmon: 2 fillets
• Soy Sauce: 2 tablespoons
• Rice wine vinegar: 1 teaspoon
• Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon (or vegetable oil)
• Garlic paste: ½ teaspoon
• Ginger paste: ½ teaspoon
• Green chilly: 1 chopped
• Honey: 1 tablespoon
• Salt: to taste

Method

Marinate the salmon fillets in a mixture of Soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic and ginger paste, green chillies and salt for 30 minutes. Transfer to a hot grill and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve with noodles or fried rice and grilled spring onions. 




    

MACHER PATURI/WRAPPED BENGALI STYLE FISH

(Serves 3-4)

Ideally paturis are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. But for the want of banana leaves in my part of the town I settled for cabbage leaves. The advantage of using cabbage leaves for this recipe is that you can eat the fish with the wraps. Unwrapping and discarding each banana leaf before eating a paturi is quite an annoying task to me, considering how many of them I can devour in one go. But, there is no contesting the fact that they taste heavenly when wrapped in banana leaves. 

Ingredients

• Fish fillets: 500 grams cut into 6-8 pieces
• Mustard oil: 3 tablespoons
• Mustard paste: 3 tablespoons
• Poppy seed paste: 1 tablespoon
• Yogurt: 2 tablespoons
• Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
• Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Green chilles: 3-4 chopped
• Banana or cabbage leaves: enough to individually wrap all the pieces
• Salt: to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a pan with cooking spray.

If you are using banana leaves cut out the hard stem like portions. You can further cut each leaf into several pieces depending on the size of the fish pieces. Ideally the wraps should be three times the size of the fish, otherwise the marinade will escape. If you are using cabbage leaves remove the core of the cabbage with a sharp knife and immerse the cabbage in a pot of salted boiling water. Let it sit for a few minutes. Remove and refresh with cold water.   Now very carefully peel off the leaves one by one. You want to use the soft leaves for wrapping because they are more pliable.  Cut out the hard portions from the leaves to prevent the leaves from breaking when folded.

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a glass bowl and set aside for fifteen minutes. Individually wrap each piece of fish with a leaf. Secure the edges with threads if needed. Arrange the wraps on the baking tray and bake for eight to ten minutes or till the fish is done. To avoid scorching drizzle some oil on the wraps before baking. Serve with steamed rice. 

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BAKED SALMON WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE

(Serves 4-5)

Ingredients

• Salmon fillet: 500 grams, cut into 5 slices
• Lemon: 1, sliced
• White wine: 1 cup
• Olive oil: ½ cup
• Black pepper powder: to taste
• Salt: to taste
• Butter: 1 stick
• Heavy whipping cream: ½ cup
• Tomato sauce: ½ cup
• Fresh parsley: a handful
• Dried thyme: ½ teaspoon
• Dried basil: ½ teaspoon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a baking tray.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and set aside for fifteen minutes.

Method

Place the fish on the baking tray and pour olive oil and half a cup of white wine over the fillets. Arrange the lemon slices and parsley to cover the fish fillets. Bake the fish in the preheated oven till done, about eight to ten minutes. Be careful not to overcook the salmon. While the fish is baking take a pan and heat the remaining white wine in it. Combine cream and tomato sauce and stir continuously. Add dried thyme and basil and season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and add the butter. Keep stirring till the butter melts. When the fish is done transfer to a serving platter and pour the sauce over the fillets. Serve hot with garlic bread. 

BHAPA ILISH/STEAMED HILSA

(Serves 4-6)


As Suman has rightly pointed out, I have used onion seeds in this recipe but have not listed it in the ingredients. Well, sorry about that. You can add onion seeds to the mix but traditionally it is not used in this particular recipe. Onion seed is basically considered a tempering agent. What I usually do is that I heat the mustard oil in  a pan and temper it with onion seeds, cool it down and then add it to the mix  (this is what my grandma used to do). But this is an unnecessary step and you can very well avoid it. But thanks Suman, I am happy to see that my readers are taking this seriously. Happy cooking!

Ingredients

• Hilsa cut into thick1 inch slices: 6 slices
• Mustard oil: ¼ cup
• Mustard paste or powder: 3 tablespoons
• Green chillies: 4 slit
• Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Preparation


Mix all the ingredients in a pan and let it sit for fifteen minutes.

Method

Take a pressure cooker, fill one third of it with water and place a ring in it. Bring the water to a boil. Put the pan on the ring, cover with the pressure cooker  lid without the whistle and steam for ten minutes or till the fish is cooked. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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FISH FRY

Ingredients

• Fish fillets: 500 grams cut into 5-6 pieces
• Lime juice: 3 tablespoons
• Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
• Green chillies: 2
• Garlic: 4 cloves
• Fresh coriander leaves: 1 cup
• Onions: 1 medium
• Salt: to taste
• Eggs: 2 beaten
• Bread crumbs: 2 cups
• Oil: for deep frying

 

Preparation

Grind together coriander leaves, green chillies, garlics and onion and add lime juice, salt and red chilli powder.

Marinate the fish in the coriander paste for thirty minutes.

Method

Take one fish fillet at a time and dip it first into the egg wash and then in the bread crumbs. Make sure that the fillets are nicely coated with bread crumbs. For very crispy fries refrigerate the fillets for two hours and then deep fry one at a time. Serve with tartar sauce and pickled onions. 

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SOUTHERN STYLE FISH

(Serves2)


I understand that Dijon mustard is not something that is readily available in India. You can use any other kind of mustard paste available but Dijon is a lot milder than any other Indian variety. To make this at home soak half a cup of yellow mustard seeds in three quarter of a cup of white wine or vinegar and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Season with salt and grind into a smooth paste. You may add some chopped garlic and onions to add extra flavor. 


Ingredients

• Cat/Tilapia fish Fillets: 4
• Spring onions: 1 cup, chopped
• Garlic: 2 cloves, finely chopped
• Tomato ketchup: ½ cup
• Worcestershire sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Mayonnaise: ½ cup
• Dijon mustard: 1 tablespoon
• Tabasco: 1 teaspoon
• Lemon juice: 2 teaspoons
• Salt: to taste
• Pepper: to taste

Preparation


Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Mix all the ingredients except fish in a glass bowl. 
Grease a baking tray and place the fish fillets in it.

Method


Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the fish fillets. Pour the sauce over the fillets and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about twenty minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to a serving platter and serve with boiled broccoli or sautéed beans. 

SHORSHE ILISH/MUSTAND HILSA

(Serves 4-6)


To make Doi ilish or hilsa in yogurt gravy, just add one fourth cup of yogurt to this marinade. 

Ingredients

• Hilsa fish cut into 1 inch thick slices: 6 slices
• Mustard oil: ¼ cup, plus extra for tempering
• Mustard paste or powder: 3 tablespoons
• Green chillies: 4 slit
• Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Onion seeds: 1 pinch
• Salt: to taste
• Red chilli powder (optional): ½ teaspoon

Preparation


Marinate the fish with salt, turmeric powder, mustard paste, chilli powder and mustard oil and set aside for thirty minutes.

Method

Heat some mustard oil in a skillet and temper it with onion seeds and slit green chillies. As soon as the onion seeds start spluttering add the marinated fish. Add half cup of water and cook covered over medium heat till the fish is cooked. Adjust salt and serve with steamed rice. 

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BAKED FISH

(Serves 2)


For this recipe you can use any kind of cheese. I usually use cheddar. You can add some vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes and zucchini if you like. You can use some dried thyme and basil for extra flavor and a dash of Tabasco if you wish . This is the simplest recipe and takes no time at all.

Ingredients

•  Fish fillets (any type): 4
• Grated cheese: 1 cup plus extra
• Heavy cream: ¼ cup
• Sour cream ¼ cup
• Salt: to taste
• Black pepper powder: ½ teaspoon

Preparation


Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 
Wash the fish fillets and pat dry. 
Grease a baking tray with cooking spray.

Method

Rub the fish fillets with salt and pepper and arrange them on the baking tray. Mix cheese, cream, sour cream, salt and rest of the black pepper powder in a bowl and evenly pour over the fish fillets. Cover the top with extra grated cheese and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes.  Serve hot with garlic bread. 

BAKED FISH WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE

(Serves 2)


Ingredients

• Fish fillets: 500 grams
• Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
• Mushrooms:  200 grams, chopped
• Green bell peppers: 1 large, chopped
• Butter: 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper powder: ½ teaspoon
• Fresh cream:  ½ cup

Preparation

Sprinkle some salt and lemon juice on the fish fillets and set aside. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Method

While the fish marinates heat butter in a pan, add mushrooms and sauté till brown. Add the bell pepper and sauté for two minutes. Add salt, black pepper powder and green chillies. Lower heat, add fresh cream and stir. Remove from heat and let cool. Put the mixture in an electric blender and make a smooth paste. Arrange the marinated fish fillets on a baking tray. Pour the mushroom sauce over the fillets.  Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for ten minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread. 

TANGY SPICY FISH

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients

• Cat fish cut into ½ inch slices: 4 slices
• Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
• Coriander seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Whole dried red chillies: 10
• Cloves: 5
• Cinnamon: 1 inch
• Black peppercorns: 8-10
• Red onions: 1 large, finely chopped
• Green chillies: 4 slit
• Ginger paste: 1 teaspoon
• Garlic paste: 2 teaspoons
• Coconut scraped: 1 cup
• Oil: 2 tablespoons
• Tamarind pulp: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste

Preparation

Rub the fish slices with salt and turmeric powder and set aside. 

Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns and dry red chillies. 

Grind coconut and the roasted spices with a little bit of water to form a smooth paste. 

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and sauté till translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté till the onions turn golden brown. Add coconut paste and cook over high heat for two minutes, stirring continuously.  Add two cups of water and bring the gravy to a boil. Drop the marinated fish pieces into the gravy and let it simmer for five minutes or till oil separates.  Add slit green chillies and tamarind pulp. Adjust salt and serve hot with steamed rice. 

BHAPA CHINGRI/STEAMED PRAWNS

(Serves 2)


Ingredients

• Prawns: 15-20 small
• Mustard oil: ¼ cup
• Mustard paste or powder: 2 tablespoons
• Green chillies: 3 slit
• Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a pan and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Take a pressure cooker, fill one third of it with water and place a ring in it. Bring the water to a boil. Put the pan on the ring, cover with lid and steam for five minutes or till prawns are cooked. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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BEGUN KUMRO DIE ILISH/HILSA IN EGGPLANT AND PUMPKIN SOUP

(Serves 6-8)


The pumpkin in this recipe is optional, but I recommend you to try it. This adds a little sweetness to the dish and helps bring out the flavour of the hilsa even better. The flour helps thicken the gravy and adds a lot of richness to it. Some people like to fry hilsa before adding it to the gravy. But because hilsa cooks so fast I like to cook it in the gravy itself. This way the flavour of the fish is infused in the gravy. So you can go ahead and fry the fish in some mustard oil if you like, but make sure you use the leftover oil from frying for the gravy.

Ingredients

• Hilsa cut into thick 1 inch slice: 8 slices
• Egg plant: 1 medium
• Pumpkin: cubed 1 cup
• Green chillies: 4 slit
• Onion seeds: ½ teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Mustard oil: 4 tablespoons
• Flour: 1 teaspoon

Method

Cut the eggplant longitudinally into 8 to 10 pieces and rub the pieces with a pinch of turmeric.  Heat mustard oil in a pan till smoking hot. Temper with onion seeds and add the eggplant and pumpkin. Immediately reduce heat and cook over medium heat till the vegetables are tender. Add green chillies, the remaining turmeric powder and salt. Add one cup of water and bring it to a boil. You may increase the heat at this point. Drop the washed hilsa pieces and cook covered till the gravy gives out oil. Add the flour dissolved in some water and stir. Cook for two minutes and turn off heat. Serve with steamed rice. 

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TILAPIA IN MUSTARD GRAVY

(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients

• Tilapia fillets: 4
• Mustard oil: 4 tablespoons
• Mustard paste: 2 tablespoons
• Green chillies: 3 slit
• Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Salt: to taste

Preparation


Marinate the tilapia fillets with turmeric powder, mustard paste, one teaspoon mustard oil and salt and let it sit for fifteen minutes.

Method

In a pan heat the rest of the oil and add green chillies. Immediately add the marinated fish fillets and lightly stir. Add one cup of water and let it simmer for five minutes or till the fish is done. Adjust salt and serve with steamed rice. 

SKEWERED PRAWNS

(Serves 4)


Ingredients

• Jumbo prawns: 500 grams
• Green bell peppers: 2 diced
• Onions: 1 large, diced
• Butter: 100 grams
• Garlic paste : 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste

Method

Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic and sauté over low heat till it gives out a nice aroma. Add prawns and sauté for two minutes. Turn off heat, add the vegetables, sprinkle salt and toss. Take bamboo skewers and alternately arrange the prawns and vegetables on them. Grill or bar-be-cue for ten minutes, basting every now and then with the left over butter garlic sauce.

DOI MACH/FISH IN YOGURT GRAVY

(Serves 4-6)


You can substitute the mustard oil with vegetable oil or sunflower oil in all the recipes. You can use any kind of fish too. If you are using hilsa for this particular recipe you do not need to fry the fish. You can directly drop the fish onto the yogurt gravy four to five minutes before turning off heat. 

Ingredients

• Rohu fish cut into 1 inch thick slices: 6 slices
• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Onions: 1 large, grated
• Green cardamoms: 4
• Green chillies: 4 slit
• Bay leaves: 1
• Mustard oil: 2 tablespoons plus extra for frying fish
• Salt: to taste

Method

Heat mustard oil in a pan till smoking hot. Rub some salt on the fish pieces and carefully slide them into the pan. Reduce heat and fry the fish till light golden on both sides. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. In another pan heat mustard oil and temper with green chillies, cardamoms and bay leaf. Add the grated onions and sauté till translucent. Whisk the yogurt and pour into the pan. Drop the fried fish pieces, adjust salt and cook over medium heat for six to eight minutes.  Garnish with green chillies and serve with steamed rice. 

NARKOL CHINGRI/COCONUT PRAWNS

(Serves 4-5)


Ingredients

• Prawns: 15-20 shelled, deveined
• Coconut scraped: 1 cup
• Mustard oil:  ½ cup
• Mustard paste: 1 tablespoon
• Red chilli powder: ½ teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
• Green chillies: 2 slit
• Salt: to taste
• Onion seeds: a pinch

Preparation


Marinate the prawns with  mustard paste, scraped coconut, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and half of the mustard oil. Let it sit for thirty minutes. 

Method

In a griddle heat the rest of the mustard oil and temper with onion seeds and green chillies. Add the marinated prawns and stir. Add half a cup of water and cook till the prawns are cooked. Adjust salt and serve with steamed rice.

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