saturday kitchen recipe

Fish tacos with tamarind aioli, green mango chow and tamarind pepper sauce

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Fish tacos with tamarind aioli, green mango chow and tamarind pepper sauce

Preparation time
30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time
less than 10 mins

Serves
Serves 2


By Shivi Ramoutar
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the green seasoning

  • ½ garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ spring onion, green parts only, finely chopped
  • few fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh coriander sprig, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh parsley sprig, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh thyme sprig, leaves only, finely chopped
  • ½ lime, juice only
  • dash hot pepper sauce, ideally Scotch bonnet sauce

For the fried fish

  • 2 cod or other meaty white fish fillets, about 400g/14oz, skin removed and cut into chunks
  • 150g/5½oz plain flour
  • 1 free-range egg, beaten
  • 150g/5½oz panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tamarind aioli

  • 6 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 heaped tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

For the green mango chow

  • 1 unripe (green) mango, skin removed and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • splash white wine or cider vinegar
  • ½ garlic clove, minced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tamarind pepper sauce

  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • ½ orange, juice only
  • 1 tsp hot pepper sauce, ideally Scotch bonnet sauce
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • pinch sugar
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

  • 6 x 15cm/6in corn tortillas
  • 4 tbsp finely chopped white cabbage
  • 4 tbsp diced cucumber, peeled and seasoned with salt and sugar
  • 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped, to garnish
  • 2 tbsp micro coriander, to garnish
  • 2 tbsp micro red amaranth, to garnish
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

  1. To make the green seasoning, mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

  2. To make the fried fish, mix the green seasoning with the fish chunks in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for about 20 minutes and then wipe away any excess marinade from the fish. Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in 3 wide bowls and season the flour with some salt and pepper. Dunk the fish chunks first in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs.

  3. Fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in one minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Deep-fry the fish for about 3–4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain.

  4. To make the tamarind aioli, mix together all the ingredients and set aside.

  5. To make the green mango chow, mix together all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

  6. To make the tamarind pepper sauce, mix together all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

  7. To serve, heat the tortillas on both sides in a hot dry pan until warm and dark spots appear. Generously spread the tamarind aioli on each tortilla then top with the cabbage and cucumber and then the fried fish, green mango chow and tamarind pepper sauce. Garnish with the chillies, micro coriander and red amaranth. Serve with the lime wedges.