Fish Bobotie

on Feb 10 in Fish, Fish & seafood dishes, Gluten Free, Mains, Mixed peppers

Try something a little different with this spicy and inexpensive dish from the Cape Malay. It has loads of flavour bursting out with every mouthful.

Adapted from a recipe sent to me by South African Chef Michael Tracey.

For 4-6 you will need:

• 1 k hake – or similar firm fish is good for this recipe
• 1 md onion
• 1 clv garlic medium sized
• 1 pcs fresh ginger – equal to twice the size of the garlic
• 2 tsp garum masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mixed herbs – bouquet garni mix
• 1 md lemon – zested
• 5 tsp lemon juice
• 50 ml brown sugar – muscovado
• 100 ml chopped fresh parsley
• 6 slices bread – white, wholemeal or gluten free
• 300 ml milk as well as enough milk to soak bread
• 25 g butter – cut into pieces
• 2 lge eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 fresh lemon leaves
• 100 g flaked almonds
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• cromptons kitchen natural grey celtic sea salt and mixed pepper or cromptons kitchen celtic sea salt for fish and seafood mix – to taste

1Set your oven to 180°C.

2Zest and juice the lemons.

3Bone and skin the fish. If you are not skilled enough to do this buy ready prepared fish, or better still attend one of my fish and seafood courses. Put the fish into a deep baking tray and pour in the milk add the lemon zest and butter.

4Cook the fish in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Leave the oven turned on.

5In a deep dish put the bread slices and cover with milk, set to one side.

6Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic and ginger, sauté in butter with the lemon zest until the onions are translucent. Flake the fish into a large mixing bowl, add the sautéed onion, lemon zest, garlic and ginger then add the turmeric, mixed herbs, garum masala, lemon juice, brown sugar, parsley and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7Squeeze the milk, and discard, from the bread and mix the bread into the minced fish. Blend well and transfer the mixture to an oiled oven-proof dish. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or spatula, don’t press down too hard.

8Make the milk from the poached fish up to 300ml and whisk in the lightly beaten eggs, add a pinch of grey sea salt to this.

9Roll the lemon leaves into tubes. Bruise them slightly with a rolling pin to release and enhance their flavour. Insert the rolled leaves into the fish mixture.

10Sprinkle the flaked almonds on the fish mixture then pour the egg/milk mixture over the top.

11Put into the centre of your preheated oven and bake 30-40 minutes or until the top has browned.

This interesting dish from South Africa is traditionally served with long grain rice cooked with turmeric, raisins and desiccated coconut, accompanied with grated carrot (tossed in my winter spice mix), grated fresh coconut (desiccated will do, just!), blatjang (apricot chutney), sliced cucumber marinated in rice vinegar and broken peanuts.