Catfish In Turmeric Coconut Sauce Recipes

TURMERIC CATFISH WITH RICE NOODLES, SCALLION, AND DILL

Steps:

• Rinse the catfish fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each fillet into index finger-sized pieces about 3 inches long and 3/4 inch thick. (To arrive at pieces that are long enough, you may need to angle the knife so that you cut on the diagonal.)
• To make the marinade, in a shallow bowl large enough to accommodate the catfish, combine the sour cream, turmeric, galangal juice, and shrimp sauce and mix well. Add the catfish and use a rubber spatula to coat the fish evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Thirty minutes before broiling, remove the catfish from the refrigerator. To prepare the accompaniments, arrange the noodles on 2 plates in 2-inch mounds for easy serving. Place the noodles, vegetable garnish plate, peanuts, dipping sauce, and rice crackers on the table.
• Position a rack about 3 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler for 20 minutes to get it nice and hot. Arrange the catfish pieces on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, spreading them out flat like a jigsaw puzzle. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the fish is sizzling and a little brown. Remove from the broiler, make a spout in one corner of the foil, and pour off the accumulated liquid. Use chopsticks or a spatula to flip the fish pieces over. Broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until browned on the second side. Transfer to a serving plate.
• To garnish the fish, blanket it with the dill and scallions. Then, in a small saucepan, heat the oil until faint wisps of smoke start rising. Pour the hot oil over the scallion and dill to wilt them. Use 2 spoons to mix the fish and garnishes and then place on the table.
• To eat this dish, each diner combines all the various ingredients in a small bowl (such as a rice bowl), tearing the lettuce and herbs into pieces and breaking up the rice cracker. He or she then drizzles a little sauce on top, mixes the contents of the bowl, and eats.
• To extract galangal juice, first reduce the knobby rhizome to a fine texture by either grating it with a Microplane or Japanese grater, or by thinly slicing it and then pounding the slices in a mortar to a mush. Press the solids through a fine-mesh sieve to obtain the milky liquid. For 1 tablespoon juice, you will need a 1 1/2-inch chunk of galangal.
• Some people don't care for the taste of Tangy-Sweet Shrimp Sauce, finding it too strongly flavored. Include an alternative of Basic Dipping Sauce (page 308), made without garlic, on the table.

COCONUT FISH AND TOMATO BAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, ginger, garlic, turmeric, red-pepper flakes, honey and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Zest and juice 1 lime directly into the coconut milk mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Arrange another rack in the position closest to the broiler heat source. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place the tomatoes on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Place the marinated fish between the tomatoes and spoon all the marinade from the bowl over the fish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the fish. Transfer the pan to the lower-middle rack and roast until the surface of the fish is opaque but the center is not cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. The fish should not flake easily with a fork. Remove the pan from the oven and heat the broiler to high.
• Move the pan to the broiler and finish cooking, rotating the pan once, until the fish is tender and the tomatoes are just beginning to brown in spots, 5 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Slice the remaining lime into wedges.
• Divide the tomatoes and fish among dishes and tip the pan juices over the fish. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

CATFISH IN TURMERIC-COCONUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Smash turmeric with the flat blade of heavy knife.
• Cut the trimmed lemongrass stalks into two segments, and smash to bruise.
• Bruise shallots
• Add coconut milk, lemongrass, shallots and galanga to the pot, along with the salt and sugar.
• Heat over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Cook for 5 minutes to flavor the broth.
• Add fish pieces, return to a boil and add fish sauce.
• Simmer over low to medium heat uncovered for 10-15 minutes turning catfish occasionally.
• Serve warm over jasmine rice.