Sea bass on sag aloo, onion bhaji crisp and sweet tomato jam by Paul Merrett
INGREDIENTS
(serves one)
7oz sea bass fillet For the sag aloo (makes four portions)
Vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1tsp white cumin seeds
1tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp black cumin seeds
½ tsp fenugreek
3 dried red chillies, ground
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground coriander
350g peeled King Edward potatoes, cut into large dice
4 generous handfuls of baby spinach
For the onion bhaji (four portions)
1 large onion, finely sliced
Salt
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp dried ground chilli
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground fenugreek seeds
110g chickpea flour (approximately)
For the tomato jam (makes about 20 portions)
1lb tomatoes cut into six wedges each
150ml water
150ml white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8oz sugar
4 ground red chillies
2tsp mustard seeds
METHOD
To make the sag aloo, fry the onion and garlic cloves in vegetable oil until brown. Add the spices and potatoes, cover with water and boil until cooked. When the potatoes are cooked and the mixture is almost dry, add the baby spinach.
For the onion bhaji, finely slice the onion and rub with a little salt. Add turmeric, chilli, cumin and fenugreek and mix. Then mix in a little chickpea flour until the mixture is dry. Add water to loosen it up. Fry.
To make the tomato jam, put all the ingredients in a pan and boil until it reaches a jam consistency. Cool and store.
To cook the sea bass, pan-fry the fish, skin side down, for three to four minutes until the skin is crisp. Turn the fish over and cook for a further one to two minutes. Serve with sag aloo, onion bhaji, tomato jam and dress with a little yogurt and curry oil.
Paul Merrett