Amritsar-spiced halibut with mustard mushy peas, caper kachumber and tandoori potato wedges

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This inventive spiced halibut recipe from Vivek Singh can be seen as an Indian take on fish and chips - with breaded halibut given a sumptuous core of mustard mushy peas. Served with elaborate stuffed potato wedges and kachumber (essentially an Indian version of salsa), this dish is sure to impress and surprise.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

For the marinade

Mustard mushy peas

Tandoori potato wedges

For the kachumber

  • 3 tbsp of cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of tomatoes, deseeded with flesh cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of capers
  • 2 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 tsp chives, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chaat masala

For the filling

For the batter

Equipment

  • Parisian scoop / melon baller
  • Deep fat fryer
  • Blender

Method

1
To begin, mix together the ginger and garlic pastes, salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice in a bowl. Pat dry the halibut fillets and cover in the mix, refrigerate until required
2
Meanwhile, prepare the mushy peas. Place the peas in a blender with the ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt, sugar and 1 tablespoon of mustard oil, blitz until finely puréed. Check the seasoning, finish with lime juice and fold in the rest of the mustard oil
3
Spread out a sheet of cling film and place a tablespoon of mushy peas down the centre. Roll the film around the peas and twist from both ends to make a thin sausage, approximately 1cm in diameter. Make 3 more cylinders and freeze until set
4
To prepare the wedges, use a paring knife to roughly shape the potatoes until they are cylindrical. Hollow out the middles using a paring knife or small Parisian scoop to leave a 1/2cm thick shell, leaving the base intact. Repeat with the other potatoes and dice the trimmings into 1/2cm pieces
5
Boil the water with the salt and vinegar in a saucepan, then lower in the potato cylinders and bring back to the boil. Drain, allow to steam-dry, then dry further with kitchen paper
  • 235ml of water
  • 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp salt
6
Heat a deep fat fryer to 160°C and fry the cylinders for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Fry the diced potato scraps until golden brown, then drain and dry on kitchen paper
  • oil, for frying
7
To prepare the potato filling, mix all of the ingredients with the diced fried potato, then use to stuff the potato shells. Set aside until ready to cook
8
Using a sharp skewer or filleting knife, pierce each fillet of fish horizontally through the centre to make a small pocket. Remove 1 of the mushy pea cylinders from the freezer, take off the cling film and push it firmly all the way through the incision. Repeat with the rest of the fillets
9
Place all of the kachumbar ingredients in a bowl and mix well to form a chunky sauce
  • 3 tbsp of cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of tomatoes, deseeded with flesh cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 tbsp of capers
  • 2 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 tsp chives, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chaat masala
10
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
11
Skewer the potato shells and cook them in a tandoor, alternatively, transfer to a roasting tray and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
12
Whisk the ingredients for the batter together until smooth and thick. Set the fryer to 170°C. Pat the fish dry, dip in the batter and fry until the fish is cooked and the batter is crisp, approximately 4-5 minutes
13
Cut each potato shell into 4 wedges and serve with the hot fish and caper kachumbar
First published in 2015

After ignoring his father’s advice to become an engineer, Vivek Singh has built a distinguished career as a chef.

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