Spicy Fish With Tamarind Sauce Recipes

FISH WITH TAMARIND SAUCE

Steps:

• Place tamarind in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 15 minutes; mash tamarind. Strain through a sieve, pressing on solids and scraping the bottom of the sieve to remove pulp. Discard the seeds and set strained liquid aside.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato, sugar, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and reserved tamarind liquid. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened. Add more water if sauce becomes too dry. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and season with salt and pepper; keep sauce warm.
• Season fish with salt and pepper. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear fish skin-side down, turning once, until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Spoon sauce over fish and serve with parsley salad.

CRISPY WHOLE THAI FRIED FISH WITH GINGER TAMARIND SAUCE AND COCONUT-CILANTRO RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Special equipment: A large Dutch oven or deep wok, deep-fry thermometer and two 12-inch bamboo skewers
• Prepare the ginger tamarind sauce: In large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup of the canola oil and allow to heat. Add the garlic, shallots and fresh ginger and saute until fragrant and the shallots are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, sambal and 1/2 cup water. Stir well and cook until the mixture is slightly reduced and has a maple syrup-like consistency, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Preheat 4 to 5 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven or deep wok. You need enough oil so the whole fish can be submerged.
• Prepare the fish: Make 3 diagonal slices into the flesh of one side of the snapper, cutting all the way to the bone and spacing the slices 2 inches apart. Repeat with the other side of the fish.
• Combine the cornstarch, rice flour, granulated garlic, ground ginger, salt and pepper in a large baking dish. Lightly dredge the fish all over with the seasoned flour, including inside the cuts. Shake off any excess flour, then form the fish into an "S" curve by threading two 12-inch bamboo skewers through the tail and body so it holds its wavy shape.
• Carefully place the fish into the hot oil so it is almost completely submerged. Fry the fish until deep golden and very crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. As it cooks, use a large metal spoon or ladle to carefully pour hot oil over any exposed part of the fish to ensure it cooks evenly. Carefully remove the fish from the oil and place on a wire rack to drain briefly. Season immediately with salt and lime juice. Carefully remove the skewers from the fish, and place it upright on a platter of Coconut-Cilantro Rice Pilaf. Pour the ginger tamarind sauce over the top. Garnish with the chilies and scallions.
• Rinse the rice by running it under cold water 2 or 3 times until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and ensures the rice comes out light and fluffy.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chili flakes and rice and stir well to coat the kernels evenly with oil. Add the coconut milk, salt, sugar and 1 cup water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until all the liquid has absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, keep covered and allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes to steam. Before serving, add the cilantro and fluff with a fork. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

IKAN SAMBAL - FISH WITH SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE (BRUNEI)

Steps:

• Rub the fish fillets with salt and turmeric, then cut them into pieces (for large fillets you would want about four pieces each; just two for smaller fillets). Cover and refrigerate.
• Place the shallots, garlic and chile in a food processor and pulse until you get a thick paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallot mixture and saute for about three minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix the tamarind paste with the warm water and add to the shallots with the sugar and salt. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes or until the sauce is pretty thick.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish on both sides, working in batches if you need to, until it flakes easily with a fork. Transfer the fish to a warm platter and spoon the sauce over. Garnish with the onion rings.

SPICY FISH WITH TAMARIND SAUCE

Steps:

• Grind mustard seeds and chilies in a spice grinder and set aside.
• Combine tamarind paste and warm water in a small bow and mash together to make a brown liquid. Strain through a sieve to remove solids. Toss solids, retain liquid.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add ginger, saute for 2 more minutes. Add curry powder and mustard-chili mixture. Saute 1 minute. Add tamarind water and a dash of salt. Add fish. Simmer 10 minutes or so until the fish is cooked.

SPICY TAMARIND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Place tamarind in metal bowl; add enough boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes to soften. Drain. Press pulp through sieve, reserving 3 tablespoons strained pulp.
• Using scissors, cut shell of each shrimp all the way to tail end, exposing vein. Remove vein. Loosen shrimp shells but do not remove.
• Mix shallots and garlic in small bowl; set aside 1 tablespoon shallot mixture. Tuck remaining shallot mixture under shrimp shells.
• Mix 3 tablespoons tamarind, broth, fish sauce, wine, and sugar in small bowl. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add reserved 1 tablespoon shallot mixture and onion wedges and sauté 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté 1 minute. Add tamarind mixture and sauté until shrimp are opaque in center and sauce coats shrimp thickly, about 3 minutes longer. Mix in green onions and chile. Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
• *Available at Asian markets.

TAMARIND SAUCE FISH CURRY

Steps:

• Place fish in a bowl; add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon chile powder, turmeric, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes.
• Place tamarind pulp in a bowl and pour warm water over it. Squeeze tamarind to extract juice.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet over medium heat; add cumin seeds and stir. Add onion to cumin; cook and stir until onion is translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add carp, cover the skillet, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Mix tamarind juice into fish mixture; bring to a boil. Turn carp pieces; add 2 tablespoons red chile powder, coriander, and salt. Cook over low heat until sauce thickens and oil separates, about 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

SHRIMP IN SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the flavoring sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, tamarind liquid, fish sauce, and chile sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Because tamarind liquid varies, taste the sauce and adjust the flavors, if necessary. Add extra sugar to reduce tartness, fish sauce for more savory depth, chile sauce for extra heat, or water to dilute.
• Refresh the shrimp by putting them in a colander and tossing them with a liberal amount of salt. Rinse immediately under lots of cold water and press gently to drain well.
• In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shallot and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until they have turned pinkish orange and are half cooked. They will release juice and look shiny.
• Give the flavoring sauce a stir, pour it over the shrimp, and stir to coat the shrimp. Let the sauce come to a vigorous boil, stirring occasionally to keep the elements moving. The sauce will reduce to a thickish consistency in 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a deep plate or shallow bowl. Garnish with the cilantro and serve immediately.
• Refreshing Peeled Shrimp
• Most shrimp sold in the United States are frozen, so whenever I use peeled raw shrimp in a recipe, I like to return a bit of the sea to them. I do this by tossing the shrimp with a liberal amount of salt, and then immediately rinsing them under cold running water. This simple step gives the shrimp a fresher flavor.