mint Archives

Breakfast recipes

Broccoli with mustard dressing

10 minutes

Biltong recipes

Grilled broccoli steaks with white beans, red onions and anchovy butter

Mielie recipes

Mielie, basil, mint, lime and feta salad

Beetroot recipes

Gluten-free goji berry cake with a beetroot-and-coconut coulis

25 minutes

Beef recipes

Beef koftas with beetroot hummus and charred pita bread

40 minutes

Breakfast recipes

Turmeric-fried eggs with coconut chutney

10 minutes

Asian recipes

Crispy satay rolls

25 minutes

Pickled fish with banana and litchi raita

Serves 4 to 6

Difficulty Medium

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cooking Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg any sustainable firm white fish, filleted
2 large onions
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 1⁄2 t finely chopped garlic
1 t ginger, finely chopped
2 T masala
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 t turmeric
3 T apricot jam
1 1⁄2 t salt
1⁄2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white grape vinegar
1 1⁄2 cup water
100 g brown sugar
8 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
Chutney, for serving
Bread, for serving

For the banana and litchi raita, mix:

2 small bananas, peeled and diced
4 litchis, peeled
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 T lemon juice
1⁄2 t salt
1⁄2 t sugar or honey
a handful grapes, halved
2 fresh mint sprigs, finely chopped

Method

Skin and debone the fish.

Peel the onions and slice into rings. Fry in a little oil in a medium-sized saucepan until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the apricot jam, salt, pepper, vinegar, water and brown sugar. Tie the peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves in a muslin cloth and submerge in the mixture. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Fry the fish fillets in a little oil until just cooked through, keeping them whole.

Place the fish in a plastic or ceramic dish. Remove the muslin bag from the pickling mixture and pour the latter over the fish. Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil until ready to serve. Pickle for at least 3 hours.

Remove the fish from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature.

Cook's note: In the past, fish and a variety of vegetables were pickled as a way of preserving them. In my modern version, the piquant blend of sweet and spicy flavours contrasts well with the coolness of yoghurt and sweetness of the salad. I like to serve this dish at room temperature and pickle the fish for only a few hours before serving: this way it’s still tender. The fish will become firmer the longer it is pickled.

Discover more Easter recipes here.

First published in TASTE issue 71, April 2012.

Abi’s fireside nori butter

Potato latkes

Preserved lemon sesame cake with cream cheese frosting

Soufflé egg tray

Broccoli with mustard dressing

Biltong-spiced ostrich

Grilled broccoli steaks with white beans, red onions and anchovy butter

Mielie, basil, mint, lime and feta salad

Gluten-free goji berry cake with a beetroot-and-coconut coulis

Beef koftas with beetroot hummus and charred pita bread

Turmeric-fried eggs with coconut chutney

Crispy satay rolls

Slow-cooked lamb-and-pomegranate flatbread

Three-bean salad, rebooted

Pickled fish with banana and litchi raita

Pickled fish with banana and litchi raita

Ingredients

Method