Monkfish Tikka Masala
Posted on 20th December 2021 at 12:17
In the UK we don’t often think of using fish in our Indian curries, but in many parts of India fish is more commonly used than meat. This is particularly true in areas such as Goa where there is a strong connection to seafood in general. This is where we get the most common UK fish curry from, the Goan fish curry.
This recipe is all about pushing outside of the common choices and combining two fantastic flavours: monkfish and tikka masala. This recipe will work for most strong meaty fish and in the UK, the most commonly available fish of this type of monkfish.
Ingredients – serves 2
For the monkfish
300g of monkfish tail
4 cardamon pods
1 mace flower
30g of cashew nuts
30g of almonds
2-inch piece of root ginger
4 garlic cloves
150g Greek yoghurt
150ml double cream
1 tsp of lime juice
1 tsp of salt
For the masala sauce
2 garlic cloves
2-inch piece of root ginger
1 green chilli
1 red onion
3 tomatoes
200ml of double cream
Preparing the monkfish and adding some spice
Break the mace and cardamon pods, then add to a heavy-based pan and dry-fry on a low heat for 2–3 minutes – you should smell the spices starting to release their flavour.
Put the mace, cardamon pods, and all other ingredients for the monkfish – apart from the monkfish – into a food processor and blend until smooth; this is your marinade.
Meanwhile, trim your monkfish tail and cut into 1-inch pieces. Then add the now smooth marinade to the monkfish in a bowl and coat it evenly.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 6–8 hours or ideally overnight.
Cooking the monkfish
Tikka cooking refers to using a tikka oven to cook the fish or meat. Most people don’t have one of those at home so the best way to replicate that flavour is to either use a griddle pan or a BBQ. In this example we have used a griddle pan but the timings and process would be very similar for BBQing.
Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Add the monkfish and griddle on each side for one minute until just cooked through.
Then add the monkfish to the sauce and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You are ready to go.
Serve with rice and a roti or naan bread.
Tagged as: monkfish
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