Best 4 Mark Bittmans Crunchy Curried Fish Recipes

SALMON WITH YOGURT-CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• If yogurt is very thin, put it in a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Chop flesh, sprinkle it with salt and put in a strainer over a bowl.
• If making spice mix (see note), combine all spices in a skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a spice mill.
• Put a skillet over medium heat; if it is other than nonstick, add oil. Season fish with salt and pepper and add it to pan; raise heat to medium high. Combine cucumber with yogurt and one tablespoon of spice mix in a bowl; taste and adjust seasoning.
• After salmon has cooked for 4 minutes, turn it and cook on other side another 2 to 5 minutes. Serve, browned side up, with sauce and lime on the side.

CRUNCHY CURRIED SHRIMP OR FISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°F. Toss the shrimp or fish with the vinegar. Combine the salt, pepper, turmeric, curry powder, and cayenne, if using, and rub this mixture into the fish.
• Put at least 1/8 inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Combine the flour with enough warm water to make a paste about as thick as yogurt.
• When the oil is hot (a pinch of flour will sizzle), dip each piece of shrimp into the batter and cook, raising the heat to high and rotating the pieces as necessary to promote even browning, until golden and crisp on each side, 5 to 8 minutes total. Do not crowd; you will have to cook in batches. As each piece is done, keep it warm in the oven while you continue to cook. Serve with the lime, garnished with the cilantro.
• A more fiery version, though you can keep the chiles to a minimum; the onions alone make it interesting: Steps 1 and 2 remain the same. In step 3, transfer the shrimp or fish to a plate after browning quickly, about 2 minutes per side. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the oil, then add 3 large onions, sliced and separated into rings, another tablespoon curry powder or garam masala, and 3 stemmed, seeded, and minced fresh or dried chiles (or to taste). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat so the onions cook as quickly as possible without burning, until the onion has wilted and browned, at least 10 minutes. Add a cup of water, bring to a boil, and return the fish to the skillet. Cook at a gentle simmer until the fish is done, another 5 minutes or so. Serve over white rice.

CRUNCHY CURRIED SHRIMP OR FISH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• 2. Toss the shrimp or fish with the vinegar. Combine the salt, pepper, tumeric, curry powder, and cayenne, if using, and rub this mixture into the fish.
• 3. Put at least 1/8 inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Combine the flour with enough warm water to make a paste about as thick as yogurt.
• 4. When the oil is hot (a pinch of flour will sizzle), dip each piece of shrimp into the batter and cook, raising the heat to high and rotating the pieces as necessary to promote even browning, until golden and crisp on each side, 5 to 8 minutes total. Do not crowd; you will have to cook in batches. As each piece is done, keep it warm in the oven while you continue to cook.
• 5. Serve with the lime, garnish with the cilantro.

SHRIMP IN YELLOW CURRY

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chiles and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for another minute.
• Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. (The dish can be prepared to this point a few hours in advance.)
• Add the shrimp, a few pinches of salt, and a little black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp release their liquid (the mixture will become quite moist again) and turn pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon nam pla, stir, then taste and add the rest if necessary. Garnish with cilantro.
• Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.