Sea Bass Madras

Doggerel aside, this is a delicious curry. I had never used Sea Bass before this experiment, and I would advise you to fillet the fish longitudinally before cutting into bite sized pieces and adding to the curry. I made the mistake of cutting the fish transversely into steaks with the bones still intact, an ended up endlessly picking them out of the meal, from between my teeth, and even from my poor, sore gums. They are small and sharp! Thus it became an exercise in continually delayed gratification to extract any of the exquisite flavour from what amounted to a bowl of tiny and pernicious daggers. With such delicious hearty food, you just want to plunge in, in the manner of an Olympic diver, mouth wide open and chattering like a lawnmower in readiness.

Whole Herb Ingredients 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 8 Whole Cloves 2 hot dried red chillies 3 tbsp Coconut oil 2 onions, finely chopped	Put the spices in a small, cast iron frying pan, and stir over a medium heat until they are a shade darker and give off a roasted aroma. Leave to cool, then add to the pan below. Heat the coconut oil in a deep pan, and set it over a medium high heat. When hot, fry the onions until they turn brown at the edges, for at least a minute.
Powdered Herbs 1 tsp grated root ginger ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp coriander 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp Garam Masala 1 ½ tsp salt 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped.	Add in the powdered herbs and tomatoes. They should sizzle, and you will need to mix quickly to avoid the powder sticking to the pan. Then, however, allowing the mixture to stand for seconds at a time, you will see clear oil ooze out of the mixture. That’s when you know you’re done with this stage and you need to rapidly move on.
400ml can of coconut milk, well stirred. 200 ml water 1 Sea Bass, gutted, & filleted. A few blocks of frozen spinach (if desired)	Stir in the water and coconut milk, and bring to the boil. Add in the fish pieces. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 30- 45 minutes. Adjust consistency accordingly with water, or by removing lid and evaporating excess.
Serves 4 Serve with rice	Top with coriander garnish & lemon pieces as side, if desired.

North Utsire