Bassa Fillets with Apple Chutney

It has been a long time since I posted something here. I have actually not been cooking as much as earlier, what with my hectic project schedule. If at all I have cooked, it has been normal everyday cooking.

Today, after a long time I tried out a recipe which can surely be termed as an ‘not-so-everyday’ recipe. It involved going up to the food store to pick up bassa fillets and apples which I didn’t have in stock.

This is a recipe I saw on TV, it is the creation of a Pakistani chef. I have followed the recipe with some teeny weeny changes primarily in the proportions.

Ingredients

For the Fish

1 kg bassa fillet,

2 tbsp ginger paste,

2 tbsp garlic paste,

3-4 tsps Kashmiri chilli powder,

2 tsp cumin powder,

Salt to taste,

3-4 tbsps refined oil

For the Apple Confit

1 ½ apple,

1 tbsp sugar,

1 tbsp jaggery,

2 tbsp white vinegar,

2 cloves,

1 star anise,

Juice of a lemon,

Salt to taste,

2 tsps red chilli flakes

10 small onions (I used sambar onions)

Method

For the Apple Chutney and Onions

Peel and dice the apple.

Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil and add the diced apple. After about 2 minutes add the sugar, jaggery, salt, vinegar, cloves, star anise and lemon juice. Cook till the apples are done. Discard the cloves and star anise.

Drain the fluid. Reserve a few apple pieces for the garnish. Puree the remaining apples with the red chilli flakes.

Cook the peeled onions (whole) in the drained fluid till done.

For the Fish Fillets  

Cut the bassa fillets into 2 inch by 2 inch slices.

Prepare a marinade with the ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder and salt. Apply this to the fillets and let it marinate for about half an hour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or tawa and fry the fish fillets till done on both sides. I did this in 3 batches.

To Serve

Skewer 3 fillets on a satay stick.

Trickle the chutney over the fillets and top with the reserved apple chunks and boiled onions. (I forgot about the onions while clicking the photographs then placed them later when we had already started savouring the dish).