Poaching Fish

Dear readers, raise your hand if you eat two servings of omega-3 rich fish a week. Well, don’t feel bad – neither do I. But I’m starting to think that we should change our ways. After all, fatty fish is not only lovely and nuanced, it’s also easy to cook.

I usually bake or braise fish, which requires minimal effort. But with the summer heat, I’ve been poaching salmon and other fatty fish to eat it warm or chilled over a bed of sprightly greens. Like other moist-heat cooking methods, poaching locks in moisture and practically gives cooked salmon the texture of butter. I know it sounds crazy, but I am not making this up. The truth is you can easily make a five-star meal in your own kitchen, however humble it may be. Looking to comfort yourself after a long day of work or to toast the summer sunset with friends? Then, why not poach some fish.

How to Poach Fish

Fill a sauté pan or shallow pot with enough water to cover the fish.

Add a handful of your favorite herbs and spices to flavor the water. I threw in carrots, celery, cilantro, and peppercorns for this version. I also like to create a broth of sorts with lemongrass, garlic, and onions. Get creative here as the possibilities are endless (and surely you know how variety spices up life).

Heat the water to a gentle simmer so tiny bubbles form along the rim of the pot. Let it simmer for 5 minutes to flavor the water.

Lower the fish into the water using a slotted spoon.

Cook the fish until it turns opaque and is heated through -- this will take about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the density of the fish.

Carefully remove the fish with the slotted spoon, and serve warm or chilled. 

Blackened Catfish

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

There are many misconceptions that keep people from stepping into the kitchen. One is that it takes a lot of time and effort to get a tasty meal on the table. Admittedly, there are some dishes that require a real time commitment (like a souffle). But there are hundreds of other mouthwatering dishes that can be prepared before the delivery makes it to the front door. Blackened catfish is one of them.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

It's simple, really. Just pull together a rub with a few herbs and spices, coat some fish, and pan-fry it. I love this recipe from Gourmet. The last time I made it, I was out of thyme and too lazy to run to the store. It was still full of flavor.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

If you're really short on time, buy a pre-made Cajun spice rub. I recommend picking one up from a gourmet grocery store like Whole Foods or a spice shop, if possible. Beware of rubs that are packed with salt or full of flavorless fillers like corn starch.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Steam a side of peas. Set the table. I promise, you'll enjoy dinner.

Salmon and Dill Sandwich

The taste of fresh dill and just harvested cucumbers remind me of Elizabeth Buhler. As a child, I loved watching her garden with her feet firmly planted in Manitoba's black soil. A jar of her pickled cucumbers ended up in our cupboard, and by late summer, crab apples from the large tree in her yard were lined up on the counter. On Saturday mornings, soon after my sister and I had started an odyssey with The Jetsons, Mrs. Buhler would drop by with cinnamon rolls that were still warm from the oven. Not one to waste, she packed them in an old cereal box laid flat on its side. During road trips, we traveled with loaves of her homemade bread.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

In January, Mrs. Buhler died just short of her 112th birthday. During her remarkably long life, she withstood the terrors of Russian revolution and the unchartered plains of southern Manitoba. She raised six children and left behind 23 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren and 39 great-great grandchildren. All the while, she scratch cooked. In her 70s, she made my mom's spicy sambar for her Thanksgiving dinner guests.

As one journalist noted, hers was an "Extraordinary Ordinary Life." Each time I shape a cinnamon roll from the recipe Mrs. Buhler penned in a curry-cued script, her spirit is with me.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

SALMON AND DILL SANDWICH
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS1-14.75 ounce can Alaskan Pink Salmon
1 teaspoon finely minced dill
1 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup diced scallions
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 slices of bread
A heap of arugula

INSTRUCTIONS

Drain the water from the salmon. Spoon it into a medium sized bowl and break it up with a fork.

Add the dill, cucumbers, scallions, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and olive oil. Mix together.

Layer on bread and top with a handful of arugula.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Arugula and Smoked Salmon Salad

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

By the end of March, my green-thumbed friends start to formulate their dream garden. Most of them love basil, and even though there's often snow on the ground, wax on about all pesto they plan to blend up. I get caught up in their fervor, and end up planting a seedling or two. But the truth is I'm not a basil groupie, and the mature leaves usually end up on my rabbit's dinner plate.

For me, summer hoopla is about strawberries, sweet corn and arugula.

I first tasted arugula in culinary school when Chef Piper laid out a wide variety of greens and directed us to create a signature salad. Like so many Americans, I was used to the flat flavor of iceberg lettuce. When the radish-like zip of arugula filled my mouth, I was captivated. The unremarkable looking green was Indian-American's dream. I've been a devotee ever since that first sampling. In the summer, I become an addict.

Eager for a taste of its peppery punch, I planted a palm full of arugula seeds in mid-April this year. The temperature dipped and the double-leafed seedlings took weeks to appear. I fretted like a young mother. They eventually pushed out of the ground, but took an unusually long time to gain some height. By the time the leaves were mature enough to harvest, soft oak leaf and Simpson leaf lettuce had sprung up in the common area of the community garden. Both pair beautifully with arugula, adding a mild undertone to its zesty flavor and bringing a silky softness to the mix.

ARUGULA AND SMOKED SALMON SALAD

Folger's Coffee company used to run a commercial that featured an elderly woman who carried a jar of their crystals where ever she went. My mom used to joke that she would do the same thing in her senior years. Instead of coffee, she brings dry beef curry when she and my dad visit me. It is a beloved dish among many Syrian Christians men in Kerala. I love everything about the dish, especially the chewy chunks of coconut. But I'm conflicted about eating it after befriending so many kindhearted cows in Kerala.
Recognizing this, my mom has started to tote beef curry and a wedge of smoked salmon to my house. The beef is for my dad and the fish is for me. A few weeks ago, I was pressed for time so I threw a few chunks of the salmon over fresh arugula and some other fresh lettuce. I sprinkled it with a teaspoon or so of red wine vinegar mixed with olive oil. It was a delectable pairing and is now a dinner staple. The salmon adds a bacony chew and a faint taste of the ocean. The red wine vinegar, a slightly boozy tang.
If you pull together this delightfully simple salad, use the best olive oil your money can buy. (A secret...I often find great deals on olive oil and other essential staples in the gourmet food section of Marshall's and TJ Maxx.)

Kerala-Style Fried Fish

(Susan Pachikara COPYRIGHT 2011)

The first day I was in Kottayam, Iyshakochamma and I went in search of a meen chutty – an earthenware pot dedicated to cooSking fish. We walked to the main thoroughfare to flag down an auto rickshaw. Tatas, Suzukis, and the pod-shaped three wheelers zipped by us, like twigs travelling downstream. After several minutes of futile waving, a rickshaw swung off the road and abruptly stopped in front of us. We slid in back. Iyshakochamma asked the driver to take us to the main business district and he strong-armed the steering wheel back towards the charging traffic.

As the driver dodged harried taxis, barreling buses, and whole families on scooters, we jerked left and right, up and down. Flocks of school children, street side temples, and white washed churches where Syrian Christians worship shot by on either side. Our hair tossed and flipped in the gritty, open air and our noses perked as the smell of fried fish, exhaust, and jasmine ebbed and flowed. After several minutes, we pulled behind a truck transporting a towering heap of green bananas and we followed it to a large open market.

(Susan Pachikara COPYRIGHT 2011)

We slipped out of the rickshaw and into a zig-zag of commerce being carried out of storefronts, off carts and curbsides. A lemon vendor gave way to a man selling fresh fish. A purveyor of coconuts segued into a woman peddling bananas. We passed concord grapes with skin that rivaled fine velvet and sunset yellow papayas. Hawkers beckoned us to try their lanky beans, which sat within eyesight of ruddy tomatoes and pineapples topped with fountains of green. 

The Portuguese who were the first to find a sea route to India brought much of this bounty. Their most pivotal contribution to India, and other parts of Asia, was the introduction of the chili. The spice is so integral to everyday Kerala cooking that nearly every family has a hot pepper plant (and when I was charting out my plot in the community garden, miles away, my mom insisted that I plant hot peppers, which I did.) At the market, we saw an array of chili – red, green, fat, lean. 

(Susan Pachikara COPYRIGHT 2011)

As we navigated the bustling market, Iyshakochamma continued sleuthing for the meen chutty. Each vendor directed us to walk a bit further. About an hour into our search, we came to a narrow alleyway. An elderly woman in a faded cotton sari stood in a doorway. Around her feet, sat an army of clay red and charcoal black meen chutties, their straight sides giving way to a slightly rounded bottom. These pots conduct heat more evenly than their aluminum counterparts and are ideal for gently cooking fish. The woman turned over my selection, and tapped the bottom, testing its craftsmanship in front of us. She handed me the pot shrouded in newspaper and we headed home. 

KERALA-STYLE FRIED FISH

(COPYRIGHT CARDAMOM KITCHEN 2011)

This recipe demonstrates how gorgeous cayenne pepper tastes when it is part of a simple, well-balanced spice mixture. Here it adds dynamic flavor rather than overpowering heat. (When a dish is really hot, it can be because the spices are poorly portioned. Items that are meant to be hot-hot, such as pickles and chutneys, tend to be eaten in small portions.)

I love making this recipe with salmon, but you can substitute just about any other fish from catfish to pampano. It's glorious with sardines, but they'll leave a fishy odor in your kitchen for days. Also, this recipe is very delicious broiled or grilled if you prefer a more heart heathy dish.

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

1 pound salmon fillets

2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of turmeric

2 tablespoons shallots, finely minced (optional)

2 teaspoons water

Canola oil for deep frying

(Susan Pachikara COPYRIGHT 2011)

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the salmon and slice it into roughly 2 inch x 3 inch pieces. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal slits into flesh.

Mash the shallots in a mortar and pestle.

In a small bowl, mix the cayenne, garlic powder, salt, turmeric, and shallots. Add the water and mix to form a paste.

Rub the fish with the paste. Marinate it in the refrigerate for at least two hours.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the onion slices. Add a few pieces of fish, skin side down to oil. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the fish browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the fish and cook other side.

Remove the fish from the oil with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to cool.

(Susan Pachikara COPYRIGHT 2011)

Fish Mappas

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Late one morning when I was in Kerala, I heard a female voice call into my aunt's dining room window. My aunt hollered back something about fish and headed to the doorway just outside the kitchen. I followed her, intrigued by the casual, yet intimate exchange. When I arrived, Martha lifted a wide aluminum vessel from her head and set it down in front of us. Nestled inside were several varieties of fish, including the region's much beloved karimeen (or pearl spot). Like the fresh fish I happened upon in markets across Kerala, their eyes were clear and their bodies, plump.

Martha, Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Kerala has a zig-zag of lakes and rivers and a coastline that hugs that Arabian Sea for hundreds of miles. So living off the land includes daily doses of fish for many Malayalees. During my stay, fish with green mangoes, coconut milk, or chili sauce, and shrimp with tamarind, all made it to the table. Yet, what I really crave, months later, are mathi (sardines). My aunts marinated them with chili powder, garlic powder, and turmeric and fried the fish to a crisp. Memories of pairing mathi with a canvass of parboiled rice and a ladling of fresh yogurt still call me today.

Men Fishing in Trivandrum, Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

On my last day in Kerala, my cousins took me to Kumarakom, a dreamy resort town in the backwaters. At the Kumarakom Club, my eldest cousin Reena ordered two specialty dishes: duck with gravy and karimeen pollichathu (fish roasted in a banana leaf). When the food arrived, she unwrapped three of the fish and placed the fourth one in front of me. As a guest, I didn't have to share. As I pulled back the corners of the banana leaf, the smell of black pepper, ginger, and garlic rose to my nose. Using my fingers, I scooped up a bit of the flesh. The outer edge had a thin crust. Inside, the flesh was tender and moist. I was grateful to have an entire fish, so exquisitely prepared, to myself.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

We ended the afternoon with a houseboat ride along the lake. I'd had many dazzling adventures in India, but this finale on the water was the most enchanting. For an hour, we meandered through a carpet of frilly green water hyacinths. Lanky coconut trees lazed about, beckoning us to be still. Their wispy leaves lifted and fell with the breeze. Everything in the hidden water world moved more slowly - the paddle boats, the birds, even the children splashing along the shoreline.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

FISH MAPPAS

(COPYRIGHT CARDAMOM KITCHEN 2009)

Serves 6 to 8

One of the most appealing things about everyday Kerala cooking is how I feel once I've left the table. With a reliance on spices rather saturated fat, the fish dishes in particular, leave me feeling replenished not weighed down. Try this recipe for fish with turmeric for a nourishing meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

3/4 cup onion, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 small jalapeno, cut lengthwise

1 medium tomato, cut into wedges

1 pound Catfish or Tilapia fillets, cut into roughly 3-inch pieces

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk or coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook until the onions becomes translucent.

Add the tomato and cook until it begins to soften.

Add the fish. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the water, turmeric, cumin, and salt, and stir gently.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook until the fish flakes (about 10 minutes).

Reduce the heat to low. Add the milk and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat. Sprinkle in the vinegar. Tilt the pot to the left and right to distribute the vinegar.

Serve with rice and steamed peas.

Fish Tacos

Hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst - all delicious, if you ask me (especially with beer). It's not just the high fat content that makes them satisfying. It's the memories that punctuate each bite. When I chew into a hot dog, I can almost feel the thin elastic thread that kept hats on my head at childhood birthday parties. Hamburgers remind me of road trips. Bratwurst, street festivals.

Despite the good taste and memories, many of us need to cut down on meat. It's got too much saturated fat, too many calories. For a lighter option, consider cooking up these simple fish tacos. They're lower in fat than their meat-filled brethren, but still wonderfully flavorful. And, yes, good with beer.

FISH TACOS WITH CORN

2009 Cardamom Kitchen LLC All Rights Reserved

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 pound catfish fillets

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 chopped scallions

2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped

12 corn tortillas
Feta to garnish (optional)

2 15.5 ounce cans of sweet corn

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Cover a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the fish on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together cumin, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon. Sprinkle over fish.

3) Bake the fish until it becomes opaque and flakes when poked with a fork (about 15 minutes).

4) Combine the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro in a bowl. Toss together and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt.

5) Place corn with liquid in a small saute pan. Heat on low for 5 minutes. (Do not allow liquid to simmer or boil.) Drain water.

6) Place the baked fish in a small bowl and pull it apart with a fork.

7) Heat tortillas in the microwave or with a cast iron skillet. (Warm skillet on high heat. Place a tortilla on skillet. Cook until it warms and softens. Remove from heat. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.)

8) Fill each tortilla with fish and tomato mixture.

9) Sprinkle with feta and serve with a side of the corn.