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A fishy’ dinner suggestion from the Great British Chefs website

Grilled sea bass, crisp okra fingers, coconut rice and dhal sauce

by

Vineet Bhatia

Ingredients

Grilled sea bass

• 4 sea bass fillets, scaled and pin-boned and cut into half
• 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground

Crispy okra

• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds
• 3/4 tbsp of coriander stalks, chopped
• 10 okra, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 tbsp of gram flour
• vegetable oil
• salt

Coconut rice

• 250g of basmati rice
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp green chillies
• 10 curry leaves, finely shredded
• 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp of coconut, grated
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped
• salt

Dhal sauce

• 70g of red lentils
• 70g of yellow lentils
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
• 1/2 tbsp of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp of onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp of unsalted butter
• salt

Method

First make the dhal sauce. Wash the lentils under cold running water, then place in a deep pan and cover with 4 times their volume of water. Leave to soak for an hour

Put the lentils on the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are soft and broken down, skimming off any scum from the surface. Add more water, if necessary, to prevent the lentils sticking to the base of the pan

Heat the vegetable oil in a separate pan and add the cumin seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the garlic, ginger and green chilli and sauté until the garlic begins to colour lightly

Add the turmeric, red chilli powder and the chopped onions, and sweat. Add the tomato, cook for 2 minutes, then pour the mixture over the lentils. Season with salt and stir together well

Blitz the lentils until smooth, put back on the heat and add the butter, adjust the seasoning and keep warm

For the coconut rice, cook the basmati rice slightly less than the packet instructions tell you so it retains a little bite. Drain thoroughly

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, add the butter and sprinkle in the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds, then add the shallot and grated coconut. Reduce the heat and sauté until the shallot is softened but not coloured

Now add the cooked rice, lemon juice and salt. Toss the rice until heated through, then remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped coriander

For the okra, mix together the spices and coriander stalks and toss with the okra. Add the lemon juice and some salt and set aside for 2 minutes. Add the gram flour a little at a time until it lightly coats the okra

Deep-fry in vegetable oil heated to 175°C until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper (if you don’t have a thermometer, check it is hot enough by adding a cube of bread to the oil. It should start to bubble and fry, but not burn, the moment it has been added)

Season the sea bass fillets with sea salt and pepper. Heat the oil on a large, flat griddle (or in a heavy-based frying pan) over a medium heat and add the fish, skin-side down

Fry for about a minute, until seared underneath, then turn and cook the other side. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 2 minutes

Place a ring mould on each serving plate and fill with the rice. Top with the fish, and arrange the okra over it. Spoon the dhal sauce around the fish, making a moat. Serve immediately