Fish Red Curry

I have to admit that both Joe and I do enjoy fish, but the ethical and sustainability issues surrounding the fishing industry leaves us both quite worried about purchasing and consuming it. We did recently discovery that NZ fisheries is quota limited, however, that quota is made with sustainability as its core focus. We purchased a kilo bag of fish fillets about four months ago and we are slowly eating our way through it.

[  SERVES: 4  |  TIME: 25 MIN  |  COST: <$5 |  MY RATING:  2/5 ]

Ingredients

400 g firm white fish fillets, cut into bite size pieces
400 ml can of coconut cream
200 ml stock (vegetable preferred)
1 onion, diced finely
½ cup potato, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup sweet potato, cut into bite size pieces
½ cup pumpkin, cut into bite size pieces
½ peas
½ red capsicums, chopped finely
2 – 4 tablespoons red curry paste
1 – 2 tablespoons garlic
dash of oil

Methodology

• In a wok, warm a little oil before adding the garlic and red curry paste. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Add your onions and fry until transparent.
• Add your stock, potato and sweet potato and cook gently until almost cooked through. This may take 5 – 10 minutes, depending on the heat.
• Add the remaining vegetables, fish,  and coconut cream. Stir gently, and remove from heat once everything is cooked through. This may take and additional 5 – 10 minutes, depending on the heat.
• Serve immediately with rice.

Observations

• We use to be able to purchase basa which is a firm white fish from the catfish family. It is perfect for this type of dish, however, our supply ran out several months ago. When purchased this bag of NZ Hoki, we hoped it would have the same flavour and texture, but I have to admit, it is somewhat lacking by comparison. As a result, this dish was not well received by our family today. I am certain that had basa been used, the rating would have been at least 4/5 instead of the 2/5 it got this day.
• Diabetic Note: The rice is basmati, although, to be honest, we generally use brown rice. At any rate, the rice is high in carbohydrates, as is the potato and sweet potato. As a result, adjust your rice according to your exchange point limit. I have about ¼ - ½ cup of rice with this dish and my BGLs are fine.
• 

  Trawler Hauling Nets (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  Ethical Note: As mentioned briefly above, there is a huge ethical debate about sustainable fisheries. Some scientific researches suggest that any fish consumption is unsustainable during the current era as wild populations struggle with long term over exploitation. Many commercially popular species are currently endangered, such as the Orange Roughy.  There is a great deal of scientific literature about the habits of commercial fisheries who drag heavy nets on the oceans floor, disturbing benthos life, destroying coral reefs and disrupting the delicate ecosystems that are present there. Additionally, most consumers are aware of the common industry practice of cutting entangled nets and fishing line free, leaving them to choke, kill and drown ocean faring wildlife. Many feel that the purchasing of any fish contributes to this process, and I do tend to agree. I do feel however that there is a silver lining here. It is vital to realise that fisheries serves to feed many of the worlds poor and is vital for their existence. It is also important to recognise that not all global fisheries exceed catch limits, exclude the annual catch of other countries during their quota setting exercises, harvest endangered species or engage in destructive fishing habits. If you are going to purchase seafood, I would urge you to become educated on the subject, discover the source of your product (country and company!), research the relevant limits and impacts and choose wisely. (Having said that, we chose some time ago to not purchase any more fish or seafood products.)

Related articles

• Day 9 – Red curry with tofu and vegetables (veglife.com.au)
• Go-to Meal – Easy Thai Red Curry (ediblepsychology.com)

 

Hickory Smoked Fish

So, its Wednesday night. I’ve been trying to make Wednesday nights our regular seafood / fish night and for two weeks running, I’ve succeeded! Last weekend, I watched the Master Chef DVD for the Master Classes. I have to say, I got a lot of inspiration out of the video. This dish is inspired from that video.

Ingredients

1 cup hickory chips
1 cup rice
½ cup sugar
½ cup salt
½ cup loose leaf tea
firm fish fillets or whole fish

Method

1. Soak the hickory chips in water sufficient to cover them for at least 2 hours prior to using. The longer you soak them, the better the smoke! Drain the chips and discard the liquid.
2. Mix the rice, sugar, salt and tea in a large bowl. Add in the chips, and toss through. Line a large wok with aluminium foil before pouring the chip mixture evenly into the wok bottom. Place a wire wrack in the wok so it sits above (not touching!) the chip mixture. With the lid on, place on a very high heat and allow to get very hot – about 20 – 30 minutes on the highest heat setting (bottom left picture above).
3. Place the fish on a small amount of aluminium foil and place straight on to the wire wrack. Steam (lid on) for about six minutes or until the fish is cooked and flaky (bottom right picture above).

Observations

• I over cooked our fish. It was only on for 10 minutes so please, watch your fish! Also, make sure it is a fair amount above the chips so it smokes rather than is cooked by the heat in the chips.
• Ensure the aluminium foil that the fish is on is only just large enough to support the fish or it will hinder the movement of the smoke.
• I got my hickory chips from BBQ Galore. Any BBQ shop or good food agent should stock them.
• Add whatever flavour tea you want. I used a combination of green tea, vanilla flavoured green tea and peppermint tea. I could definitely taste the green tea flavour in the fish! The hickory flavour is subtle and comes on late, but is so smooth and more’ish.
• The chip mixture melted into a solid mess on the foil so to save yourself a lot of clean up later, ensure there is plenty of aluminium foil beneath the chip mixture and the wok.
• The favours of this dish were amazing, and on the verge of overpowering. I suspect that is because I overcooked it. I have plans to smoke some chicken next week using the same method but substituting rosemary and thyme for the tea. Watch this space!
• As always, this fish is the skinless hoki fish from Aldi. The manufacturers claims that their produce to be caught within the boundaries and guidelines of the NZ government sustainably quota. Please, if you use fish, chose  fish that you know are fished within quotas using sustainable fishing practices. Mother earth will thank you for it.
• Diabetic Note: There are no real carbohydrates really in this dish when served with a salad. The fish and salad combined may attribute to 3g carbohydrates, so this is a meal you will definitely be careful with. Some chips, a slice of bread or a little dessert would make up for that in the yummiest way possible!
• Joe had originally asked me to cook chunky oven baked sweet potato chips to accompany this meal, but I forgot. It would have worked a treat! Next time…

 

Steamed Fish and Stir Fried Veggies

Joe and I recently discovered a brand of Hoki at Aldi that claims to be sustainably farmed. As we know, there are a lot of evils regarding the fishing industry (long lines killing non target species, trawlers nets damaging reef systems and upsetting bentic sediments ect) and we had decided to stop eating fish quite some time ago because of it. When we saw this, we decided to give it a try while I do some homework on what their exact fishing methods are (watch this space)!

So tonight we decided to sample said product… What I ended up with was Steamed Fish and Stir Fried Veggies.

Ingredients - Serves 2

Fish

½ Chili finely chopped(remove seeds if you like a milder sauce)

1 teaspoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pieces of fish

Vegetables

½ zuchini

½ red capcicum

½ red onion

1 stick celery

bunch baby brocoli

handful baby spinach

2 spring onions

½ Chili (remove seeds if you like a milder sauce)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients for the fish marinade, and spread over the fish. Refrigerate covered for 2 – 12 hours. In a steaming basket, lay the fish on to a little baking paper with holes cut into it (to allow steam movement). Place the steaming basket over a pot of boiling water and cook for 8 – 10 minutes.
2. For the stir fry, chop all vegetables into bite size pieces. Pour the oil into a hot wok followed by the spices, herbs and fish sauce. Add all the vegetables (except the spinach) and stir fry for 3 – 4 minutes, until tender but firm. Stir through the spinach to wilt it before serving.

Notes

• This was really delicious, and we really enjoyed it a lot! Simple flavours.
• I really want to give a shout out to my NZ readers. Hello you guys from Naenae!
• Diabetics note: This meal has little to no carb content! I had to balance it out with some ice cream. Ahhh, treats are good, sometimes, right? =) You could probably add some egg noodles to stretch the veggies further and boost the carb content, but I didn’t have any today.