Logo 468x60
Food

Yasmin Khan’s recipe for fish kebabs with skordalia

Yasmin Khan’s recipe for fish kebabs with skordalia

Yasmin Khan

This dish finds me crossing borders and bringing together the flavours of Greece and Turkey, using a Turkish fish marinade alongside a garlicky Greek potato sauce. Swordfish is commonly used in Turkey to make fish kebabs and is (at the time of writing) a good sustainable fish choice. It has a meaty texture that lends itself very well to kebabs, but you can substitute hake, monkfish or any other firm white fish that is available; just ask your fishmonger to remove any bones and skin. You can barbecue these, or cook them under a very hot grill. Some chips or white rice would be good accompaniments, as well as some fresh salads.

Serves 4
For the skordalia
floury potatoes 500g, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
garlic 3 cloves, minced
lemon juice 4 tbsp, or to taste
extra virgin olive oil 7 tbsp
salt

For the fish
cumin seeds ½ tsp
firm white fish fillets 900g, such as swordfish, hake or monkfish
unwaxed lemon zest 1 tsp, finely grated
lemon juice 3 tbsp
paprika ½ tsp
pul biber ¼ tsp (Aleppo pepper), plus ½ tsp
garlic 1 clove, minced
extra virgin olive oil 5 tbsp
salted butter 30g

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until completely soft, then drain and place in a bowl. Mash the potatoes until completely smooth. Place the minced garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle with ½ teaspoon of salt and mash it into a paste. Add this to the potato with the lemon juice, then slowly beat in the oil in stages until it is fully combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference; you may want to add more salt or lemon juice.

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for a minute or so, until their aroma is released. Grind in a mortar and pestle. Cut the fish into large equal-sized chunks and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, spices, garlic, olive oil and ¾ teaspoon salt, mix well, then leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

Either thread the fish pieces on skewers if you are barbecuing them, or place them on a baking tray. Preheat the grill to its highest setting, then cook the fish for 2 minutes on each side until the pieces are just cooked through. While the fish is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan and mix it with the ½ teaspoon pul biber.

To serve, spoon the chilli butter over the fish just before you bring it to the table with the skordalia dip.

Courtesy: theguardian

The post Yasmin Khan’s recipe for fish kebabs with skordalia appeared first on The Frontier Post.