Poached Fish in a Zingy Broth
This recipe is fun, bold and big. It’s an amazing recipe for a party, being celebratory and loud.
A broth made from tomatillos, lime, shallots and garlic is fresh, zingy and acidic. It makes for a perfect broth to poach our fish in, which later becomes the base for the dish. The broth in question then reduces, until it’s no longer soupy and holds some weight. It transforms into a delicious umami sauce to dress the fish with.
To match the acidity, thinly sliced shallots and garlic are lightly fried with all the same spices that lend to our broth, along with caramelised tomato. This part is what adds warmth and balances the zingy-ness of the dish.
A fresh component of paper thin watermelon radish rounds, red onion rings and cilantro dressed in lime liven up the flavors, keeping it fresh and brighting it all. You can use regular radishes here, too. I got my hands on watermelon radishes and I’ve been making the most out of them.
Serve this dish at a dinner party, it makes for easy transfers onto your plate — since the fish is flaked, it’s easy to just serve yourself however much you want and you aren’t confined to a whole fillet.
Ingredients:
500g delicate white fish fillets, such as snapper
Zingy Broth:
200g shallots, halved, skin on
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 slices of ginger, 1/2 an inch thick
1 tbsp oil, neutral like avocado oil
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp fine cooking salt
300g tomatillos, canned, drained
3 cups water
optional: 1/4 of a stock cube, vegetable or chicken
juice of 1/2 a lime
Sizzled shallots and garlic:
150g shallots, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
5 tbsp neutral oil, like avocado oil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1/4 tsp tajin seasoning
1/4 tsp fine cooking salt
2 tbsp finely chopped tomatoes, canned
Radish, red onion and cilantro salsa:
1 watermelon radish, sliced thin into rounds
1 small red onion, sliced thin into rings
1 bunch cilantro/ coriander, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
Method:
Prepare fish fillets on a plate by salting on both sides and leaving in room temperature while we prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Making the broth:
Slice shallots into halves, removing the ends and keeping the skins on. Smash the garlic cloves using a cup or the back of your palm. You can keep the skins on or off. Slice ginger into half an inch rounds. Roughly crush tomatillos using your hand, draining the liquid in the can.
Preheat a skillet on medium-high heat, char the shallot halves, garlic, ginger in oil until golden brown, should take about 3-5 minutes. Add the seasonings, stir and toast for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatillos. Stir and cook down for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add 3 cups of water and optionally 1/4 of a stock cube, can be chicken or vegetable flavoured. Put the lid on the pan and lower the heat to low. Set a timer for 30 minutes and allow the broth to do it’s thing. After 30 minutes, turn off the heat. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then drain, discarding the aromatics.
Pour the liquid broth back into the pan and turn the heat up to medium. Once it comes to a simmer, drop in the fish fillets and put the lid on the pan. Set a timer for 7 minutes, cooking the fish with the lid on. After 7 minutes, check the fish for doneness. If cooked through, remove the fish from the broth and place onto a plate. Keep the broth at a rolling simmer, reducing it until it becomes thicker and more golden. After about 15 minutes of reducing the broth, the amount of broth should be approximately 1/2 a cup and it should be thickened and slightly glazed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, removing any leftover seeds or foam collected. Into the strained broth, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime.
Sizzled shallots and garlic:
Preheat a skillet to medium heat. Add in oil, allow it to get hot. Drop in shallots and garlic and stir to evenly coat in oil. Shallow fry them until they begin to become a very light golden brown and then just before they are perfectly fried, add in the seasonings and tomato. Fry them together for another 2-3 minutes. When it’s done, some shallots and garlic will be lightly crispy, some jammy, the tomato should be caramelised and the overall colour should be a deep red with golden crispy ends peeking through.
Radish and red onion salsa:
Roughly chop one bunch of cilantro/coriander, keeping the stems and leaves in tact by chopping bigger pieces. Slice 1 watermelon radish, aiming for paper thin rounds. Slice one red onion into rings, aiming for super thin rings, removing the inner core and keeping the rings. Combine the radish, cilantro/coriander and red onion together in a bowl. Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime and toss to combine.
To plate:
Bring out a large plate with rounded edges, so it can hold the broth without spilling over. Add fish to the plate and flake it using a fork, breaking it apart into smaller pieces, keeping it centered. Pour over the broth all over the fish. Top with sizzled shallots and garlic, then handfuls of the radish salsa. Garnish with flakey salt and a squeeze of fresh lime. Enjoy!
