Chilli fish with tahini and mint rice
This spicy fish supper is served in a rich tomato sauce and accompanied with a tahini dressing and mint rice.
Ingredients
For the mint rice
- 400g/14oz basmati rice
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú unsalted butter, melted
- 40g/1½oz fresh mint sprigs
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú feta, crumbled into small pieces
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chilli fish
- 4 skinless, boneless halibut fillets (or other firm white fish), around 800g/1lb 12oz
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1–2 red chillies, cut into 2-cm/¾-in slices and seeds removed
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp caraway seeds, plus ¼ tsp to serve
- 1 dried ancho chilli, trimmed, seeds removed and torn into 5-cm/2-in pieces
- 1kg/2lb 4oz plum tomatoes, chopped into 1-cm/½-in dice
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 5 fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
- salt
For the tahini sauce
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt
For the pomegranate salsa
- 40g/1½oz pitted green olives, thinly sliced
- 85g/3oz pomegranate seeds
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú walnut halves, lightly toasted and roughly broken
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 10g shredded fresh mint leaves
Method
For the rice, preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9, or as high as your oven will go.
Place the rice in a deep ovenproof dish, measuring 20x30cm/8x12in. Season with ¾ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, then pour over the butter and 800ml/1½ pints boiling water. Top with the sprigs of mint and cover the dish tightly with kitchen foil so that the rice is well sealed. Bake for 25 minutes, until the rice is light and fluffy and all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Lightly season the fish with a third of a teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
Heat the oil into a large, lidded sauté pan over a medium–high heat. Add the chillies and fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, caraway seeds and ancho chilli and fry for 1 minute, or until the garlic is starting to turn golden brown.
Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the sauce is thick. Add the fish, cover the pan and continue to cook for 10 minutes, or until the fish has cooked through.
To make the tahini sauce, mix the tahini and lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
Gently lift the fish out of the pan and set aside somewhere warm. If the fish has released a lot of liquid during cooking and the sauce is slightly too runny, increase the heat and let the sauce simmer until thick.
For the salsa, place all the ingredients, except the mint leaves, in a bowl with pinch of salt. Mix well.
To finish the rice, remove the mint leaves from the mint sprigs and garnish the top of the rice with the leaves. Sprinkle over the feta.
Transfer the tomato sauce to a large serving dish and place the fish back in the sauce. Spoon over the tahini sauce and garnish with the coriander. Stir the shredded mint into the salsa and spoon the salsa evenly over the rice. Serve the fish in tomato sauce with the rice alongside.