Tamarind-Pepper Fish with Plain Rice

Tamarind-marinated fish sears in coconut oil with cracked black pepper, ginger, and curry leaves, served over plain jasmine rice. The dish recalls Pepper Weighed Against Silver, when Malabar peppercorns dried on mats behind Calicut’s shore outranked almost any freight.

Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs firm white fish fillets
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 cloves sliced garlic
• 12 leaves fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Instructions

1. 1Cut the fish into 3-inch pieces and place in a bowl with tamarind paste, cracked black pepper, grated ginger, turmeric, and half the salt; mix gently and let marinate 10 minutes.
2. 2Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add sliced garlic and curry leaves and fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. 3Add the marinated fish and any remaining marinade to the skillet in a single layer, cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then gently flip and cook another 3-4 minutes until the fish flakes easily.
4. 4Serve immediately over hot cooked rice, spooning the simple pan sauce over each portion.