Michael Van De Elzen’s Snapper With Tomato Kasundi & Roasted Red Capsicums

By Michael Van de Elzen

Wednesday Sep. 20, 2023

nzme

This sublime fish dish also includes a sweet homemade garlic aioli. Photo / Babiche Martens

I haven’t added a starch to this dish as many things would work, so I thought I’d leave it to you to decide. Think roasted baby potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, green beans, steamed rice or even fried naan or flatbreads. Curry leaves are available fresh and frozen from Indian and Asian supermarkets.

Snapper With Tomato Kasundi & Roasted Red Capsicums

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4–6

2 large red capsicums

½ cup grapeseed oil

2 stalks curry leaves

4 skinless, boneless snapper fillets

Flaky sea salt, to taste

1 recipe Tomato Kasundi

1 recipe Sweet Garlic Aioli

Lightly coat the capsicums in a touch of the oil and place onto an open flame, under a hot grill or onto hot embers. Leave on the heat until the skin becomes black before turning. Once the skin is charred all the way around including the top and bottom, place in a heatproof bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to steam for 10 minutes, then peel off and discard the blackened skin. Split the capsicums open and remove and discard the seeds and stalks. Cut the flesh into large pieces.
To fry the curry leaves, heat the remaining oil in a small pot over a medium heat. Test the heat by dropping in one leaf — it should slowly rise and simmer until crispy. Once the correct heat is achieved, carefully drop in the curry leaves one stalk at a time. When the leaves stop bubbling, remove them from the oil, place on baking paper and set aside until required.
Heat a large, heavy-based frypan or barbecue plate over a high heat. Lightly oil the fish with a little cooled curry leaf oil and season it with a little salt. Once the frypan or barbecue plate is hot, add the fish, resisting the temptation to turn it until it is well coloured. Once well coloured it will lift off the pan easily — at this stage you can flip it and cook the other side.
To serve, spread the warm Tomato Kasundi over a platter. Top with the roasted red capsicums, fried fish and curry leaves and serve with the Sweet Garlic Aioli on the side.

Tomato Kasundi

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes: 2 cups

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1 Tbsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 red chilli, sliced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

6–8 medium tomatoes, cut into large pieces

½ cup water

1 Tbsp malt vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

A pinch of fine sea salt

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frypan or pot over a high heat.
Add the mustard, fennel and cumin seeds and fry off for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Stir in the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, cumin and turmeric and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the tomatoes, water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every so often to ensure it doesn’t stick but still trying to keep the tomatoes in large pieces.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 month, or in sterilised jars for 6–12 months.

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Roasting garlic until it’s golden caramelises its natural sugars and brings out its amazing sweetness. This recipe is an aioli, not a mayonnaise. What’s the difference? Aioli has the addition of cooked potatoes, which gives it an extra thickness that’s perfect for vegetable dippers and even fries!

Sweet Garlic Aioli

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Makes: 1½ cups

6 cloves garlic, peeled

250ml grapeseed oil

Flaky sea salt, to taste

½ cup diced peeled potato

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp room temperature water

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Ground white pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 200C fan-bake. Place the garlic in a small frypan along with 1 teaspoon of the oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
While the garlic is cooling, place the potato in a small pot, cover with water and cook until tender. Drain well.
Transfer the cooled garlic and warm potato to a food processor and add the egg yolk, vinegar, water and mustard. Blend for 30 seconds until pale, before slowly adding the remaining oil with the motor running. If the aioli becomes too thick, just add a teaspoon of water and continue to add the oil until it is finished. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.