Chilled fish salad with okra


Recipe Categories : | All Seafood | Cod | Salad |

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

  • 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, green parts left whole, white parts thinly sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ¼ liter red wine vinegar
  • 500g thin cod fillets, rinsed and cut crosswise into pieces 7.5cm long
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 750g large ripe tomatoes, skinned seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tspn sugar
  • ¼ tspn salt
  • 3 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped, or 2 tspn dried oregano
  • 500g fresh peas, shelled
  • 165g fresh sweetcorn kernels
  • 175g okra, trimmed and cut into 1cm rounds
  • 2 tbsp safflower oil
  • 125g cornmeal
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper

  Preparation and Cooking Instructions

  1. Pour 1.5 liters of water into a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the spring onion greens, bay leaves and 125ml of the vinegar, and simmer the liquid for 15 minutes.
  2. Arrange the fish pieces in a single layer in a shallow dish. Strain the hot liquid over the fish; let the dish stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before refrigerating for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the tomato paste and the remaining vinegar. Stir in the white spring onion parts, then the tomatoes, sugar, salt, parsley and oregano. Chill the relish for 30 minutes.
  4. Pour enough water into saucepan to fill it about 2.5cm deep. Set vegetable steamer in the pan and bring the water to the boil. Add the fresh peas to the steamer, cover the pan and cook the peas until they are just tender - 3-4 minutes. Add the fresh sweetcorn to the peas and steam the vegetables for 1-2 minutes more. Transfer the peas and sweetcorn to a bowl, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  5. Add okra to the steamer and cook it for 30 seconds. Set aside at room temperature.
  6. Drain the liquid from the chilled fish. Carefully arrange a layer of each of the relish, the peas and sweetcorn, and the fish in a large bowl. Top the fish with another layer of relish, then with a final layer of peas and sweetcorn.
  7. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Combine the cornmeal with the cayenne pepper and toss okra in this mixture; shake off the excess. Add the okra to the pan and fry it, stirring constantly, until it is brown on all sides. Scatter the okra over the salad and serve immediately.