Spice mixes play a foundational role in South Asian cuisine, especially when it comes to flavoursome curries. But O Tama Carey, founder of Lankan Filling Station in Darlinghurst, says a good spice mix can work with a wide array of dishes – including something as distinctly Australian as a Murray cod.
“This recipe explores the idea of mixing spices, but not in a curry powder,” says Carey of her rustic Murray cod recipe. Inspired by the crunchiness of fried coriander seeds, Carey developed a spice mix that balances varying textures. Coarsely ground coriander seeds and curry leaves sit alongside slightly finer fennel-seed powder and finely ground mustard seeds, peppercorns and salt – plus a kick of chilli powder. Whether you use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, it’s about hitting the right consistencies.
Carey says getting the spice mix right is more important than limiting your choice of fish. “I think it’s more important to rely on the style of fish rather than the specific type,” says Carey. “Murray cod is very fatty and has quite an earthy flavour which helps it stand up against the spice mix. If you get something more delicate, you’re going to lose the flavour of the fish.”
Any other cod will work just as well, as will a meaty monkfish or blue-eye. Carey advises getting your hands on a thick loin piece. In preparation and cooking, you should mostly be concerned with getting the spice mix right.
“The cooking and the serving of the fish is really simple: it’s all in one pan,” says Carey. “You’ve got a buttery herb sauce with the sage and the capers, so it’s really crunchy. And there’s buckwheat underneath the fish, so there’s a lot of texture. It’s a jumbly mess of goodness.”
The single pan for cooking and serving the fish makes cleaning easy. “It’s not actually a lot of work aside from the spice mix,” she says. “You don’t even have to wash up too many pans.” Transferring the pan into an oven like the AEG steam
oven, means the fish will stay moist and the heat will be distributed evenly from surface to core.
Here’s how to make O Tama Carey’s spice-rubbed Murray cod at home.
Spice-rubbed Murray cod with sage, curry leaves and caper burnt butter sauce
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
40g buckwheat
600g skinless Murray cod fillet or two, room temperature
40g ghee
Spice mix
40g coriander seeds
3 sprigs curry leaves, picked
20g fennel seeds
8g brown mustard seeds
5g black peppercorns
5g salt flakes
10g chilli powder
Herb sauce
100g butter
½ cup picked sage leaves
½ cup picked curry leaves
20g capers
60ml lemon juice
Method:
To make the spice mix, toast the coriander seeds and curry leaves in a shallow frying pan over a medium-high heat, tossing regularly (for even cooking) for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat and continue toasting until seeds darken, leaves dry and aroma strengthens – about 4 minutes in total. Tip into a bowl.
Toast fennel seeds in the same manner for a total of about 2 minutes and tip into a separate bowl. Then do the same with mustard seeds, but for 1 minute only, again depositing them in a different bowl.
Grind coriander seeds and curry leaves until broken down but still coarse. Grind fennel seeds until they are a little finer than the coriander, and grind the mustard seeds, peppercorns and salt together until fine. Combine ground spices and chilli powder, and set aside.
Place your buckwheat in an ovenproof pan big enough to hold your fish snugly. Put the pan in an oven pre-heated to 160°C and toast until golden brown – about 8 minutes. You may need to stir a couple of times to make sure it cooks evenly.
Place the fish fillet on a plate and rub it with a little ghee before liberally coating with spice mix. There should be an excess of spice mix.
Place another frypan over a medium heat and heat the remaining ghee. Lower the fish fillet into the pan and cook on one side for about 1 minute, or until a crust forms. Flip and repeat on the other side.
Transfer your fish to the pan with the buckwheat and add remaining spice mix. Place the pan with the fish in the oven to roast until it’s almost fully cooked. This should take about 6–10 minutes, depending on the size of the fillet. Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm spot.
While the fish is cooking, you can prepare your sauce. Add the butter, leaves and capers to a medium-sized frypan and place over a medium heat. Swirl the pan as the butter melts, stirring and mixing everything so the leaves cook evenly. Cook for around 3–4 minutes, until the leaves look crisp and the butter starts to brown. Now add the lemon, stir, and spoon the sauce over the fish.
Serve fish immediately, straight from the pan you cooked it in.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with AEG.
