Fish cutlets

Mar 9

Mar 9 Fish cutlets

What's in a name? In Kerala, we call these lightly spiced fish cakes 'cutlets', but they could equally be called croquettes. Whichever term you want to use, you can guess anything that involves little rounds of tuna and mashed potato lightly coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden is going to be pretty darn tasty. And you'd be so very right.

I mentioned these fish cutlets in my butter chicken post; my friends from university absolutely loved the subtle flavours and moreish texture, so I thought I'd share this today. It's a recipe from my mum, who is an incredible cook but a terrible recipe giver. She relies solely on her taste and instincts, like most great cooks, so her instructions tend to be sketchy at best. I've found it's easier to simply observe her in the kitchen, rather than press her on the precise number of onions or chillies over the phone. It's worth the effort to make her food though. Although it's never quite the same, the nostalgic taste is close enough that the many thousand miles between us seem to fall away.

When made right, the outside of these cutlets are crisp and the insides hot and tender. They're beautifully scented with ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves, a typically Malayali combination. You really want to use fresh curry leaves, the dried ones are totally zapped of their fragrance. You'll find them in most Asian grocery shops. If, however, you must use dried, double the quantity.

These little cutlets make a wonderful side to any Indian spread - I had them yesterday with my favourite yellow dal, brown rice and poppadums. You can also just eat them as a snack at teatime, with your choice of condiments and good filter coffee. This always takes me back to India, sitting under the whir of a ceiling fan, elbowing my cousins for the last precious cutlet.

Makes 16 cutlets.

INGREDIENTS

1 large potato
2 cans (230g) tuna chunks in water, drained
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
6 curry leaves, chopped
3-4 green bird's eye chillies
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
salt, to taste
1 egg
1 cup golden breadcrumbs, or as needed
Oil, for frying

METHOD

Peel and dice the potato into small cubes and boil in slightly salted water until tender. Pour into a colander to drain.

While potato is cooking, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until translucent.

Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies and sauté for two more minutes. If using, add the spices and fry off for another two minutes.

Mix in the drained tuna, stirring well, and saute for another five minutes. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, slightly mash the potato chunks before adding the tuna. Combine well and generously season to taste with salt and pepper.

Use a tablespoon to portion each cutlet, shaping as you like. Repeat until you run out of the tuna mixture.

Beat the egg in a bowl and spread part of the breadcrumbs over a plate (you can replenish with more breadcrumbs as needed). Dip each cutlet into the egg and then coat with breadcrumbs.

Heat a pan over medium-low, adding just enough oil for deep or shallow frying.

When hot, fry the cutlets in batches, making sure not to overcrowd. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, until golden.

Fish out (pun intended) each cutlet with a slotted spoon and rest on a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up the extra oil.