Fish Cutlets~ Baked

                                          

Fish Cutlets

Many Parsis enjoy cutlets on a regular basis and will often serve them as an accompaniment to the main course. I found that coming down the food line, it is the kotlet that has become cutlace to us! We may be referring to the frilly kind that Bohras are known for making, thin beef cutlets that are dipped in gobs of egg and deep-fried to give them frilly edges, or to the kotlet-e-mahi, the fish cutlet that is part of the Persian cuisine. While there are two popular ways of commonly preparing these, with and without boiled potatoes, the basic idea is the same. What amazes and delights me is that my mother always made hers in the distinctive pearl drop shape that the Persian kotlet is, and that this tradition has been carried down through the generations!

Since few home cooks enjoy frying items in their kitchen, you can easily bake these to minimise the mess and fuss. Preparing, breading, and frying each individually is tough, messy, and time-consuming. The easy solution is to simply bake them and serve them whole in a flat baking dish. Cut the leftovers into squares if you want to eat them as a sandwich. The only warning is that the vinegar smell can linger throughout the cooking process!

      The trio is unbaked, fried cutlet and baked. 

Serves 6

750 g| 1 ¾ lb salmon fillets

2 tsp salt

Water to just cover the fish

8 green chillies

4 medium tomatoes, seedless

2 cups fresh coriander leaves

¾ cup breadcrumbs

3 eggs

4 tbsp vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

salt to taste

1 1/2 cups fried onions

 

 

Poach the fish with salt until just cooked. After removing the liquid, break it down with a fork. Allow it to cool. Finely chop the vegetables and mix all the ingredients together.

If using the food processor, use the pulse button to avoid overprocessing. It should be textured, not smooth.

Preheat the oven to 170 °C | 350 °F.

Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish that has been greased with butter or oil. A 14-inch-by-10-inch-by-25-cm-square. Bake this until set and slightly browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Serve it as a side or as a meal with a salad and warm, crusty bread and butter.

Tips

Use 3 medium-sized, finely chopped onions and fry them to a golden brown. Strain before using.

Adding mashed potatoes instead of breadcrumbs is an option.

Overbaking will result in a very dry crust around the edges. Keeping it "moist" is critical.

If you're making it ahead of time or planning to freeze it, keep it half-cooked.

Divide the mixture into 24 oval shaped cutlets. Place them in the refrigerator to chill and harden for an hour. Panfry them in a hot skillet with a little oil for 3 minutes on each side, until caramelised and golden.

 

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3-time Goumand award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

The Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by Tradition was published in 2022 by Spenta Murltimedia. It is a two-time Gourmand winning cookbook.

Chutney Fish Pastry Roll.

Chutney ni Maachi | Chutney and Fish in Pastry Roll

Who would have thought that Parsi cuisine includes French puff pastry as a favourite way to serve seafood, poultry, kheema, nihari, and other dishes? 

This recipe combines eastern and western culinary traditions by preparing patra ni machi in a puff pastry. it is a charming mix, interconnecting us through stories about food.

It makes a wonderful party dish, tangy and spicy with the crunch of the pastry, it is delightful. You can prepare it individually in vol-au-vents or in an elongated pastry roll. Prepare it ahead of time, but it must be freshly baked. It is not advisable to reheat.

Trivia: puff pastry is believed to have originated in ancient Greece but was perfected by the French in the 17th century and is considered French. They call it pâte feuilletée which means "layered dough".  

As individual servings, open style?

Perfect for larger groups at a buffet table,
(This roll has not been overturned. hence the seam is visible)

 

Serves 6

1 large sheet of pastry dough approximately 13" x 9" or 33 cm x 22 cm 

Preparing and Poaching Fish

For 1/2 kg |1.1 lb fillet of fish, thick fish works easier.

Apply a mix of 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp vinegar all over it.

Poach the fish for a minute or two in

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 small onion, chopped

1 slit green chilli

1 small tomato, chopped

 Remove the fish from the water and flake it into large pieces, then set aside.

The Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup of the fish liquid

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon chilli powder

Mix this well and cook it on the stove top till it comes to a boil. Allow this to boil for a full minute to ensure the flour is cooked through. It should be thick and shiny. Yet, it's soft enough to apply over the fish.

 

 

 

Coconut Chutney 

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 ½ cups of fresh coriander; packed tightly

2 tbsp jaggery

6 green chillies

½ tsp salt

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 green peeled mangoes

10 fresh mint leaves 

Grind the coconut until fine. With the machine running add the rest of the ingredients - preferably in the order listed. Taste for the tikkhu-khattu-mitthu balance.  

 

Assembling the Puff Pastry 

Roll out 450 g/ 1.1 lb of puff pastry on a parchment paper. 

Leaving an inch or two all around the pastry, apply the chutney over the pastry. Place the fish in the centre lengthwise and pour the tomato sauce over the fish part only. Then fold the short sides of the pastry on to the fish, next take the bottom part of the pastry over the fish, and lastly, bring down the top of the pastry just over the bottom part of the pastry to seal and fold properly.

Gently push it over to turn the "seam side" down. Make a slit on top and glaze the top portion going down the sides. It can be any of the 3 methods: an egg wash, plain milk, or a spoonful of left-over cream. Place the parchment paper with the roll on a large baking tray.

Preheat the oven and bake at 200 °C | 400 °F for 35 minutes, or until cooked and golden brown. This is best served freshly baked from the oven.

Tips 

Do not overcook the fish while poaching. This is just to ensure the fish does not remain raw and helps to flake it into pieces to fill the puff pastry. The vinegar helps keep the fish firm, and the rest of the ingredients in the poaching water give it a taste to avoid the fish tasting like "boiled" fish. While this is the traditional way of preparing this dish, you can skip the poaching step altogether and use fresh raw fish instead. 

Slice it with a pizza cutter for clean cutting.

Keeping a piece of parchment paper at the bottom makes it simpler to handle before and after baking. It will easily slide onto your platter to serve.

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself via email, in independent book stores across the world and on Amazon India.

The Route to Parsi Cooking: From Pars to India and Beyond is an award winning book. It has been self published in June 2024. Email at theroutetoparsicooking@gmail.com

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by tradition is an award winning cookbook. It was published by Spenta Multimedia India and is available on Amazon India and through email order at thevegetarianparsi@gmail.com.

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

photo courtesy

Kainaaz R Patell

Yazad Parakh

Niloufer Mavalvala