Tandoori Hamachi with Pickled Cucumber Salad

Part of learning how to cook, is of course, making it practical for my day to day life. You’ll notice that most of the time, I am cooking recipes that are fairly easy to make. Through this learning process, I have realized that in order for something to taste really really good, it does not have to be entirely complex in its preparation and creation. The other part to this is that it doesn’t have to be entirely unhealthy either. 

 

It seems a great deal of those quick and easy type meals are indeed quick and easy to make but are loaded with high contents of fat, carbs, and cholesterol with little remaining nutritional value. Now I am not saying that everything I post is going to be easy to make and healthy, but I am saying that you might see healthy and easy a lot. However you’ll also get the occasional hard to make dish (I like a good challenge) and not so healthy dish (life is all about moderation).

 

I happened to catch an episode of Martha Stewart where professional chefs were sharing their own recipe’s. Chef Eric Ripert gave this recipe as an appetizer. It can also be found in his most recent book, On the Line. It seemed very quick and easy to make, and I thought that since I don’t regularly make three course dinners during the week, why not turn it into a main course. I did this by simply doubling the amount of cucumber salad… there seemed to be enough fish for two people.

 

Initially I had a very hard time finding red tandoori spice. I have no idea why. I assumed it should have been easier, but I found it online at Spices Etc.  I also got Sushi grade, yellow tail Hamachi for this dish as it was going to be seared, and thus… raw on the inside.

 

There is one very important note to this dish: The cucumber salad has to be made 24 hours in advance for it to pickle! But literally this takes 5 minutes (I timed it).

 

I know I have spoken of easy dishes in the past, but this one was ridiculously easy and quick. And most importantly, it was so delicious! The tandoori spice with the vinegary pickled salad was an amazing combination. I know I’ll be making this dish again in the near future.

 

The recipe I am sharing below is my adaptation from Eric Ripert’s original appetizer recipe. It is dinner portion size for 2 people.

Recipe: Tandoor Hamachi with Pickled Cucumber Salad

 

Tandoori Hamachi:

1 hamachi fillets (about 3 by 6 inches - enough for 2 people)

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

4 teaspoons tandoori powder

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Lemon, halved

 

Pickled Cucumber Salad

¼ cup micro baby mache

½ teaspoon Sherry Vinaigrette

 

Pickled Cucumbers:

4 tablespoons unseasoned rice-wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices

2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, thinly sliced

 

Sherry Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons sherry-wine vinegar

½ tablespoon red-wine vinegar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup canola oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

 

Tandoori Hamachi: Season hamachi fillets with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle both sides with dried thyme. Cover one side with tandoori powder and garlic.  Pour oil on top and make sure both sides are oiled. (Reserve remaining oil,tandoori,garlic, thyme, etc that has fallen from fish and mix together as in photo to the right. You will garnish the final plate with this later.)  Preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to skillet and cook, turning once, until just lightly golden and warm, but still rare in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

         

Pickled Cucumbers: Place vinegar and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add oil, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add cucumber; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Strain cucumber mixture through a sieve, discarding liquid. Refrigerate 24 hours. Before serving, add cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.

         

Sherry Vinaigrette: Whisk vinegars together in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in each of the oils; season with salt and pepper. Transfer vinaigrette to a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Mix well before using.

         

Plating: Slice fish into ¼-inch slices and divide slices among 2 serving plates. Place a ring mold on one of the plates, opposite the fish. Fill ¾ full with cucumber salad. Carefully remove the mold and repeat process with other plate.

         

Place mache in a small bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add sherry vinaigrette and toss gently. Place on top of cucumber salad. Squeeze lemon over fish and serve with reserved marinade.