Fish vindaye

Pickled fish in a jar sounds unappetising until you try this beautiful, easy recipe for white fish fillets infused with ginger, garlic and spices – it’s filled with flavour, low in fat (which always helps!) and high in protein and omega 3. I add vindaye to steamed rice for lunch or an easy dinner ... and I imagine that if I lived in tropical Mauritius, I’d want to eat this all the time to maximise the time spent under a palm tree rather than in the kitchen!

• serves

  4–6

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• vegetable oil 
• 1 kg firm, thick, white fish fillets or cutlets 
• 2 medium onions, thickly sliced 
• 1 tbsp grated ginger 
• 5 garlic cloves 
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 200 ml white vinegar 
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds, lightly ground 
• 2 small red chillies, finely sliced  

You will need to begin this recipe three days ahead.

Instructions

Heat oil for shallow-frying in a pan over medium heat. Fry the fish fillets until pale gold on both sides. Remove from the pan.

In the same oil, briefly stir-fry the onion, ginger and garlic cloves. Stir the turmeric into the vinegar and add to the pan, mixing well. Return the fish to the pan and sprinkle over the mustard seeds and chilli. Mix gently to coat the fish in onion and spices. Put the fish into a large sterilised jar and top with the onions (which should still be crunchy) and liquid. Store in the refrigerator for a few days before using (it will keep for up to 2 weeks).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.