Turmeric white fish with peanuts and chilli-lime cucumber

This is a wonderful dish of vaguely Vietnamese origins, where it is more commonly served with dill than coriander. Both work well, or use a mixture of the two herbs.

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME

25 minutes

COOKING TIME 20 minutes

11/2tbsp fish sauce

2tsp grated fresh ginger root

2tsp soft light brown sugar

1/2tbsp ground turmeric

4 x 125g fresh fillets of hake, cod or monkfish

2tbsp groundnut oil

2 large banana shallots, sliced

Sea salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the chilli-lime cucumber

2tbsp lime juice

11/2tbsp soft light brown sugar

2tbsp fish sauce

1 small red chilli, sliced

1/2 garlic clove, finely grated

150g cucumber, peeled, and thinly sliced

To serve

Large handful of coriander, roughly chopped

30g toasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Lime wedges

Cooked rice or rice noodles (optional)

1 In a large mixing bowl, mix together the fish sauce, ginger, sugar and turmeric with a good grind of black pepper. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat them in the marinade, then set aside.

2 In a separate bowl, combine all the chilli-lime cucumber ingredients with 2tbsp cold water. Set aside.

3 Heat a large non-stick sauté or frying pan over a medium heat.

Add 1tbsp oil, the shallots and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4min until the shallots start to soften, then add the garlic. Fry for another 3-4min. Scrape out of the pan into a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to a medium heat with the remaining oil. Add the fish and fry for 3min on each side. Return the shallots and garlic to the pan and add a spoonful of the chilli-lime liquor from the cucumber. 4 Lift the cucumber from the chilli-lime dressing and divide it among plates, topping it with the fish and shallots. Scatter with the coriander and chopped toasted peanuts and spoon over a little more of the chilli-lime liquor.

Serve with lime wedges, rice or rice noodles, if you like, and the remaining chilli-lime dressing for spooning over.