Lemongrass & tamarind mackerel skewers with tomato chilli relish recipe

Ingredients

• 4 whole mackerel, scaled, gutted and fins removed
• 4 long lemongrass stalks

• 5 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 heaped tsp powdered turmeric
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1½ oz (40 g) fresh ginger
• 1 green chilli
• 10 curry leaves, fresh or dried
• 2 tbsp thick, black Indian tamarind paste
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar

• 14 oz (400 g) tin chopped tomatoes
• ½ green bird’s eye chilli, deseeded and diced
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar

1. Put the Kashmiri chillies for the paste into warm water to soak for 20 minutes while you prepare the fish. Using a sharp knife, carefully score both sides of each fish to create three short, diagonal cuts on each side. With the back of a chopping knife, splat or bruise the lemongrass stalks slightly and insert one into the mouth of each fish, leaving about 5 cm (2in) or so sticking out for good effect.
2. Drain the Kashmiri chillies and pat dry. Grind the fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle. Add the turmeric and mustard seeds and mix well. Put these and the other paste ingredients into a food processor and blitz to a thick, fragrant paste. (If you don’t have a food processor, grate the onion, garlic and ginger, and chop the chillies and curry leaves finely. Then add the ingredients to a small bowl and stir well to combine.) Remove the paste from the bowl and divide into three equal parts. Set aside.
3. Use two-thirds of the paste to coat the fish on both sides. Set aside for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (gas mark 4). Put the coated fish onto a baking tray, put in the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Turn the fish over, then bake for another 6–8 minutes until cooked through.
4. To make the relish, put the remaining third of the spicy paste into a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring frequently. As the paste begins to sizzle, allow it to cook for 1 minute or so, stirring frequently, then add the tomatoes, chilli, salt and sugar, then stir again. Allow it to reduce to a soft dropping consistency, then set aside.
5. Serve each fish with a large dollop of the tomato relish on the side. A green salad and a baked potato make simple accompaniments.