Fish or shrimp in a powerful sauce is a common dish in India; this is a good example. If you’re comfortable in the kitchen, you can produce this dish far more quickly by beginning with the onion-tomato mixture and sautéing the fish in a separate skillet. Serve this with Coconut Rice (page 516) or Home-Fried Potatoes with Onion and Amchoor (page 477) or any Indian vegetable dish.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　3 teaspoons curry powder, preferably homemade (pages 592–593), or garam masala (page 594)

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne

　　1 1/2 to 2 pounds fillets of red snapper, sea bass, or other firm, white-fleshed fish or shrimp, peeled

　　Peanut or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed, for frying

　　1 large onion, thinly sliced

　　1 jalapeño or other fresh chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

　　3 cups peeled and chopped tomato (canned are fine; strain them first)

　　Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Mix together the lime juice, salt, pepper, turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the curry powder, and the cayenne and rub this mixture all over the fish or shrimp. (You can allow the fish to sit in this mixture, refrigerated, for a couple of hours.)

　　

Step 2

Put at least 1/8 inch of oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the fish or shrimp and quickly brown on each side, about 5 minutes total; don’t worry about whether the fish is cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

　　

Step 3

Wipe out the skillet, turn the heat to high, and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until wilted and browned along the edges. Add the chile, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the remaining curry powder, the tomatoes, and some salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break up and become saucy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

　　

Step 4

Return the fish to the pan and heat through, about 5 minutes. Garnish and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.