QUICK AND EASY WHITE FISH IN MUSTARD SAUCE – gourmet dinner for 2 for under $10!
QUICK AND EASY WHITE FISH IN MUSTARD SAUCE
Take a trip to SE Asia without leaving home
Cook this in under 30 minutes
Spicy, flavorful and budget-friendly
Gourmet dinner for 2 for under $10
Simple, quick, budget-friendly and tasty – these are the hallmarks of the best kind of cooking. This recipe is a budget-friendly choice that uses commonly available ingredients.
Last week, I spotted fresh Swai fish at H-Mart for $5.99/lb and couldn’t resist buying a pound. In less than an hour after we got home, we were eating it freshly cooked and it was delicious.
This recipe makes a common but difficult to make South East Asian fish recipe, where the fish is coated in a marinade of freshly ground mustard and green chilies, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed; super quick, easy and accessible. You don’t need banana leaves, you don’t need to make your own mustard paste. Does it taste as good? It’s almost as good. The only unusual ingredient that I would recommend you get is mustard oil, which is freely available in South Asian groceries, but you can substitute with olive oil in a pinch.
Ingredients:
1 lb Swai Fish filet (other white fish filet will work well too)
½ lime
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp mustard oil
1-2 Jalapeno or other Green chilies, sliced
Cilantro or curry leaves
Method:
Wash the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Cut into 6-8” pieces.
Drizzle both sides of fish with freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lime and ½ tsp of kosher salt
Let sit for 30 minutes
Prepare the mustard sauce by mixing 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard with 1 tbsp of mustard oil
(You can substitute with 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil)
Apply the mustard paste to both sides of the fish
Cut a 12” square piece of aluminum foil
Place the fish filet in the center
Top with sliced chilies and chopped cilantro
(I used curry leaves as I had run out of cilantro)
Close the packets loosely (you want the steam to escape as the fish is cooking)
Turn on the oven to 350*F
Place the foil packets in a single layer and let cook for 20-25 minutes
Serve the packets with rice
Open up the packets and enjoy the fresh cooked fish and sauce
Note: Get a good quality Dijon mustard (I used Trader Joe’s brand which at $1.69 a bottle is a bargain). If the chilies are too spicy, consider removing them before eating, they will still add a nice flavor and slight kick. If you use frozen fish, make sure to defrost completely and squeeze out the excess water from the filet.