Kokum and curry leaf crusted sea bream with marmite & coconut sauce 

Serves 4

4 fillets sea bream, medium sized, scaled and pin-boned   

You will need:

For the marinade 

½ tsp salt 

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 green chilli, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger chopped 

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp onion seeds chopped 

For the spice crust 

10 fresh curry leaves, finely shredded

5 kokum berry chopped

2 white onion, finely chopped 

2 green chilli finely chopped

1 tsp ginger finely chopped

pinch of turmeric powder 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp sugar 

1/2 tsp Marmite

For the sauce

1 white onion sliced

2 green chilli (cut into long thin strips)

3 cm ginger (cut into long thin strips)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

150 ml coconut milk

100 ml fish stock

1/2 tsp Marmite

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, and then rub them over the sea bream fillets and leave aside.

For the spice crust

Heat the pan and pour in the oil. When it is hot add the shredded curry leaves, chopped onion, a pinch of salt and sauté well. Now add the chopped green chilli and ginger. When the onion turns a nice soft texture add the kokum berry, sugar and check the seasoning.  Keep it to one side. 

For the sauce

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the green chilli, ginger, sliced onion, and salt and sauté well. When the onion starts to get nicely soft, add the turmeric powder, fish stock, coconut milk and Marmite and leave to simmer for ten minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust according to taste.

Finishing

Now heat the pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is nicely hot add the sea bream skin side down and sear for two minutes. Then turn onto the other side and cook for a further two minutes. Serve the sea bream skin side up, adding the spice crust on top. Finish by adding the sauce and some stir fried spinach and garlic.