Fried Fish in Spicy Black Velvet Tamarind Sauce

This fancy name I have created for this dish is just Fish in spicy and Licky Licky sauce.

It’s that time of the year again when black velvet tamarind is on fruit stands , street corners and in village markets in the south of Nigeria. The pulp of this forest fruit is sweet and tangy and most of us will just suck out the flesh and throw out the seeds. This was something many kids in primary school will buy with their pocket money because it was cheap and the many seeds made it easy to share with friends, unlike buns or puff puff which you just wanted to have to your self.

I have made a nice drink from black velvet tamarind but this season before . This season, I am  experimenting with cooking with this fruit loaded with vitamin C. Black Velvet Tamarind is not grown domestically so I wonder  how long it will be with us  ,before it goes into extinction.

 

I like some  tanginess in fish and so the black velvet Tamarind with its flavor , tangy taste and slurry texture of the juice works quite well with fish. So basically I am just bringing a little twist to the familiar fish , chips and sauce. I notice that the tamarind even gives the sauce some additional bulk you need less tatashe. Do feel free to adjust the quantity used if you want the sauce slightly more or less  tangy.  I am still relishing my vegetable purchases from Jos. this is why I am using the onion leaves. If you don’t have this , just use the regular onion ans spring onion to finish off. Enjoy!

 

Recipe for Fish in Spicy Black Velvet Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients

1 medium size Red Snapper or Tilapia

1 cup blended Tatashe + Pepper mix

2-3 pieces roughly ground pepper to season fish

Onion leaves (sliced)

Fresh Ginger (size of little finger)

2 cooking spoons Vegetable Oil

Seasoning to taste

Salt to taste

Method

1. Clean the fish and make two slits on each side

2. Rub the fish with some roughly ground fresh pepper, salt, grated ginger and some seasoning cube and allow to marinade for about 15-20 minutes

3. Heat  the oil and fry the fish whole 7 minutes on each side to brown. Take out the fish and set aside. It is not likely to cook through at this point.

4. Add a little more oil in the frying pan , allow to heat up and fry the Tatashe and onion rings until the tanginess from the Tatashe mix goes off. Taste and correct seasoning.

5. Add 1/2 cup Licky Licky juice to the pepper sauce and stir.

6. Return the fish gently into the frying pan, scoop some sauce onto the top side of the fish, cover the pot, lower the heat and allow fish to cook slowly for about 1O minutes.

7. Lastly add the onion leaves or spring onion and turn off the heat.

8. Serve with Potato chips or boiled rice.

 

To Make Licky Licky juice

1. Break out the flesh from the black skin.

2. Add 1 cup water to about 11/2 cups of the peeled fruit. Allow to soak for about 5 minutes.

3. Using you hands squeeze the fruit to get out as much of the brown or orangey slurry from the seeds. Strain through a sieve.

4. Set aside and use in the fish sauce. If you have left over, just chill and you have a nice drink.