Marinated Sweet & Sour Fish

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 T coriander seeds (we prefer not having the whole seeds in the stew so opted for 3 rounded teaspoons of ground coriander)
• 2 medium peppers (1 red and 1 yellow), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4″ wide strips)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 T curry powder
• 3-4 tomatoes, chopped – you want a generous 2 cups
• 2 1/2 T sugar
• 5 T cider vinegar (I’d start with 3 T and go up to 5 T after tasting – though we liked it with 5 T)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt – or to taste
• 1 lb fish filets divided into 4 pieces.  Sustainable seafood suggestions: halibut, sea bass, catfish, tilapia, some cod (depends on how they’re caught), haddock
• flour for dusting the fish
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• chopped cilantro to garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 2 T of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and coriander and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the peppers and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, bay leaves, curry powder, and tomatoes, and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the sugar, vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and some black pepper and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1 T oil in a separate frying pan over medium high heat.  Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in the flour, then in the eggs, and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once.  Transfer the fish to paper towels to absorb the excess oil, then add to the pan with the peppers and onions, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan.  Add enough water just to immerse the fish (a generous cup may be about right).

Place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is cooked – no need to cover. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature.  You can serve the fish immediately, but letting it sit for a day or two in the fridge will actually improve the flavor.  Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper if needed and garnish with the cilantro.