Accounting for Taste

Here’s a dish that earns its place in your weeknight rotation — vivid, fragrant, and ready in about 30 minutes.

The base begins with a generous slick of oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Sautéed onion and red bell pepper soften into sweetness while sliced garlic blooms into the pan, releasing its perfume before the diced tomatoes go in, they collapse into a jammy, brick-red foundation. A bit of cayenne goes in early so its heat has time to mellow and weave through everything.

Then comes the pour of coconut milk that transforms the whole dish, cascading into the tomato base and the two swirl together into a blush-toned, velvety sauce. It simmers a few minutes until it thickens just slightly at the edges, concentrating the flavors. The aroma at this point — sweet coconut, bright acid, gentle heat — is already intoxicating.

In go the shrimp, large and pink-edged, nestled down into the sauce. They need only three or four minutes, curling into plump little crescents as they turn coral and opaque. Pull them off the heat the moment they’re just cooked through; a minute too long and you’ve lost the magic.

A generous squeeze of fresh lime goes in off the heat, lifting the whole pot with brightness. The sauce tastes rounder, more alive. Then the remaining cilantro — not stirred in but showered lavishly over the top, so the heat just barely wilts the leaves and the fresh green scent rises up in a cloud.

Ladle it into wide, shallow bowls over steamed white rice, which soaks up the coral sauce greedily. The first spoonful delivers everything at once: the briny sweetness of the shrimp, the lush coconut body, the tart lime cutting through, the slow warmth of cayenne building at the back of the throat, and the clean, herbal finish of cilantro.

It tastes far more laborious than it is. The whole dish is an argument that weeknight cooking doesn’t have to mean compromise — just good technique and the right few ingredients working together.

Brazilian-Style Shrimp Stew

Servings: 4
Time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (8 oz.), diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, more to taste
1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup light coconut milk (from one 13.5-oz. can)
1 1/4 lbs. large shrimp (26-30 count), peeled, deveined and tails removed
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a large (12-inch) high-sided skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, the garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, with their juices, followed by the lime juice, salt and black pepper, and stir to incorporate.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk and return the mixture to a boil.
Stir in the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through, opaque and pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
Garnish with the remaining 3 tablespoons of cilantro and serve, with rice, if desired.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger

According to the Washington Post article where we found the recipe, this Spicy Tamarind Fish and Herb Stew isn’t just memorable, it offers a teachable moment. Cookbook author Naz Deravian uses it for a lesson on “chashnee,” a Persian word that describes “a particular ingredient,” a spice or special something, “that brightens the dish, bringing it to life, like lemon or vinegar,” and it changes from one region to another. In the Persian Gulf region of Iran, chashnee comes from incomparably tangy tamarind and the heat of chile pepper.

Ghalieh Mahi (Spicy Tamarind Fish and Herb Stew)

In our neck of the woods, halibut is more than twice the price of cod, so that’s our preference here. Keep in mind, the sauce is bold. In fact, we, who love spicy food, didn’t bother to add any cayenne. You may also prefer to remove the chile seeds to further tame the flavor. I do feel the brown sugar (which we used instead of honey) balanced the tanginess of the tamarind.

Fenugreek seeds and powder are used in many Indian dishes for their nutritional profile and slightly sweet, nutty taste. If you’re unable to locate it at a nearby grocery store, you can check specialty markets or just order online like we did.

Beware, if you are not a cilantro lover, then this dish is not for you.

Spicy Tamarind Fish and Herb Stew

Servings: 6
Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
6 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste or finely grated
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 red serrano or small jalapeño chile pepper, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
3 bunches fresh cilantro, tough stems trimmed, finely chopped (5 to 6 cups, chopped); plus some whole leaves reserved for optional garnish
2 Tbsp. dried fenugreek, or 1/2 bunch fresh leaves, finely chopped; OR, 1 Tbsp. dried crushed seeds
2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. tamarind paste , dissolved in 2 cups warm water, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. brown sugar or honey, plus more to taste (optional)
Cayenne pepper (optional)
2 pounds cod, halibut or other firm-fleshed fish
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt, reduce the heat to medium, and add the garlic, turmeric and chile pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the cilantro and fenugreek and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the cilantro has considerably wilted, about 10 minutes. (This step actually only took 2 minutes for the cilantro to be completely wilted.)
Add the flour and the 2 teaspoons of salt and stir to incorporate for 1 minute. Stir in the tamarind mixture and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Taste as it simmers. If the sauce is too sour, add the sugar or honey to take the edge off the tang. Taste again for salt (keep in mind you will salt the fish as well), heat (add cayenne if you like), and more tang from tamarind.
Meanwhile, cut the fish into 2-inch pieces and season well with salt and black pepper. Raise the heat to medium, add the fish, and simmer, uncovered, until the fish cooks through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir gently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. If the stew gets too watered-down, remove the fish and raise the heat to reduce the sauce a little, if it’s too dry, add a little more water.
Garnish with more chile peppers and cilantro leaves, if you like, and serve with rice.