Two great flavors… x2
Today’s post is about two sets of flavors that I (and I’m sure others) love pairing. The first is fish with green curry. Specifically, I love pan-roasting or frying filets of what Rick Stein calls “large round fish” (obviously for want of a more inventive way of describing them)–like cod or butterfish–and saucing them with a sort of green curry pesto that S and I came up with. In the past, we always served this delicious duo with cous-cous. Because I’ve been trying to cut down on carbs in the evening, tonight we plated the dish with some sautéed eggplant.
The dish is pretty simple to make. Just get some really good quality filets of cod or another similar fish. Cook them as you prefer–fry, bake, pan-roast, pan-braise, etc. My favorite way is to sear the fish skin side down in a hot pan. Then when the skin is nice and crisp, flip the fish over and add beurre monté into the pan until the fish are half-covered. Let them simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the filets are.
For the green curry pesto, you can either make it from scratch or, if you’re lazy like me, buy a good quality paste and start from there. Chop up an onion and 4-5 cloves of garlic. Fry them up in a tablespoon of oil in a hot sauce pan. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Chop up a small chili pepper and toss it in the pan. Pour in a half cup of chicken stock and add 4 tablespoons of coconut milk. Heat this but don’t let it come to a boil. Pour the curry into a blender, add all of a small packet of basil (around two handfuls), and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into your pan and add more coconut milk or stock according to your tastes.
The other flavor combination that I adore is chocolate and lemon. The above was my dessert this evening, and I gotta thank Melissa of The Traveler’s Lunchbox for inspiring S to make this SUPER-AMAZING chocolate gelato (It’s recipe #2 in case you too want to make this for a loved one). The gelato is paired with a simple lemon cookie, made from a recipe from Carole Walter’s Great Cookies. Years ago, a once-amazing French restaurant here in Singapore used to make the most delicious chocolate-lemon soufflé. I was obsessed with it, and despite the ridiculously expensive price (seriously, soufflés and coffee for two was around S$50), I had it as often as I could. I have to say that no matter how good that soufflé was, the above combo–a scoop of gelato and a cookie–simple as it is, was better by far. Come to think of it, perhaps it’s the simplicity that makes it so much more appealing.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
That chocolate gelato and lemon cookie looks amazing. Maybe I will try making it for my wedding anniversary dinner…
Wow they both look fabulous!
I am so jealous, I have been wanting to make gelato 2 as well! I am glad it worked so well, now I am even more convinced I have to try it
oh no… i think i will HAVE to make some gelato today… 🙂
Both creations look and sound divine.
Did youuse Thai basil for the pesto?
One word: beautiful… oh, what the hell… it is simply fabulous, a epicurean orgy that’s both delightfully sinful and safe, inspiring to say the least, and well, largely, what all of us here in Singapore have been hungry for (though many are still in denial). Thanks S for leading me to the well. Thanks to all you food bloggers.
… from a possible convert
Beautiful pics!! Especially that gelato dripping off the cookie just made my stomach growl. I was thinking recently that I need to find a good recipe for a lemon gelato to go with the chocolate, since that is one of my favorite flavor combinations as well!
Hee hee, we’re all moving. It seems to be a trend. I came on to post about the gorgeous looking fish, but got utterly distracted by the tempting gelato! What a sublime texture!
tscd: Thanks. What else are you making for the anniversary dinner?
Clare: It works wonderfully, but be warned, it is very, very rich. I can’t eat more than a few spoons at a time.
Spots: 🙂
Saffron: Nope. Western basil. Prefer the taste of it to the Thai for this sauce.
Anon (Don): Yup, sussed you out. Great to see you commenting. So when will the ex-editor of Wine & Dine start his own blog?
Melissa: Ooh, please make the lemon gelato and post soon. I’ll get S to make me some 🙂
Tara: Jumped on the bandwagon, I did. 😉
hey! great blog, besides hungry accounts of your culinary experiences, one of the truly amazing thing about your blog is your fabulous pictures!! do u use a certain software for touch-up or are you just a food photography genius?
Steph: Hi, thanks. I use Photoshop to adjust brightness and contrast as well as to adjust the images’ size for posting. Cheers.
Hi Chubby Hubby on, Out surfing for information on treatment for boils & happened upon your site. While Two great flavors… x2 wasn’t exactly spot on, it did strike a note with me. Thank you for the really good read.