31 Mayıs 2011 Salı

No Fear of Lentils: Dhal Lentils and Celery Crusted Seabass

'No, I do not hesitate using all the possible God given ingredients in my restaurant. I use grains and legumes in my menu too. And you will never find a ceaser's salad in this menu.'
This will be the sentences I am going to say when I am giving an interview for my restaurant, one day! If it is Ayse Arman to whom I am giving the interview, I would say, 'Yes, I think it is sexy?!' 

I claimed in my last writing that there could be very posh dishes with dhal lentils. You can benefit from lentils other than making soup or lentil balls. Here is the recipe:

Curry Lentils 
serves to 6
1 cup red lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic - chopped
1 carrot - cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 shallot - chopped
3 sticks of cinnamon
4 cloves
handful of mint
handful of basil
2 cups canned coconut milk
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock

1. Sauté shallots in oil. Add carrots, garlic and lentils.
2. Put in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, mint and basil leaves and enjoy the smell of the spices for a while.
3. Add the curry powder and turmeric.
4. Pour in the white wine until it evaporates and leaves it little sweetness to the food with a slightly thick texture.
5. Pour in the coconut milk now and let it simmer.
6. Add the chicken stock ladle by ladle as the lentils  boil down.
7. When the lentils are soft, turn off the oven and add the tomatoes to get a little bit of acidity.
8. Season it with salt and pepper.

Now it is time to prepare the fish that will be laid over the lentils.

Celery Crusted Seabass

2 sticks of celery
2 seabass fillets

You can get the seabass divided in fillets from your fisher. The only thing you must have preparing this dish is that you must have alittle bit of patience when you are placing the celeries.

1. Cut the fillets into two pieces. Cut small pieces from tails from each fillet which we will use them as a glue.
2. Season the fish  with salt, pepper and pour over a little bit olive oil.
3. Seal the fish fillets on both sides on a very hot pan and let them cool down.
4. Purée the tails which you cut frıom the tails and spread this on fillets.
5. Cut the celery sticks crosswise, so that they will look like scales on fish.
6. Place these pieces on the fish.
7. For final heating put the fish in the oven for 5-10 minutes according to thickness at around 220 C
The finished dish will look like this. You are free for plating.


Or like this from a different angle:)


I also made Laksa Sauce which is basically coconut and lemongrass. However, if you do not want to deal with all these preparations here is a very delicious and easy to do plate for you. It will not take more than 20 minutes. and the end result is:



1. Season the fish  with salt, pepper and pour over a little bit olive oil.
2. Seal the fish fillets on both sides on a very hot pan and finish cooking in the oven for about 5-10 minutes at  220 C.
3. Prepare tomato concasse which is made out of deseeded tomato cut into small squares.
4. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper,olive oil, basil and pomegranate sauce.
5. You can place your fish on a piece of fish fillet. 

2 yorum:

  1. this post looks so good that I won't allow myself to visit this blog after 00:0 AM anymore.

    YanıtlaSil
  2. Ama şefim bunlar harika görünüyor, deneyip ziyan etmeye kıyamayacağım kadar harika.....

    YanıtlaSil