
Grilled Sea Bream with Coconut & Coriander Chutney
Whole sea bream is coated in a spiced salt marinade, griddled, then finished under the grill and served with a fresh coconut and coriander chutney and lime. The fish is savoury and tender, with a bright, herby, lightly spicy chutney alongside.
Tempering for the chutney
6 gStirred into hot oil for the chutney (step 1)Ginger garlic paste
30 gStirred into the fish marinade (step 4)Marinade spices
10 gStirred into the fish marinade (step 4)Everything else
Method
- Heat 30 g of the 228 g vegetable oil in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Add the tempering for the chutney, 4.2 g chana dal and 30 g curry leaf; stir for about 30 seconds, until the seeds pop. Take off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Put 400 g coriander leaves, 50 g ginger, 18 g green chilli and 200 g coconut in a food processor and blend. With the motor running, pour in the rest of the 228 g vegetable oil in a thin stream until the chutney is thick and smooth.
- Scrape the chutney into a bowl. Stir in the cooled tempering and its oil, then 45.9 g lemon juice. Season to taste with sea salt and caster sugar. Chill until needed and bring back to room temperature before serving.
- In a large bowl, mix 13.5 g vegetable oil, 50 g sea salt, 30 g ginger garlic paste and the marinade spices. Pat the 400–500 g sea bream dry, put it in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat and brush with a little oil. Griddle the fish for about 4 minutes on each side.
- Move the pan to a preheated grill (broiler) and cook until the fish is just tender.
- Serve with 50 g lime, cut into wedges, and the chutney.
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Whole sea bream

Whole pomfretUse the same weight; score the skin and cook for a similar time, checking that the flesh at the bone is opaque.
Whole mackerelUse the same weight; it is oilier and stronger, so reduce cooking by a few minutes and serve with lemon.
Whole fishUse the same weight of any firm whole fish; adjust cooking by thickness, not just weight.

Lime

LemonUse the same weight; sharper and less floral, so reduce any extra souring slightly.
Lemon juiceUse about 30 g juice per lime (2 tbsp), strain pips; add at the end for fresh sourness.
Dried mango powderUse 1 g amchoor for about 15 g lime juice; add early with spices; gives dry mango sourness, not citrus aroma.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Black mustard seed

Mustard seedsUse equal weight. Pop in hot fat until they crackle and turn greyish; yields an almost identical nutty, pungent finish.
Yellow mustard seedsUse equal weight. Fry over medium heat; delivers a milder, sweeter pop and turns bitter quickly if the oil is excessively hot.

Chana dal

Yellow split peasUse 100% of the weight. Soak for at least 1 hour; takes about 10 minutes longer to cook through and has a marginally earthier flavour.
Pigeon peasUse 100% of the weight. Reduces cooking time by about 10 minutes and breaks down softer, giving a smoother consistency rather than distinct grains.
Black gramFor tempering or tadka only: use 70% of the weight. Browns faster in hot oil, providing a nutty, crunchy bite.

Curry leaf

Bay leafFry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.
Lime juiceAdd a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

Dried kashmiri chilli

Kashmiri chilli powderUse 1 g powder for every 1.5 g whole dried chilli; whisk with a spoonful of warm water and stir into the masala to provide identical ruby colour and mild heat.
Dried red chilliUse 35% to 40% of the weight; discard seeds before tearing into oil to temper. Delivers a much fiercer heat, with significantly less red colouring.

Coriander leaves

Coriander (cilantro) or basilUse the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.
Basil leavesUse the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.
Coriander pasteUse 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Fresh ginger

Ginger pasteUse equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.
Ground gingerUse 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Green chilli

Chilli powderUse 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.
Dried red chilliUse 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Coconut

Fresh coconutUse equal weight freshly grated or diced. Delivers the identical sweet, milky taste and juicy texture.
Desiccated coconutUse 60% of the weight and soak in hot water or milk for 15 minutes before using. The finished dish will be slightly sweeter and less fibrous.
Dried coconutFinely grate and use 50% of the weight, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes. Yields a firmer chew and a denser, oilier coconut aroma.

Lemon juice

Lime juiceUse equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
Dried mango powderUse 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegarUse 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Caster sugar

Granulated sugarUse the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.
Demerara sugarUse the same weight, but dissolve it earlier as it is coarser. It adds a light caramel note and a little colour.
Ground jaggery or soft brown sugarUse the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.

Ginger garlic paste

Ginger and garlic pasteUse the same weight; the difference is only the order of the names.
Garlic pasteMix with an equal weight of ginger paste and use the same total weight.
GarlicFor 20 g paste use about 10 g crushed garlic and 10 g grated ginger root with a splash of water. Add a little extra water if the dish looks dry.

Nigella seeds

Black cumin seedsUse equal weight. Imparts an earthy, slightly bitter note in temperings, though it lacks nigella's oniony sharpness.
Black sesame seedsUse equal weight. Gives a similar speckled appearance and light crunch on breads, but provides a nutty rather than herbaceous, onion-like flavour.

Fennel seed

AniseedUse 75% of the weight. Fry in hot oil or ghee; has a sharper, more pronounced liquorice flavour, so use a lighter hand.
Ground fennel seedUse 60% of the weight. Stir into the sauce with ground masalas; provides identical sweet aniseed flavour without whole seed crunch.
Star aniseUse one point (single carpel) per 1 g of fennel seeds. Simmer in gravies and remove before serving; gives a deeper, woodier liquorice aroma.

Caraway seeds

Fennel seedSame weight, lightly crushed; sweeter and milder but the closest match for the anise note.
Cumin seedUse two-thirds the weight; earthier and warmer, losing most of the aniseed character — good in breads and root vegetables.
Carom seedsUse half the weight; much more pungent and thyme-like, so add early in hot oil to soften it.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.
Similar dishes

- Same: Marinated Tandoori Monkfish with Green Mango Chutney and this dish are both grilled fish served with a fresh coriander-based chutney. Both use lime or lemon, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, mustard seeds, chana dal, kashmiri chilli, fennel and caraway.
- Different: Marinated Tandoori Monkfish with Green Mango Chutney uses monkfish fillet and a yoghurt, mustard oil, kasuri methi and chaat masala marinade, while this dish uses whole sea bream with a spiced salt and oil marinade. Its chutney includes green mango and coconut pieces, while this dish’s chutney is coconut and coriander with lime.

- Same: Coconut & Coriander Chutney shares coconut, coriander, green chilli, ginger, lime juice, vegetable oil, mustard seed, curry leaf, chana dal and dried Kashmiri chilli with this dish.
- Different: It is only a fresh chutney, while this dish also includes whole sea bream, a spiced salt marinade with ginger garlic paste, onion seed, fennel, caraway and turmeric, and grilling.

- Same: Patra Ni Macchi shares with this dish a fish coated in a green coconut, coriander and green-chilli mixture, with lemon juice, vegetable oil and turmeric.
- Different: It uses lemon sole and is wrapped and steamed, while this dish uses whole sea bream and is griddled and grilled; it adds mint, garlic, cumin and malt vinegar but lacks this dish's mustard seed, chana dal, curry leaf, ginger, fennel, caraway, onion seed and Kashmiri chilli.

- Same: Goan Fish Curry shares coconut, coriander, fennel seed, turmeric, ginger garlic paste and vegetable oil with this dish.
- Different: Goan Fish Curry is a wet curry of hake and mussels with tamarind, fish stock, white wine, fenugreek, cumin and coriander seeds, while this dish griddles whole sea bream with a spiced salt marinade and serves a fresh coconut-coriander chutney soured with lime.









































