Dinner with Rukmini
Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.
Bengali-Style Mustard Fish with Crushed Peas and Spiced Sweet Potato
Rukmini Iyer's take on the classic Bengali dish, mustard fish, features a mustard and panko topping and a side of sweet potato and peas.
From the book
India Express: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Day
75 recipes inspired by the vibrant flavours of South India and Bengal
Speedy and fuss-free recipes for maximum flavour in return for minimum effort
Trademark traybakes, as well as stir-fries, snacks, weeknight curries, and simple desserts
Introduction
I’ve written about Bengali mustard fish before, and it’s just too lovely a recipe not to include here, albeit with my favourite breadcrumb topping and a side of spiced sweet potatoes and peas. This is a really easy, crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
| For the fish: | |
|---|---|
| A handful of | panko breadcrumbs |
| 4 | thick sustainable cod or pollock fillets |
| 3 tsp | grainy Dijon mustard |
| 1 tbsp | oil, for drizzling |
| For the sweet potatoes: | |
| 3 | large sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| ½–1 tsp | mild chilli powder |
| 1 tsp | sea salt flakes |
| 2 tbsp | neutral or olive oil |
| For the crushed peas: | |
| 200g | frozen peas |
| 1 tbsp | neutral or olive oil |
| 1 tsp | finely grated giner |
| 1 tsp | ground roasted cumin seeds |
| 2 tbsp | natural yogurt |
| juice of ½ lemon | |
| sea salt flakes, to taste |
Method
Preheat the oven to 180° fan/200°C/gas 6. Tip the sweet potato, ground cumin, chilli powder, sea salt and oil into a large roasting tin, then transfer to the oven to roast for 25 minutes.
Toast the panko breadcrumbs in a small, dry frying pan for 2–3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Cook the peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain well, then mash roughly with a potato masher. Heat the oil in the frying pan you used for the breadcrumbs and add the grated ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the crushed peas and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Stir through the ground roasted cumin seeds, yogurt and lemon juice, then taste and add salt as needed. Set aside.
Once the potatoes have had 25 minutes, remove them from the oven, and make space for the 4 fish fillets. Spread the mustard over each piece of fish and top with the toasted breadcrumbs. Drizzle over the oil, then transfer to the oven to bake for 20–25 minutes until the top is just golden brown and the fish is cooked through. Serve the fish and chipped sweet potatoes with the crushed peas on the side.
