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Yotam Ottolenghi's fish koftas in tomato and cardamom sauce

Name: Yotam Ottolenghi's fish koftas in tomato and cardamom sauce recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 75ml olive oil; 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 green chillies, such as serrano, finely sliced (seeded if you don’t like heat); 2 large celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped; 1 large banana shallot (or large regular eschalot), finely chopped; 500g ripe vine tomatoes (4 to 5 medium), blitzed in a food processor for 1 minute (or 2 cups/500ml canned tomato puree); 45.00 ml tomato paste; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp lime zest; 3 tsp lime juice; 8 cardamom pods, seeds crushed in a mortar and pestle, skins discarded (or use 1/2 tsp ground cardamom); 200ml dry white wine; 30.00 ml finely picked dill, to serve; 4 mackerel fillets (from 2 roughly 500g fish), skin and pin bones removed, flesh roughly chopped into 2cm pieces (for about 320g of chopped fish); 150g drained tinned sardines in olive oil, roughly chopped (about 2 x 120g tins); 20.00 ml pistachios, roughly chopped; 125.00 ml loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh dill; 250.00 ml loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves; 3 tsp finely grated zest from 2 limes; cut the zested limes into wedges or juice them, for serving; 1 green chilli (such as serrano), finely chopped; 1 egg, beaten; 70g potato flour; 50.00 ml vegetable oil

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P46 Yotam Ottolenghi Fish koftas in tomato and cardamom sauce

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by Yotam Ottolenghi

Jun 02, 2023

"This dish looks like herb-flecked meatballs in tomato sauce, but the sauce is spiced, tangy and aromatic.” Get the ball rolling with this Middle Eastern inspired dish from Yotam Ottolenghi, which comes with an explosion of irresistible flavours.

75ml olive oil
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 green chillies, such as serrano, finely sliced (seeded if you don’t like heat)
2 large celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
1 large banana shallot (or large regular eschalot), finely chopped
500g ripe vine tomatoes (4 to 5 medium), blitzed in a food processor for 1 minute (or 2 cups/500ml canned tomato puree)
2 1/4 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lime zest
3 tsp lime juice
8 cardamom pods, seeds crushed in a mortar and pestle, skins discarded (or use 1/2 tsp ground cardamom)
200ml dry white wine
1 1/2 tbs finely picked dill, to serve

Fish koftas

4 mackerel fillets (from 2 roughly 500g fish), skin and pin bones removed, flesh roughly chopped into 2cm pieces (for about 320g of chopped fish)
150g drained tinned sardines in olive oil, roughly chopped (about 2 x 120g tins)
1 tbs pistachios, roughly chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh dill
1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
3 tsp finely grated zest from 2 limes; cut the zested limes into wedges or juice them, for serving
1 green chilli (such as serrano), finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
70g potato flour
2 1/2 tbs vegetable oil

Method

1.

Start with the sauce. In a large frypan, heat olive oil, garlic, half the sliced chilli and a good pinch of salt flakes over medium-low heat. Gently fry for 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft and golden. Remove 1 1/2 tbs of the oil (with some of the chilli and garlic) and set aside.
2.

Add celery, shallot and 1 1/2 tsp salt flakes to the same pan and continue to cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Increase the heat to medium, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, cumin, lime zest and juice and cardamom and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine, 350ml water and 1/4 tsp salt flakes and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, turning the heat down if the sauce bubbles too much, and stirring once in a while.
3.

While the sauce is simmering, make the koftas. Add fish, pistachios, herbs, lime zest, chilli and egg to a bowl with 2 1/4 tbs potato flour and a large pinch of salt flakes and mix together well. Grease your hands with a little oil and roll the mix into approximately 12 golf-sized balls (about 45g to 50g each), applying pressure to compact them as you go. Add the remaining flour to a plate and roll each ball in flour so they are coated.
4.

Heat vegetable oil in a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the fish balls and cook for about 5 minutes, turning throughout until all sides are golden-brown and crisp. (Remove sauce from the heat and set aside if it finishes before you finish the koftas.)
5.

After sauce has been cooking for 20 minutes, transfer fish balls into sauce, drizzling over some of the frying oil (or return sauce to medium heat). Cover pan with lid and cook for 4 minutes, until hot.
6.

Remove the lid and scatter the coriander and dill and remaining fresh chilli over the top, then drizzle with reserved garlic and chilli oil. Serve hot, with lime juice added to taste, or with lime wedges alongside.