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This is a superb starter dish. Easy to prepare and loved by all. As it takes only about 5-10 minutes to cook, I suggest cooking it at the last minute and serving it piping hot on a bed of rocket, parmesan and crouton salad.

You do need to use a slightly "fleshy" fish. This recipe is ideally suited to Tilapia fish, but as this is not yet widely available in the UK, you can use alternatives like cod or haddock. It does not work with flat fish like plaice nor with fishes that have a distinctive taste of their own, like salmon or trout.

Ingredients

• 2 medium Tilapia Fillets (Cod or Haddock will also do). Skinned. Make sure fish bones have been removed from the Fillet.
• I medium-sized Green Pepper (Capsicum)
• 4-5 Spring Onions.
• 1 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies (*Optional*)
• 1-quarter fresh lemon
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin (jeera)
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin when serving.
• Soy Sauce (@ 1 tablespoon)
• 5 tablespoons of cooking oil.

Preparation

Dip the lemon into some salt until it is liberally coated and then rub it on both sides of each fish Fillet, squeezing the lemon and salt into the flesh. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. Cut each Fillet down the middle, along the spine of the fish, and then cut roughly into 1½ inch square pieces.

Cut the green pepper (capsicum) into long thin strips at least 2 inches (5cm) long and about ½ a centimetre thick. The best way to achieve this is to run your utility or veg knife along the edge of the stalk, gently tease out the stalk and remove the seeds. The wash the pepper, slice in half along two of its ridges and then slice each half into the long strips. Ensure that you remove any remaining pith (white flesh) from the pepper before slicing.

Chop the spring onions into small pieces. The best way to achieve this is to first slice vertically from base of leaf shoot to the root tip. If you have particularly thick green stalks then slice each stalk vertically too. Holding the sliced stalks together, slice off and remove the root tip and then start chopping finely a thickness of about 5mm or less is ideal. Slicing diagonally gives the onions a nice look, but vertically straight down is OK too!

Method.

Pour the oil into a flat pan - you can use a frying pan but be prepared for splashes - and heat. When ready, put the teaspoon of cumin into the oil and let it pop for a few seconds. Add the teaspoon of ginger and stir vigorously. Turn down the heat so your ginger does not burn.

Place the fish pieces into the oil and cook on medium heat for a few minutes on both sides - turning the pieces gently to avoid breaking the fish. The colour of the flesh will change from translucent to opaque as the fish cooks through.

Toss in the sliced green pepper, chopped spring onions and (optional) teaspoon of chopped green chillies. Splash in a little soy sauce and gently mix in with the fish.

Cook for 2-3 more minutes until the fish is completely cooked

Serve hot on a bed of rocket, parmesan and crouton salad, sprinkle with a little ground cumin and enjoy!

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