Apollo Fish Recipe

Apollo Fish is a specialty in the state of Hyderabad in India. The first time that I heard about Apollo Fish was from our neighbor Jay who had tried it during a trip several years ago. I found a couple of recipes for it and combined the best of both to make the one that I have listed below. Apollo Fish is pretty spicy but if it is too hot for you, you can eat it with some Greek yogurt to help cool it off. You can also serve it with naan bread or romali roti for good results.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets
2 tspn chili powder
1 tspn Kosher salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 egg white
2 tbsp corn meal
1 tbsp tapioca flour (you can also use light baking flour)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 Serrano chilies, diced
6 curry leaves
1/2 tspn coriander, ground
1 tspn cumin, ground
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
olive oil for frying (about 8 tbsp)

Preparation:

1. Cut fish fillets in 1 to 2 inch pieces.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together 1 tspn chili powder, 1/2 tspn salt, 2 cloves of minced garlic, ginger, and the egg white.
   
   
   Add the pieces of fish to the marinade so that each piece is coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours.
   
   
3. Add 3 tbsp olive oil to a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the fish and cook until the fish is golden brown. Remove the fish from the oil and place in a bowl for later.
4. In another skillet, add 5 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 diced Serrano chilies, and the curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add onions to the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent.
6. Add 1 tspn chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and 1/2 tspn salt to the skillet and cook for another 3 minutes stirring often.
7. Add the fish mixture to the skillet containing the onion mixture along with 1/2 cup of water. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
8. Remove the lid and mix in the fresh cilantro. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until all of the excess moisture has cooked off.
9. Serve hot over rice.

India