Tandoori spiced halibut fillets with cucumber

Serves:  4

Ingredients:
4 halibut fillets, about 150g each, skinned
1 tbsp tandoori or hot madras curry paste (see recipe below)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar
2 cucumbers, peeled
150g tub natural yogurt
handful of mint leaves, chopped
squeeze of lime juice
1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
100g baby leaf spinach

Method:
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Place the halibut fillets on a plate. Mix the curry paste with the olive oil and sugar. Add all but 3–4 tbsp of the yogurt and stir well. Coat the halibut fillets with the spiced yogurt mixture and set aside.

Cut the cucumbers lengthways, using a swivel vegetable peeler, into long wide strips, avoiding the seeds in the middle. Mix with the 3–4 tbsp yogurt and chopped mint and lime juice to taste.

Heat an ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When hot, place the halibut fillets in the pan, scraping off and reserving the excess marinade. Sear for 1–1 1/2 minutes each side until golden brown.

Spoon the reserved marinade over the fish and place the pan in the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking the fish. Transfer to warm plates and drizzle over the pan juices. Scatter the spinach leaves around the fish and serve with the cucumber salad.


For the tandoori curry paste:
Makes 75ml
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp hot chilli powder
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Large knob of fresh root ginger, finely grated <

Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan until fragrant. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind into a powder. Mix in all the other ingredients and stir until you have a smooth paste.