We first had this delicious dish, disguised as a salad, in our friend Sylvie’s house. Being that my husband is a huge lover of fish I of course had to recreate it, many times over, and in the process it became part of my usual repertoire.

It is a perfect dish for both small and large gatherings, the only “sticky” part is that it is best served warm. So, even though the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time, the actual assembly is best done right before serving. It is not a huge obstacle really, even if you’re planning to take it to a friend’s house. All you need to do is warm up the ingredients (a microwave will do fine), assemble, mix, and serve. All in all a five minutes process. And did I mention it is quite impressive?

Ingredients:

750 grs (frozen weight) fish fillet cut in four (Perch is what I use, because that’s what I find locally!)

sea salt

1 tsp paprika

olive oil

 

1 ½ cups basmati rinsed well

water as per cooking instructions of your rice

 

1 ½ cups cooked chick peas

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red & yellow pepper

1 tsp curry powder

1 soup cube

1 cup water

 

1 cup peeled & chopped apple

1 cup sliced green & black olives

6 anchovies chopped

1 large lemon

parsley chopped rough

Method:

place fish in baking tray

sprinkle with salt & paprika

add a bit of olive oil

bake in a 200centigrade pre-heated oven until done

set aside

 

saute onion & pepper

add curry powder

add chick peas

add a bit of water

simmer until the flavours are well combined

when done, make sure that there is enough liquid/sauce left (picture #3) & that it hasn’t all dried up as it will add flavour to the final dish (you may need to add more water when simmering)

set aside

 

cook your rice

set aside

 

as mentioned above, do not go further until you’re ready to serve

 

when ready, make sure all the above (fish, rice, and chick peas) are warmed up before assembling

in a large serving dish

start with the fish

add the rice

add the cold ingredients (apple, olives, anchovies)

add the chick peas w/their sauce

add the parsley

squeeze the lemon

mix well with your hands until well combined (I find that using my fingers to mix is a lot more efficient and less “traumatizing” to whatever it is you’re mixing then using a spoon or other utensil)

finish up by decorating with a couple of slices of lemon

 

Enjoy!