Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian chili (pepper) paste made from ground red pepper, vinegar, and salt. It is spicy, flavourful and versatile. It is used as a condiment or as a base for sauces. In this dish, it pairs well with the fish.
You can find this sauce in the condiment or aisle of the supermarket or specialty food section. It is also available and specialty food stores.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 pounds firm white fish (mahi-mahi or your favourite type of fish), cut into 2-inch thick steaks, rinsed and pat dry
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 – 5 tablespoons Sambal Oelek
- ¾ cup boiling water
- Minced parsley and sliced scallions/green onions for garnishing (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Season fish with salt and pepper to taste (the sambal also has in salt).
- Add oil to a large shallow frying pan and place over medium heat until the pan is hot but not smoking.
- Add the fish to the pan (work in batches depending on the size of your pan) and let sear for a full 2 minutes before turning. If you try to move the fish and it resists, give it another minute to finish cooking on the one side. Flip the fish and cook it for 1 minute on the other side (the times would vary depending on the thickness of the fish, if it is thinner, then the cooking time would be less).
- Add the butter to the pan to melt and push the fish to one side. Tilt the pan so that the melted butter pools in one area and working quickly, spoon the butter over the fish and then rest the pan back squarely on the stove.
- Add in the sambal along with the boiling water and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish and serve with mashed sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, pasta, boiled ground provisions or slices of thick crusty bread, toasted.
NOTE
This same application can be used for prawns.
Any third-party or user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries published on the St. Lucia Times website (https://stluciatimes.com) in no way convey the thoughts, sentiments or intents of St. Lucia Times, the author of any said article or post, the website, or the business. St. Lucia Times is not responsible or liable for, and does not endorse, any comments or replies posted by users and third parties, and especially the content therein and whether it is accurate.
St. Lucia Times reserves the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate content posted by third parties on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times (this includes the said user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries) at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to you, or any user. For example, we may remove a comment or reply if we believe it violates any part of the St. Lucia Criminal Code, particularly section 313 which pertains to the offence of Libel. Except as required by law, we have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times. All third-parties and users agree that this is a public forum, and we do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website. Any posts made and information disclosed by you is at your own risk.
