Late evening walk-in. Can’t even rush to the market or have the courage to order. How do you turn the famished soul into a delightful one ? Well, let me introduce you to another of my ingenuous go to recipe. Just half a beet pulled from my garden by my kiddo and a couple of basa fillet in the freezer will turn your famished and lethargic evening into pure bliss. The taste of the fillet is great and the color is so charming that it makes heads turn inadvertently infallibly every time it’s served around. It’s a G-man, MCMH Original recipe. Enjoy 🙂 …… and yes, there is no rose in this Rosy 😀 , just the color.

Rosy Basa Fillet Ingredients

Rosy Basa Fillet

Beet harvest

Rosy Basa Fillet

Rosy Basa Fillet

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 2 to 3 famished to delighted seafood lovers
• Preparation time : 20 minutes of slow grilling + 30 minutes of marinade.

….and we need (ingredients)

• Basa Fillet, 2 normal size : Pengasius or basa is a popular catfish with a sweet tasting, soft  meat with very little of no bones in big pieces of fillet. I wouldn’t say that it’s the top nutritious fish in the water but it is certainly a very easy and friendly one to serve.
• Sea salt, to taste : I prefer sea salt in my sea food. Reason = It’s coarse, tastes authentic, is not processed and has all natural minerals originally intended.
• Black Pepper, ground to powder, 4 – 5 corns : Hot and mildly pungent, black pepper is good for digestion, skin, respiration and is a good antioxidant too. On tables across the world salt n pepper are partners in relation.
• Lemon juice, 1/2 a lemon : Sour effect of the dish comes from here and bring along with it, the Vitamin C benefits to eyes, hair and skin.
• Rosemary, dried will do, 1/2 teaspoon : Unfortunately, rosemary doesn’t grow well in Delhi so have to do with dried. Rosemary is a great antioxidant and anti inflammatory and is great for the nervous system too. Since it grows well in the hills, rosemary has a great woody pine fragrance. Still, I would any day choose freshly garden harvested rosemary.
• Basil, dried powder, 1/2 teaspoon : It has practically all the properties of basil but drying reduces everything. I added dried basil here to give mass and temprate the flavor of dried rosemary and parsley.
• Basil, sweet, fresh, broken, 1/2 teaspoon : Anti aging, anti cancer, anti bacterial herb is a great garnish due to it’s sweet and mixed spice aroma. Here a harvested a handful of sweet basil from my garden. As always, break their leaves and avoid chopping them. This retains their essence best.
• Parsley, dried powder, 1/2 teaspoon : Again, not a priority in choice. I had to use dried parsley since it was mid summers. Parsley has a much low essence when dried. It is mildly bitter. It has beta carotene and vitamin c to fight cold and flu. I am sure it is the best breath freshener that you can grow in your garden.
• Galangal, 1/2 inch : Again an antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal spice. It tastes earthy and citrus. I love galangal though it’s very tough to grow, unlike the cousin ginger. It is also very tough to chop or paste since it has strong fibers.
• Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon : Keep the oil light so as not to interfere with the flavor of your dish either in odor or in taste. Besides, olive oil is a great antioxidant, anti inflammatory, is good for heart and weight management.

….time to cook ‘n roll (preparing instructions)

• Grate the beetroot finely. Grate the galangal too and mix them both.
• Spoon the grated beet (+galangal) and mix the dried spices i.e. the black pepper, the dried basil, the dried parsley and the dried rosemary. Mildly grind them using your mortar & pestle.
• Marinate the fillets with this mix and keep aside for 30 minutes. I generally poke the fillets with a fork to allow the marinate to get deep inside it.
• Now set the temperature of your microwave at 425 degrees or just above medium heat  and place the marinated fillets inside.
• Grill it for 20 minutes turning 3 to 4 times and checking the softness of the fillet.
• Garnish with broken sweet basil and serve to devour 🙂

Storage : Please do not even think about it. Refrigerating will harden the texture and turn the color much less cheerful.

Missing Something ? : You may choose to season the fish with some dried oregano or fresh chopped parsley. I’ve said this in one more dish of mine, the pan fried red snapper too 😀 !