In this installment:
Sardines in Coconut Curry
One food trend that’s definitely not a fad is the explosion of tinned fish popping up at speciality stores all over the place—and we’re not talking about the chicken of the sea, here.
Let’s start with what many of us in America think of when we think of “tinned fish”: cheap tinned tuna. At best, these shredded flecks of tuna (we assume?) might end up in a wet tuna salad sandwich some day. It’s a good way to make friends with the neighborhood cats, but it really gives tuna—and by extension, tinned fish—a bad wrap. Often the fish that ended up in cheap canned tuna was more than just tuna…remember when ‘dophin safe’ tuna came around? That was a slow, reluctant response to the fact that all sorts of animals were being caught in trolling nets and all processed together. No wonder a lot of us grew up less than enthused about fish in cans.
But in other parts of the world, tinned fish was and is revered. Turns out when you fish sustainably, harvesting the fish only when they’re in season and not every day of the year, you can create a product that’s not only good morally, but delicious, too. Enter Patagonia. Yes, that Patagonia. The one that makes Nanopuff Parkas and board shorts and thermal wear and the like. They’ve been trying to use their wealth and influence to encourage sustainable practices around the world in all sorts of areas, and in the last decade or so they’ve been honing relationships with tinned fish producers. In exchange for “doing it the right way,” Patagonia pays tops dollar to processors who work with the right fishing boats at the right time of year. These sardines come from the Cantabrian Sea, off the northern coast of the Iberian penisula in the Atlantic.
The fish are packed in a curry sauce with organic potatoes and peppers. It’s an instant meal! Simply prepare rice or pasta and empty the entire tin on top. You can heat the tin, but dropping it into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Carefully remove the tin with tongs and oven mitts, and then very carefully open the tin and dump the contents over the rice or pasta or couscous or whatever you like!
Bazaar Baharat Spice Blend
Regardless of the image above, we didn’t sent you a bunch of spices…it was just the closest image I could find that best fits the exotic, alluring appeal of this spice blend from Curio Spice Company in Boston. In many ways, they’re doing the same thing that Patagonia is doing with tinned fish, but for Curio they’re investing in spice producers who do it ‘the right way’ and bringing those spices back to folks like us.
But there are more than a few folks out there blending spices together and trying to make home cooking more accessible and flavorful, so what sets Curio apart? Well, over the summer my cohort Alex and I had the chance to attend the Good Food Mercantile show in New York City and we got to chatting with Carmen, a member of the Curio team, and it came into focus for me. Carmen didn’t talk down to the customer. It was the difference between “I’m going to tell you what to do” and “I want to share our passion with you, and maybe you’ll want to try it, too.”
So without getting too technical, this blend is mostly cumin, cassia, nutmeg and mint. Like gumbo down in Louisiana or harissa of northern Africa, there are a million iterations and recipes throughout Turkey for Baharat. But as fall descends and our flavors turn towards warming and filling, this blend speaks to me. Try it as a dry or wet rub for grilled meats. Lamb is traditional but it’s great with beef, pork, and anything else you come across. But try this vegetarian recipe first. It’s awesome:
Baharat Carrot Mezze Recipe
Ingredient:
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Bazaar Baharat
3/4 – 1 teaspoon Maras chile
1 teaspoon tomato paste
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Sesame-almond topping (recipe below)
Put the carrots into a large, heavy saucepan and add 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and
enough water to just cover the carrots. Set the pan over medium-high heat until
the water boils, then reduce heat to medium and gently simmer until the carrots
are tender and easily crushed, 15–20 minutes.
Drain the carrots, then return them to the saucepan. Set the pan over low heat to
further dry the carrots, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat off.
Roughly crush the carrots with a fork or potato masher. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Before serving,
sprinkle generously with sesame-almond topping (recipe below).
Sesame-Almond Topping
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
Big pinch flaky sea salt
Put the ingredients into a small bowl and stir to mix.