This is my take on this classic dish from Southern India that comes with deep, settled flavours and a velvety sauce. Usually, when moilee is made at home, people tend to cook the fish in the sauce. However, I think it works better when you make the sauce with a stock using the mussels and pan-sear the sea bass. This way you have the great texture of the fish and there is a bit of a twist on the classic dish.

  • Serves

    2

  • Cook Time

    30m

Ingredients

For The Fish

  • 2 fillets of sea bass (400-600 gm each)
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • Pinch of turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

For The Sauce

  • 10 mussels with shell
  • 10 fresh curry leaves, finely sliced
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 4 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 200 gm onions, sliced
  • 20 gm fresh ginger julienned
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

Preparation

  1. Marinate the fish with turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt. Keep aside.
  2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, ginger juliennes, garlic cloves, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir until leaves begin to crackle.
  3. Toss in the sliced onions and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
  4. Add ground turmeric and stir for a minute.
  5. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Let it all simmer for a couple of minutes.
  6. Now toss in the mussels and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from heat.
  7. In another non-stick pan, pan-sear the marinated sea bass on low flame. You could finish it with a thin slice of butter for a nutty note.
  8. Once done, serve the pan seared fish with the Moilee sauce and plain rice.
Rohit Ghai

Rohit Ghai

Rohit Ghai – the first Indian Chef to win a Michelin star (at Jamavar) in under a year – opened Kutir in late 2018 with business partner Abhi Sangwan. Since its inception, the Chelsea restaurant has received much critical acclaim. Over the last several years, Ghai has been the Executive Chef at Bombay Bustle, Jamavar, Gymkhana, Hoppers, Trishna, Verandah (in Copenhagen) and Benares.

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