Amotik

October 17, 2020

Amotik is a fish dish from Goa on India’s west coast. Firm white fish is dusted in flour, briefly fried, then simmered in a sauce of tamarind water, chilli, garlic, and cumin. The tamarind provides the sour backbone the whole dish rests on.

Goa has centuries of Portuguese influence in its cooking, and the combination of wine vinegar and chilli that is typical of vindaloo reappears here in a lighter form. Amotik is everyday food in the coastal areas – simple, sour, and hot, and it is done in under half an hour once the tamarind water is ready.

Serve with plain white rice. The sauce is thin and gets absorbed by the rice.

Ingredients

Serves 4

50 g tamarind
6 tbsp warm water, for soaking
4 tbsp oil
750 g monkfish (or other firm white fish), cut into large chunks
flour, for dusting
1 onion, chopped
4 green chillies, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½–1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp wine vinegar
salt

Directions

Tamarind Water

Soak the tamarind in the warm water for 30 minutes.

Mash the pulp with a fork, then press as much liquid as possible through a sieve. Discard the solids. Set the tamarind water aside.

Fish and Sauce

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Dust the fish chunks in flour, shake off any excess, and fry briefly on all sides – they should pick up a little colour but not cook through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion to the pan and fry until soft and golden, 5–7 minutes.

Add the tamarind water, chillies, garlic, cumin, and chilli powder. Season with salt. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavours come together.

Return the fish to the pan along with any resting juices, and pour in the wine vinegar.

Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, until the fish is heated through. Serve immediately with rice.

Notes

Tamarind comes as a hard, dark block from Asian grocery shops. It always needs to be soaked and sieved – seeds and fibres must go; only the sour liquid is used.

Monkfish is the classic choice here because the flesh holds its shape and does not fall apart in the sauce. Other firm white fish such as cod, pollock, or haddock also work, but add them late – they are more delicate.

The chilli quantity gives a medium-hot dish. Remove the seeds from the fresh chillies for a milder version, or increase the chilli powder if you want more heat.