Gurnard with red lentil dahl | Lawrence Murphy

Instead of beef stew and dumplings, what about a fish curry for something a little different?

This recipe is for a red lentil dahl which I serve with pan-fried gurnard as a starter but you could easily eat a bigger portion as a main with rice and a flat bread.

Ingredients

2 small gurnard filleted and pin boned

200g red lentils

1 onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

Small knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Small knob, turmeric

Pinch ground black pepper

Tspn cumin seed

1/2 tspn fennel seed

1/2 tspn ground coriander seed

1 red chilli

400 ml coconut milk

Method

1. Heat a pan on a medium heat and add the cumin and fennel seed. Toast the seeds for about 1 min.

2. Add a little olive oil and the onions and garlic. Cook for 2 mins.

3. Now add the ginger, turmeric, black pepper, chilli and coriander. Cook for a further 2 mins.

4. Add the lentils and just cover with water. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are soft and breaking down. Stir in the coconut milk and a pinch of salt.

5. Cook until you reach a thick consistency and pan-fry the gurnard for eight mins.

6. Spoon the dahl into bowls and top with the fish.