Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Georgian Herb and Pomegranate Paste [Adjika] for Red Snapper and Walnut Sauce - 1.5 pts plus; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber

1.5 pts plus
* Exported from MasterCook *

Georgian Herb and Pomegranate Paste [Adjika] for Red Snapper and Walnut Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Condiment LowCal (Less than 300 cals)
LowerCarbs LowFat (Less than 15%)
Seafood

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 small red snapper -- (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each), scaled and gutted
olive oil
2 tablespoons salt -- scant
Herb Paste:
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed -- dry roasted and ground
2 garlic cloves -- peeled
1 banana peppers -- chopped
1 fresh red chile pepper -- or 1 teaspoon crumbled dry red chile or chile flakes
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs -- chopped; use 2 or 3: fresh coriander, thyme, mint & lovage
1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate juice -- or lemon juice

2 cups Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce -- see below

Preheat oven to 400F.

Rinse fish and pat dry. Make three slashes on either side of each fish, cutting down to the bone. Brush the fish lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle on the salt. Place each fish on a piece of aluminum foil or parchment large enough to wrap the fish completely, and place them in a shallow baking pan.

Place the coriander seed, garlic, and both peppers, in a large mortar and pound to a paste. Add the herbs and pound until well blended. Add the juice, and pound to produce a thick, moist paste. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a paste forms.

With a spatula, spread the paste on both sides and inside the cavity of each fish. Wrap the foil or paper around each fish to enclose, and place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then fold back the foil or paper to expose the fish, and lower the temperature to 350F. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the flesh visible in slits is firm and a uniform white in color.

Transfer the fish to a decorative platter or shallow plate, and pour the cooking juices over. Serve with Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce.

Alternatives: the herb paste makes a good marinade for grilled chicken or quail as well as for fish.

Serves 4

AuthorNote: This recipe combines several Georgian specialities to produce a flavorful and decorative entree. The red snapper (your can substitute another rich, firm-textured fish, such as sea bass) is coated with an adjika (chiles and herbs) paste, then baked and served with pomegranate and walnut sauce. The brilliant green of the herb paste is particularly pretty on the red snapper.

Georgian Pomegranate Sauce and Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce - Narshab
POMEGRANATE SAUCE:
3 cups fresh pomegranate juice -- or cranberry juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (omit if using tart pomegranates or unsweetened cranberry juice)
1 large garlic clove -- or 2 small, minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
1 pinch dried chile pepper flakes -- or hot paprika
1 handful pomegranate seeds (optional) small handful
POMEGRANATE AND WALNUT SAUCE:
1/2 cup walnut halves -- or walnut pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt -- or to taste

To make Pomegranate Sauce: Bring the pomegranate or cranberry juice to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, garlic, coriander leaves, and optional chile flakes, and stir well. Let stand until cool.

Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Serve with a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds floating on the surface, if available.

To make pomegranate and walnut sauce: Place walnuts in a mortar or a processor and pound or pulse until they have been broken down into a paste. Stir into pomegranate sauce. Let stand for 30 minutes. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend, then add salt to taste. Store and serve as described about.

Makes about 2 cups sauce.

Autumn is pomegranate season in the Caucasus, and the markets of Georgian cities and towns gleam with stacks of rosy fruit. The seeds are used for garnish, the juice as a sour flavor in cooking.

In North American it's difficult to find any but sweet pomegranates, and commercially available pomegranate juice, produced by only a few companies, is always sweet. In order to reproduce the tart tang of sour Georgian pomegranates in this sauce, we add fresh lemon juice. You can also use sour pomegranate syrup (for sale in Middle Eastern groceries). Heat gently and then add the remaining ingredients, omitting the lemon juice. The syrup tends to have a slightly processed flavor as well as a less attractive brown color, but it is a reasonable substitute. A third, non-traditional, substitute is cranberry juice. Its red color and tart fruit taste give the balance needed for this sauce. Generally, cranberry juice is sweetened very little, so you can usually omit the lemon juice. Taste the sauce once it has cooled and add lemon juice if it lacks a sour tang.

In Georgia, narshab is used as a dip for bread or a condiment for grilled and roasted [4favorites] and for sea [favorites].

Yield: "2 cups"
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 1 Calories; trace Fat (1.9% calories from fat); trace Protein; trace Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 67mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Vegetable.

Cuisine:
"Georgian"
Source:
"Flatbreads & Flavors: A Baker's Atlas by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, William Morrow, 1995"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"Oct 2011"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 59 Calories; 1g Fat (10.1% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 3242mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1101 0 4538 0 0