Masterchef moments-(Basa in a citrus wine sauce)

How many Masterchef Australia fans in the house?

If you are one of them then I am thrilled you are reading this. Every year the show begins and I diligently put the entire series for recording on my TV. I of course watch it during the telecasts but I keep them stored just in case I need to revise any episode (geeky I know). When I see Matt, Gary and George take their positions to welcome the finalists I feel all is right with the world.
I feel so invested in those contestants, as if one of my own kin is competing. The season goes on with one nail biting elimination round after the other and then the winner is announced, there is momentary glee in the air. But then soon it dawns on me that the season is OVER and I have no purpose for living till the next one comes on. In that instant I forget that I have  parents, a sibling, friends, a job, my music and basically a life’s purpose. Slowly and gradually I pick myself up and attempt to move on with my life. I miss those familiar faces and feel inspired to cook myself an amazing dinner with the ingredients in my fridge so that I can create my own Masterchef moment.

So after a few days I opened my freezer and I found beautifully fresh, white Basa fish fillets which I had forgotten I had purchased. I defrosted those fillets and got thinking about what the main flavors were going to be as I am not a fish expert (I am a North Indian after all), I thought to myself “what would I use if I was in a Masterhef challenge”.  I had beautiful Mandarin Oranges in my kitchen and decided to use that as the citrus flavour, along with that I had a half drunk Sula white wine which I promptly pulled out and some divine fresh dill. Oh! the fresh smell of dill, I can write a whole post on that. But back to the fish…so I pan seared the fish with some basic aromatics and created a quick herb and citrus pan sauce with it. The result was a citrusy, herby, soft and flaky white fish fillets with spoons of sauce around it just waiting to be slurped up. Oh and also SO healthy! So scroll down and try this recipe!

 

Ingredients: (Serves 4-5)

white fish- basa: 900 gms

salt and pepper to taste

dry thyme

Quick pan sauce:

garlic-4-5 : finely chopped

white wine-I used Sula: 1/4th cup

orange juice-1/4th cup or 1/2 cup depending on how citrusy you want it

one small onion- finely chopped

one table spoon fresh dill finely chopped

 

Step 1:

Wash and dry the white fish fillets. sprinkle with some salt, pepper and dry thyme. Don’t overdo the thyme otherwise it will overpower the flavour. Just a 2-3 pinches on all the fillets is enough. Keep side for 10 minutes.

Step 2:

In a pan heat some olive oil and gently place the fillets. cook them on both sides for about 2-3 minutes in total. You will see the fish browning from both sides slightly. Take it out of the pan and put aside on a plate.

Step 3:

Once the fish is kept aside on the plate, in the same pan add some olive oil if its too dry and add the chopped onion. Stir fry till they are brown and add the garlic and let it brown slightly. De-glaze the pan with the white wine (pour the wine in the pan and lightly scrape the bottom of the pan to release the sticky brown bits), and let it cook for a minute. Add the orange juice and let it cook for another 1 minute on a medium high flame, cook for a minute longer if you want it to be more reduced. Add a teaspoon of butter and let the sauce reduce for another minute so that it becomes thick and silky. Add the fresh dill and stir.

 

Step 4:

As soon as you add the dill add the fish back into the pan and let it soak in the sauce for a minute. Turn it around once so that the sauce coats all the pieces of fish evenly. Turn the flame off and serve the fish in a flat dish, pour the sauce from the pan over it. Serve with some fresh mandarin segments and pan grilled tomatoes.

 

Easy and healthy! And I promise it gives you the MasterChef moment where you can take one bite and go “This dish has the perfect balance of sweet, sour and umaminess. Its such a clever dish!” 🙂

PS: Apologies for the lack of photographs. Since this was an adventure which turned out delicious I didn’t take step by step pictures. Will post more pictures the next time I cook the recipe but please feel free to ask me any questions regarding the recipe.