Spice-crusted fish with oxtail, prawn and cassava

This multi-component dish is perfect for when you feel like getting experimental in the kitchen with flavours, and need a meal that will seriously impress.

Spice-crusted fish and with slow-cooked oxtail, spiced prawns, cassava and vegetables Credit: Amy Brown

• serves

  8

• prep

  1:30 hour

• cook

  5 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Slow-cooked oxtail

• 1 kg oxtail cut into small pieces
• 6 eschalots, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 100 ml olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 3 litres beef stock

Spice mix

• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground chilli
• pinch cloves
• pinch star anise
• 1 tsp lovage
• 1 tsp wattleseed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt

Cassava

• 1 x 500 g packet of frozen cassava leaf
• 50 g butter
• 1 cup of stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Squeeze fresh lime juice

Tomato base

• 8 tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 100 g cassava leaf, chopped
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot chili flakes
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Pinch of sea salt
• 200 ml olive oil

Prawns in spiced palm oil

• 4 prawns chopped
• ¼ cup of palm oil
• 2 tbsp spice mix (see recipe above)

Spiced fish

• 8 pieces local fish
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp spice mix (see recipe above)

Mixed greens and vegetables

• 1 large bunch mixed greens, like cavallo nero or kale
• 16 baby corn
• 16 okra

Instructions

1. To make the slow-cooked oxtail, sear the oxtail until browned on all sides and sauté the eschalots, celery, carrot and garlic until tender

2. Add the oxtail and sauteed vegetables in a pot or baking tray along with bay leaves, thyme and beef stock and gently cook for 4 hours.

3. Remove the oxtail and pick off the meat.

4. Reduce the cooking liquid until it thickens a little skimming any scum that forms.

5. To make the spice mix, toast the whole spices and grind them. Add powdered spices and mix well. Set aside.

6. To make the cassava, defrost the cassava leaf and cook gently in a pot with stock, butter and seasoning for 30 minutes. Finish off with a squeeze of lime.

7. To make the tomato base, mix all ingredients together in a large roasting tray and cook at 180°C for 25 minutes.

8. To make the prawns, mix the spice mix into the palm oil. Quickly saute the prawns in the spiced palm oil for minutes.

9. Roll the fish pieces in the spice mix and pan roast in vegetable oil for 6-10 depending on the thickness of the fish.

10. Quickly cook the mixed greens directly on a barbecue or quickly steam in a frying pan on the stove. Cook the baby corn and okra directly on the barbecue or stir fry in a pan.

11. To assemble the dish, mix the oxtail with the tomato base. Fold through as much or as little of the oxtail as you like (the rest can be used later for a pasta dish).

12. On each plate, place a generous spoonful of the tomato base, spiced prawns, cassava and greens and top it off with your pan-fried fish. Decorate with baby corn and okra. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from Flavour Swap - one of the short films as part of the SBS Short Film Festival. Stream episodes via SBS On Demand. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.