Fihunu Mas, Whole Roasted Fish from the Maldives #SundayFunday

This week the Sunday Funday writers are sharing recipes from South Asia.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, and I coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. This week Mayuri is hosting.

The South Asian Line-Up

• Aloo Paratha by Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Chana Pulao by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Chicken Biryani by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Dhaba Style Dahiwali Hari Chutney by Sizzling Tastebuds

• Fihunu Mas, Whole Roasted Fish from the Maldives by Culinary Cam (you're bere)

• Kala Bhuna (Bengali Spiced Beef Stew) by A Messy Kitchen

• Keto Ema Datshi by Sneha's Recipe

• Oxtail Nihari by Food Lust People Love

• Sheer Khurma by Mayuri's Jikoni

So Many Choices

Before diving into recipes, I needed to figure out exactly what she meant. South Asia is comprised of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

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I have previously posted Chicken and Potato Curry in the Hurry, Pita and Naan, and Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken).

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Also Afghani Dumplings: Aushak and Mantu and Gajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halva).

Seremoni Grade Seafood

When I went to the fish market, I saw this tag that I had never seen before: Seremoni Grade. This is a new standard and philosophy for the freshest fish. Employing ike jime, an artisan process used in Japan, the fish are humanely harvested within moments of being taken out of the water. All the fish are wild, from United States waters, and are line or trap caught. So, it's good for the planet and good for the consumer. Yep. I will be looking for this tag from now on.

I know there are a lot of people who don't like to eat whole animals: fish with eyeballs, shrimps with heads, etc. But we love it! The eyes can tell the story of freshness. Look for clear eyes and steer clear of any fish with milky eyes.

Fihunu Mas

I found several recipes for whole fish from the Maldives and combined a few to creat this. But my dinner is most similar to Fihunu Mas, a whole roasted, spiced fish. I served it along side roasted Japanese pumpkin as I saw in another fish platter from the Maldives.

Ingredients

Sauce/Marinade

• 1 small onion

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 inch thin slice of ginger

• 10 curry leaves

• 2 Tablespoons grated coconut

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1-1/2 teaspoons red chilli powder

• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 5 Tablespoons water

Fish

• whole fish, cleaned and gutted (I found Seremoni Grade Red Snapper)

• salt

• fresh ginger

Also needed

• kabocha squash, deseeded and sliced into thick wedges

• purple sweet potatoes, quartered

• baking sheet and parchment paper

• olive oil

• coconut white balsamic vinegar (use wahtever you have)

• salt

Procedure

Place all of the marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blitz until you get a smooth slurry. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lay your fish on a parchment paper. Sprinkle the inside cavity of the fish with salt and stuff it with halved fresh ginger. You can secure the fish with a toothpick or twine. I just folded it closed and placed it on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Then sprinkle the outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Place the squash and sweet potatoes around the fish. Drizzle all of the veggies with olive oil and coconut vinegar. Pour the marinade over the fish.

Roast for 20 to 25 minutes - until the flesh is opaque and the skin is browned and crisped. Serve immediately with more of the sauce spooned over the top of the fish.

I served mine with more sauce, a sprinkling of fresh herbs, and some edible flowers. That's a wrap on my South Asian #SundayFunday offering. The group will return next week with cinnamon recipes. Stay tuned!