Pan-fried eel in coconut and saffron sauce

 

Ingredients

• 500 g eel, boned, skin on, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 125 ml (½ cup) coconut milk
• ½ tbsp palm sugar
• 30 ml fish sauce
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 8 pink peppercorns, crushed

Marinade

• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, diced
• 2 French shallots, diced
• 3 cm piece fresh turmeric, sliced
• pinch of salt
• pinch of dried chili flakes

Instructions

Marinating time 20 minutes

To make the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, lemongrass, shallot, turmeric, salt and chilli flakes until a smooth paste forms.
Place eel, 1 tbsp olive oil and the marinade paste in a mixing bowl. Combine well and stand for 20 minutes, to marinate.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high and add remaining olive oil. Pan-fry eel, skin side down, for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and saffron to pan and simmer for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Return eels to pan and simmer for 1 minute.
Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with spring onion and pink peppercorns. Serve.

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.