While eating the big fish, how would it feel if you get a bite of succulent shrimp from it? I would scream treasure, treasure…

When the big fish swallowed the smaller ones, not just any small fish, the tastiest and the most divine shrimp, the big one got the extreme taste transformation. How and where it happened, I am going to reveal it to you. Whenever I come face to face with a big whole fish, I can’t just let it pass. I end up taking them with me and they will be treated with the utmost hospitality in my kitchen.

Seeing whole fish in the market, the first thing that comes to my mind is Bake, bake, and bake it. This time, when I bought whole Tilapia, the same thought hit my mind, bake it! But I didn’t feel like repeating the same baking procedure. So, I made a twist which my mom had shared with me the other day – stuffing the big fish with the smaller fish.

I had shrimp in my freezer; hence I made a shrimp stuffing and made the big fish swallow the tasty shrimp. I first pan roasted the Tilapia, and then baked it for 15 minutes. Now, don’t ask me how it was. I am seriously browsing the dictionary for some words to describe this tasty experience. I would say it was like a real treasure hunt. When I dug into the Tilapia, the bite on the shrimp was like getting a real treasure. The shrimp was succulent, luscious and the stuffing gave the big fish an extreme makeover.

Shrimp Stuffed Tilapia:

Ingredients:

• Whole Tilapia, cleaned thoroughly-2

For Marination:

• Ginger-Garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Ground Pepper- 3tsp
• Lemon juice- juice of half lemon
• Salt- to taste

For Stuffing:

• Shrimp, deveined – 10 no’s
• Onion, minced- 1
• Ginger minced-1tsp
• Garlic minced-1tsp
• Tomato, chopped-1
• Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
• Chilly Powder- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Fennel Powder-1/2 tsp
• Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
• Cilantro, chopped- 1 handful
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- 1 tbsp

While stuffing:

• Kitchen Twine

For pan roasting the fish:

• Oil- 1/4 cup

Preparation:

• Clean the whole tilapia under running water, remove the gills and any internal organs it has. There should be enough room inside the fish for stuffing the shrimp. If it doesn’t have enough space, using a sharp knife, cut inside the fish gently without breaking the outside of the fish.
• Put 2-3 gashes on both sides of the fish.
• Combine the above mentioned marinating ingredients in a small bowl.
• Spread it on the fish and let marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

• In the meantime, devein, clean the shrimp and keep aside.

• Heat a wide non-stick pan, add oil and put ginger, garlic minced and saute until aromatic.

• Add the onion, salt and saute until translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and saute until it gets mashed.
• Now, put the cleaned shrimp along with chilly powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, fennel powder, coriander powder and cook until the shrimp is tender, and the stuffing gets dry without any water, for 3-4 minutes.
• Garnish with cilantro and remove from the heat.

Stuffing the Tilapia with Shrimp:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Place the marinated tilapia on a clean board, stuff the cooked shrimp into the inside of the tilapia and push the stuffing well.

• Using a clean kitchen twine,  tie the tilapia tight in such a way that the stuffing won’t come out.

• Heat a wide non-stick pan in medium heat, add the oil and place the stuffed tilapia on it and pan roast it.

• When it is lightly browned on one side, flip it and let brown the other side as well.

• Continue flipping until it is almost lightly browned and cooked through.
• Remove from the pan and transfer it to a baking sheet.

• Place it in the preheated oven and bake it for 15 minutes. After 5 minutes of baking, flip the tilapia to the other side and bake it for the remaining 10 minutes.

• Before serving, cut the twine using a clean kitchen scissor and serve it on a platter.
• Garnish with veggies or any sides of your choice.

Tips:

• While pan roasting the tilapia, there should be enough oil, other wise the fish will stick to the pan. Keep flipping the fish to avoid excessive sticking.
• Needless to say the shrimp stuffing tasted heavenly, if there is any excess stuffing; serve it with the fish as a side dish.

Is there anything more delicious than Mussel fry? I doubt it. If I ever compete in mussel eating competition, it would be better for other contestants to back off…

Not just mussels, almost all edible shellfishes are delicious and I am a die-hard fan of shellfishes. Growing up in Kerala, where fishes are the prime food, I had enjoyed almost all fishes and shellfishes that too catch of the day. When the season for mussels arrives, all you can see is mussels piled up in fish markets. I had eaten mussels until I got tired of it, but it wasn’t that easy for me to get tired of mussels or any other shellfish. I can go on and on until I am broke: P

Many delicious dishes can be made using mussels, among them mussel fry is my all time favorite. During mussel season, whenever I visited my grandparents, my grandma used to have mussel fry ready for me. She made the best mussel fry I’ve ever tasted. The speed with which the mussel fry got emptied from the platter is always faster than light. The other day, when I spoke to one of my cousins she was actually devouring mussel fry while talking to me and that kind of stirred up my craving for mussel. The very next day mussel fry was ready on the platter. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find huge fleshy mussels, I got small ones instead. Even though I prefer fleshy ones, for the time being these small ones helped me to subside my craving.

Nutritional facts about Mussels:

• Mussels are low in sodium and saturated fat.
• Mussels provide a readily absorbed source of B & C vitamins, amino acids, Omega 3 fatty acids, and vital minerals including iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc.
• Mussel meat are rich in protein, has less fat, many more mineral nutrients and a quarter of the calories of beef.

What more do we need to include mussels blindly into our diet?

Mussel Fry:

Ingredients:

• Mussels, removed from the shell, cleaned in running water- 20

For Marination:

• Chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 2 pinches
• Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- to taste

• Oil- for frying

Preparation:

• Combine the cleaned mussels with the above marinating ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes or longer.

• In a frying pan, heat the oil for frying and put the mussels into the oil, fry until golden brown color.

• Avoid frying the mussels to a crispy texture, it tastes good if it is less crispy.
• Transfer the fried mussels to a paper towel.
• I warn you, you really can’t wait till the mussel fry cools down, at least I cannot. Now what? Dig in:P

Tips:

• Adjust the spice level according to your needs.
• This would make a fancy appetizer for any parties, serve the mussel fry on the shell( which is cleaned) itself.