This book review first appeared in the BLink section of The Hindu Business Line newspaper on 2nd November 2021 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/books/reviews/General/a-book-that-catches-ones-attentionhook-line-and-sinker/article37302600.ece
Showing posts with label FISH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FISH. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Sunday, November 1, 2020
Raw Beauties!
Showing us that there’s a whole lot more to raw fish dishes than plain old Japanese sashimi are a host of interesting and exotic preparations from as far as Peru to the Philippines. Smart Life introduces you to a few such edible wonders.
By Raul Dias
It’s safe to say that most of the world’s love affair with raw fish is rather recent. And one that is in its embryonic stages as far the average Indian diner is concerned. Once looked upon as freakishly alien and best left to where it belonged, the raw fish wonder that is Japanese sashimi has ensnared the entire world with its fresh, clean taste and healthy diet appeal.
Today, sushi bars are an ubiquitous site the world over, with patrons hungry for a piece of that freshly sliced amberjack or for a portion of those gossamer thin slivers of yellowfin tuna—all anointed with a dab of wasabi and a splash of shoyu (soy sauce). And while smoked salmon too has made its way around the world via Scandinavia in the form of gravlax and New York (where it is known as lox), our notion of raw fish preparations is still woefully confined to the above-mentioned two. Not anymore!
Digging a little deeper into the vast sphere of world cuisine shows us the existence of a whole smorgasbord (pun intended!) of raw fish dish iterations from a diverse number of places that have been enjoyed for centuries in various forms and styles.
Here are a few such raw revelations:
Poké from Hawaii
Pronounced poh-kay and meaning to “cut crosswise into pieces” this supremely healthy and tasty one bowl Hawaiian origin dish is a very simple preparation that sees short grain sushi rice that has been pre-vinegared as the base. This rice is then topped with diced raw fish and other seafood that can range from salmon and tuna to octopus and sea urchin. A splash of soy, a squirt of Japanese mayonnaise, a dusting of the Japanese spice blend called furikake, sesame seeds and dried flakes of nori (seaweed) finish off this dish that is criminally addictive and clean tasting. Interestingly, very similar to poké is the Korean dish called hoedeopbap that consists of marinated raw tuna served over rice.
Ceviche from Peru
Over the last decade or so the popularity of this paradoxically raw, yet ‘cooked’ fish dish from Peru has reached dizzying heights. This seemingly simple dish is a complex preparation made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, and spiced with ají chillies and other seasonings including chopped onions, salt, and coriander. It is the all-important citrus that cooks the fish, turning its translucent flesh into a milky opaque. Ceviche is usually accompanied by side dishes that complement its flavours such as sweet potato, lettuce, roasted corn kernels called cancha and the current hipster chic craze—avocado!
Kokoda from Fiji
Coming to us straight from the swaying coconut trees and cool waters of the lush Fijian islands, this raw fish dish celebrates two of the island’s greatest resources—coconuts and its abundant seafood. Pronounced ko-kon-da, kokoda is a refreshing salad-appetizer that’s perfect after a day swimming the cerulean ocean. Just like a ceviche, cubed white fish like snapper, walu or mahi mahi is first marinated in a citrus mixture so that it cures and cooks and then a splash of cooling coconut cream is added to give the dish its creamy consistency. Diced tomatoes and a few fronds of coriander finish off this dish that is always served in a hollowed-out coconut shell.
Crudo and Carpaccio from Italy
Literally meaning ‘crude’ or ‘raw’ in Italian, crudo is a super popular and versatile raw fish dish from Italy that can be anything from slices of raw fish drizzled over with olive oil and seasoning, to a chopped version just like a steak tartare that’s always topped with an egg yolk. Similarly, fish carpaccio is the pescatarian version of the thinly sliced raw beef dish of the same name that was invented in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice and named in honour of Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian painter known for his characteristic red and white tones.
Yusheng from China
Literally meaning “raw fish” the dish is basically a Cantonese-style raw fish salad consisting of strips of raw fish mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Also known as the “prosperity toss”, yusheng has been a Cantonese favourite for decades with the most common form being the qicai yusheng (seven-coloured raw fish salad) served in local restaurants during the Chinese New Year period. And although versions of it are thought to have existed in ancient China, the contemporary version was created and popularised in the 1960s.
Kinilaw from the Philippines
An interesting raw fish dish that is closely related to not one but two dishes on this list, kinilaw from the Philippines borrows elements from both a ceviche and a kokoda. Hailing from the Visayan region of the archipelago, the name kinilaw is derived from the word, “kilaw”, which means raw or uncooked. Just like a ceviche, the seafood is ‘cooked’ without the application of heat but is rather cured in vinegar. Additional souring agents like the native calamansi (a lime-orange like fruit), tamarind, or green mangoes are added to enhance its tartness. To complete the dish, black pepper, onions, ginger, seaweed and sliced chilies are also added. And in some parts of the country, just like a kokoda, a dash of coconut milk or cream is added to give the dish a creamy, sweetish send-off!
(A differently edited version of this piece was first published in the November 2020 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Something's Fishy...
Imparting a distinctly umami flavour, fermented fish as a seasoning agent can be found in sauces, pastes and powders, right from the Far East to the Middle East--with even the West having its fair share of iterpretations, some dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times.
By Raul Dias
Bereft of the brassy boldness of Barcelona and the hedonistic lure of Ibiza, Tarifa is a mere blip on Spain's tourist radar. But for the adventure sports traveller, this tiny town in the Adalucian province of Cádiz on the southernmost coast of mainland Spain is nothing short of an adrenaline-saturated Valhalla. But besides being one of the world's most popular wind sporting destinations, Tarifa zealously guards a secret close to its heart...
Garum. All along the sea shore west of Tarifa, among the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Baelo Claudia, one can find what used to be several factories for the preparation of garum or fish sauce, which was once the main industry of the town. Long before fermentation became the buzz word in cookery that it is today, the Romans, Greeks and Byzantines had perfected the art of manufacturing garum, a much-prized condiment used in dishes like lamb stew for example, as noted down in the ancient Roman cookbook Apicius compiled in the late 4th Century AD.
The Romans made garum by adding copious amounts of salt to tiny fish like mullets and fish intestines. All this, left in earthen jars to ferment and liquify for a few weeks. In fact, a few such garum jars were even discovered amidst the ruins of Pompeii! Once the mild-flavoured, natural amino acid monosodium glutamate (MSG)-rich liquid was siphoned out, the rest of the concentrated garum evaporated down to a thick paste that was called muria--an inferior product sold off cheap to the poor to add heft and flavour to their bland gruel.
In Cetara, the small fishing village in Italy's southern region of Campania, garum's modern-day interpretation colatura di alici is made much in the same way. This amber-hued seasonal sauce is made from anchovies fished off the Amalfi Coast between March 25 which is the Feast of Annunciation and July 22 that sees the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Doused over pasta and even over a pizza Napoletana, it is also not uncommon to see the local Cetaranians drizzle a few drops of the super-fishy colatura over their gelato!
Mahyaveh (or mehiawah depending on the region) is what the people of the Middle East call their version of fish sauce that has a distinctly spicy hit to it. In the southern part of Iran, especially in Larestan and Hormozgan, once fermented, the liquid of the sardines-anchovie-salt slurry is mixed with mustard and other spices, like cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, black pepper and thyme. In the Persian Gulf archipelago nation of Bahrain mehiawah forms an intergral part of the daily breakfast routine wherein breads like khubooz and the triangular donut-like zinjubari are dipped into a mixture of the fish sauce along with herbs like za'atar and sumac before eating.
The prowess of nam pla or Thai fish sauce as a flavouring agent is a well-documented one, as are its other South East Asian counterparts that show us the condiment's multi-faceted nature. Sauces similar to nam pla are nuoc mam (flavoured with red chillies and lime juice) in Vietnam, nam pha in Laos, hom ha in China, saeu chot in Korea and shitsuru in Japan.
Speaking of Japan, katsuobushi which is dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna finds itself at the very epicenter of one of the country's most revered 'master stocks'--dashi. The umami-rich fulcrum of any soup, main dish and dipping sauce, dashi is made by steeping kombu (edible kelp) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi) in boiling water and extracting the decoction by passing it through a fine cheesecloth.
Though not in the same league as fish sauce, but fiendishly popular nonetheless, the Cantonese oyster sauce is more on the sweeter side with a thicker, viscous body to it. This highly-processed sauce is made from the extract of oysters and mixed with sugar, corn starch, caramel, colouring agents and even industrial MSG, in some cases.
And though they have their own version of a fish sauce called patis, the Filipinos place their beloved bagoong alamang above all else. More like a pickle, this fermented paste is made with shrimp or krill that are mixed with salt and the bright red yeast rice called angkak that hastens the fertmentation process, besides lending to it a lurid magenta pink colour. Almost every dish in the Philippines from the peanut-redolent kare-kare ox tail stew to the vegetable dish pinakbet has a splodge of bagoong added to it for both flavour and texture.
What bagoong alamang is to the Philippines, the crumbly, powdery belachan is to Malaysia. This supremely pungent, funky smelling condiment is made from tiny shrimp mixed with salt and then fermented. The paste is then ground into a smoother paste, then sun dried, shaped into blocks, and allowed to ferment again. Once ready to be intruducted to a host of preparations like curries and laksas, a piece of the belachan brick is chiseled off, wrapped in a piece of aluminium foil and roasted over a pan till crumbly to the touch. Exactly similar to the belachan in both preparation and use is the Indonesian trassie that can also be made from a species of small fish called ikan, besides oedang or shrimp.
Known by its moniker of 'Cambodian Cheese', prahok is in a league of its own as it is also a fish substitute, while being a flavouring agent at the same time. This greyish tinted fresh paste is made from crushed, salted and fermented mud fish and stands in for fresh fish when the supply of the latter ebbs during the rainy season. One of Cambodia's most popluar dishes prahok ang sees prahok mixed with minced pork, spices and herbs like lemongrass, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed into a meat cake of sorts.
What the Fish!?
Interestingly, two table-side condiments that are intrinsic parts of our diet today, have, or at least have had at some point of time, fish as one of their ingredients:
* Ketchup
Adapted from the recipe of the ancient 17th Century koechiap sauce that originated in the Hokkien region of southeastern China, and that was made from a mix of pickled fish, mushrooms, soy sauce and spices. It was only in the 20th Century that ketchup as we know it today began to have pureed tomatoes added to it, omitting the pickled fish.
* Worcestershire sauce
Created in the 1830s by John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, chemists from Worcestershire, England, the original version of the sauce (that's still sold under the brand 'The Original & Genuine Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce') was made from molasses, sugar, tamarind extract and anchovies among other ingredients.
(A shorter, differently edited version of this article appeared in the 24th February 2018 issue of the Mint Lounge newspaper, India on page 8 http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/vviXPCrU0r99PZsovXqY4M/Somethings-fishy.html)
By Raul Dias
Bereft of the brassy boldness of Barcelona and the hedonistic lure of Ibiza, Tarifa is a mere blip on Spain's tourist radar. But for the adventure sports traveller, this tiny town in the Adalucian province of Cádiz on the southernmost coast of mainland Spain is nothing short of an adrenaline-saturated Valhalla. But besides being one of the world's most popular wind sporting destinations, Tarifa zealously guards a secret close to its heart...
Garum. All along the sea shore west of Tarifa, among the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Baelo Claudia, one can find what used to be several factories for the preparation of garum or fish sauce, which was once the main industry of the town. Long before fermentation became the buzz word in cookery that it is today, the Romans, Greeks and Byzantines had perfected the art of manufacturing garum, a much-prized condiment used in dishes like lamb stew for example, as noted down in the ancient Roman cookbook Apicius compiled in the late 4th Century AD.
The Romans made garum by adding copious amounts of salt to tiny fish like mullets and fish intestines. All this, left in earthen jars to ferment and liquify for a few weeks. In fact, a few such garum jars were even discovered amidst the ruins of Pompeii! Once the mild-flavoured, natural amino acid monosodium glutamate (MSG)-rich liquid was siphoned out, the rest of the concentrated garum evaporated down to a thick paste that was called muria--an inferior product sold off cheap to the poor to add heft and flavour to their bland gruel.
In Cetara, the small fishing village in Italy's southern region of Campania, garum's modern-day interpretation colatura di alici is made much in the same way. This amber-hued seasonal sauce is made from anchovies fished off the Amalfi Coast between March 25 which is the Feast of Annunciation and July 22 that sees the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Doused over pasta and even over a pizza Napoletana, it is also not uncommon to see the local Cetaranians drizzle a few drops of the super-fishy colatura over their gelato!
Mahyaveh (or mehiawah depending on the region) is what the people of the Middle East call their version of fish sauce that has a distinctly spicy hit to it. In the southern part of Iran, especially in Larestan and Hormozgan, once fermented, the liquid of the sardines-anchovie-salt slurry is mixed with mustard and other spices, like cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, black pepper and thyme. In the Persian Gulf archipelago nation of Bahrain mehiawah forms an intergral part of the daily breakfast routine wherein breads like khubooz and the triangular donut-like zinjubari are dipped into a mixture of the fish sauce along with herbs like za'atar and sumac before eating.
The prowess of nam pla or Thai fish sauce as a flavouring agent is a well-documented one, as are its other South East Asian counterparts that show us the condiment's multi-faceted nature. Sauces similar to nam pla are nuoc mam (flavoured with red chillies and lime juice) in Vietnam, nam pha in Laos, hom ha in China, saeu chot in Korea and shitsuru in Japan.
Speaking of Japan, katsuobushi which is dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna finds itself at the very epicenter of one of the country's most revered 'master stocks'--dashi. The umami-rich fulcrum of any soup, main dish and dipping sauce, dashi is made by steeping kombu (edible kelp) and kezurikatsuo (shavings of katsuobushi) in boiling water and extracting the decoction by passing it through a fine cheesecloth.
Though not in the same league as fish sauce, but fiendishly popular nonetheless, the Cantonese oyster sauce is more on the sweeter side with a thicker, viscous body to it. This highly-processed sauce is made from the extract of oysters and mixed with sugar, corn starch, caramel, colouring agents and even industrial MSG, in some cases.
And though they have their own version of a fish sauce called patis, the Filipinos place their beloved bagoong alamang above all else. More like a pickle, this fermented paste is made with shrimp or krill that are mixed with salt and the bright red yeast rice called angkak that hastens the fertmentation process, besides lending to it a lurid magenta pink colour. Almost every dish in the Philippines from the peanut-redolent kare-kare ox tail stew to the vegetable dish pinakbet has a splodge of bagoong added to it for both flavour and texture.
What bagoong alamang is to the Philippines, the crumbly, powdery belachan is to Malaysia. This supremely pungent, funky smelling condiment is made from tiny shrimp mixed with salt and then fermented. The paste is then ground into a smoother paste, then sun dried, shaped into blocks, and allowed to ferment again. Once ready to be intruducted to a host of preparations like curries and laksas, a piece of the belachan brick is chiseled off, wrapped in a piece of aluminium foil and roasted over a pan till crumbly to the touch. Exactly similar to the belachan in both preparation and use is the Indonesian trassie that can also be made from a species of small fish called ikan, besides oedang or shrimp.
Known by its moniker of 'Cambodian Cheese', prahok is in a league of its own as it is also a fish substitute, while being a flavouring agent at the same time. This greyish tinted fresh paste is made from crushed, salted and fermented mud fish and stands in for fresh fish when the supply of the latter ebbs during the rainy season. One of Cambodia's most popluar dishes prahok ang sees prahok mixed with minced pork, spices and herbs like lemongrass, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed into a meat cake of sorts.
What the Fish!?
Interestingly, two table-side condiments that are intrinsic parts of our diet today, have, or at least have had at some point of time, fish as one of their ingredients:
* Ketchup
Adapted from the recipe of the ancient 17th Century koechiap sauce that originated in the Hokkien region of southeastern China, and that was made from a mix of pickled fish, mushrooms, soy sauce and spices. It was only in the 20th Century that ketchup as we know it today began to have pureed tomatoes added to it, omitting the pickled fish.
* Worcestershire sauce
Created in the 1830s by John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, chemists from Worcestershire, England, the original version of the sauce (that's still sold under the brand 'The Original & Genuine Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce') was made from molasses, sugar, tamarind extract and anchovies among other ingredients.
(A shorter, differently edited version of this article appeared in the 24th February 2018 issue of the Mint Lounge newspaper, India on page 8 http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/vviXPCrU0r99PZsovXqY4M/Somethings-fishy.html)
Thursday, April 6, 2017
COOKING WITH CAMBAY TIGER: Cambay Tiger’s Ready to Cook Range and More…
 |
| Cambay Tiger's fab new range of ready-to-cook products |
By Raul Dias
Who doesn’t
like the convenience of simply ripping apart a bag and rustling up lip-smacking
seafood dishes minus the inconvenience of going through the whole cumbersome
process of dealing with scaling, gutting, de-veining, slicing and marinating
aforementioned seafood? I sure don't! Which is precisely why this week I bring to you the
super-efficient and very tasty range of Cambay
Tiger’s ready-to-cook seafood products.
All thought the last week I’ve been testing (and yes tasting!) almost their entire range of products so that I can truly and honestly be able to objectively judge and speak of them. And my verdict? They truly are fabulous and will shave a lot of hours off your cooking time, as they did mine. The delivery schedule was bang on time and all my orders came to me super fresh, as though they’d been caught on that very same day!
While I particularly loved the freshness and unctuous mouthfeel of the Omega-3 fatty acid-rich Atlantic salmon
All thought the last week I’ve been testing (and yes tasting!) almost their entire range of products so that I can truly and honestly be able to objectively judge and speak of them. And my verdict? They truly are fabulous and will shave a lot of hours off your cooking time, as they did mine. The delivery schedule was bang on time and all my orders came to me super fresh, as though they’d been caught on that very same day!
While I particularly loved the freshness and unctuous mouthfeel of the Omega-3 fatty acid-rich Atlantic salmon
Here’s the range of some of the products up close and personal:
 |
| Fish Pakodas made with basa |
 |
| Fish Fingers |
 |
| Chilli Fish Fingers |
 |
| Fish sheekh kababs |
 |
| Chilli-basil basa |
 |
| Lemon pepper basa |
 |
| Tandoori prawn skewers |
 |
| Garlic butter prawns |
I also want to urge you to visit Cambay Tiger’s well-designed and easy to navigate, brand new e-commerce site www.cambaytiger.com that now serves live, raw, ready-to-cook and frozen seafood. Live seafood initially includes tilapia and mud crabs, while raw would include crustaceans, including prawns, exotic fish such as Atlantic salmon that’s flown in all the way from Norway, fresh water fish such as catla, tilapia and hilsa and sea water fish such as Indian salmon, seer (surmai)
Cambay Tiger’s callout line to its customers has been ‘our fish hasn’t been to
the fish market so shouldn’t you’. And I couldn’t agree more to that. Amen!
Goan Prawn Curry
(serves four)
Ingredients:
750 gm Cambay Tiger medium sized prawns (without tails)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chilli powder
1½ tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp salt
800 ml fresh or canned coconut milk
2 tsp tamarind pulp
4 tsp sugar, or to taste
2 green chillies, sliced lengthways
A few fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
* Pour the oil into a large non-stick pan, about 25 cm in diameter, and set it over a medium heat.
* Put in the onion and brown for about five minutes.
* Add the garlic and fry for a further three minutes, then tip in the cumin, chilli powder, coriander and salt.
* Reduce the heat and mix well for one minute. Pour in the coconut milk and spoon in the tamarind pulp and add the sugar.
* Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it is thick. Mix in the prawns and chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are just opaque and cooked through, then serve garnished with a few coriander leaves and accompanied by steamed or boiled rice.
* Pour the oil into a large non-stick pan, about 25 cm in diameter, and set it over a medium heat.
* Put in the onion and brown for about five minutes.
* Add the garlic and fry for a further three minutes, then tip in the cumin, chilli powder, coriander and salt.
* Reduce the heat and mix well for one minute. Pour in the coconut milk and spoon in the tamarind pulp and add the sugar.
* Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it is thick. Mix in the prawns and chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are just opaque and cooked through, then serve garnished with a few coriander leaves and accompanied by steamed or boiled rice.
(Recipe
developed for Cambay Tiger by Ann Dias & Raul Dias)
For
more information, please contact Cambay Tiger at:
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Call - +91-7071707170, 022-67906787 for free home delivery of Cambay Tiger’s range of products
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Call - +91-7071707170, 022-67906787 for free home delivery of Cambay Tiger’s range of products
Store
addresses and contacts:
Lokhandwala
Shop no. 8, Grenville CHS Ltd., Plot no. 98-A/116, Opp. Samarth Vaibhav, Lokhandwala, Andheri (w), Mumbai 400053
Shop no. 8, Grenville CHS Ltd., Plot no. 98-A/116, Opp. Samarth Vaibhav, Lokhandwala, Andheri (w), Mumbai 400053
Bandra
Shop No 1, Kenwood Cooperative Housing Society, Ambedkar Road, Near Zig Zag Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
Shop No 1, Kenwood Cooperative Housing Society, Ambedkar Road, Near Zig Zag Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
Delhi
B-87, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Block B, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024
B-87, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Block B, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024
Pune
S No 199 Pl 95 Shop No 5/6, Gulmohar Regency Viman Nagar, Pune 411032
S No 199 Pl 95 Shop No 5/6, Gulmohar Regency Viman Nagar, Pune 411032
Cambay Tiger Products
Available in Nature's Basket, HyperCity, Star Bazaar, Aditya Birla More, Big
Bazaar, Nilgiri's in all metro cities pan India.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
COOKING WITH CAMBAY TIGER: Meet and eat with Cambay Tiger’s ‘live’ fish selection!
 |
| Counter at Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart |
By Raul Dias
While fitness
was on my mind last weekend, as I delved into the very interesting and
innovative range of Cambay Tiger’s Fitness Packs in last Friday’s post, this week I wanted to highlight a very cool
concept that’s unique to this seafood brand! Now, the Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart or CTSM
for short is an exclusive lifestyle seafood retail outlet from the WestCoast
Group—which, as you may be aware, is India’s only fully-integrated aquaculture
and seafood company [see note on
WestCoast ‘Cage Culture’ below].
 |
| WestCoast Cage Culture fish farms at Varasgaon, near Pune |
What’s interesting, is that the Bandra and Lokhandwala stores of Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart in Mumbai differentiates the brand from its competitors in that they mainly sell seafood that comes from their farms. This is done with the aim of giving to their customers a true farm-to-fork experience with guaranteed traceability. As for the fish that they don’t farm, Cambay Tiger buys them directly from local fishermen whom they teach how to keep the catch fresh and viable till it reaches the stores. They then pick only then best. And that’s the very aspect of freshness that made me super curious about the operations of the CTSM model.
 |
| A tilapia harvest in progress |
And so, one excruciatingly hot pre-summer afternoon, I made my way uptown to check out the Lokhandwala Complex store. The ambience, design, display and human resources at the store have been very well-tailored to give the customer a first-of-its-kind seafood experience in India and one that I’d hitherto only experienced at large supermarket and specialty seafood stores on my trips to the US and Europe.
The Lokhandwala mart along with its Bandra counterpart offers a trifecta of chilled, frozen and get his…live seafood! (This live purchase facility is also available at HyperCity in Malad, Mumbai and HyperCity in Vashi that stock Cambay Tiger). Yes, I was surprised to find a dozen or so Indian basa and tilapia in a variety of sizes swimming happily in a large wall-embedded glass tank. The staff at the mart are skillfully trained to humanely cull the fish of your choice, gut them, clean them and slice them in pieces, filets or even whole as per the customer’s specifications.
 |
| Tilapia in tanks |
As for me, I preferred to get an already on ice medium-sized tilapia that was superbly fileted into four filets in a matter of minutes, trimmed, washed, vacuum packed and handed over to me. My plan was to return home and try out for dinner, a grilled tilapia summer recipe I’d been waiting to cook, using a zesty mango salsa that my grilled tilapia filets would be anointed with [see recipe below].
 |
| The Cambay Tiger Bandra store |
The range of fish and seafood available at the mart was staggering to say the very least. It included, besides the aforementioned Indian basa and tilapia, white prawns, seer fish, black pomfret, mud crabs, sardines, lady fish, Chinese pomfret, silver pomfret, silver anchovies, rawas, mackerel, rohu, catla along with Atlantic salmon that’s flown in all the way from Norway.
 |
| Workers at Cambay Tiger's shrimp processing plant at Surat |
At the mart, you can also shop for accompanying items such as rubs, seasonings, marinades, spray on herb oils, canned fish and regional fish pickles.
 |
| An inside view of Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart with live tilapia tanks above |
Now that’s truly from farm to fork!
Grilled Tilapia and Mango Salsa
(serves four)
Ingredients:
4 Cambay Tiger tilapia fillets
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped semi-ripe mango
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp orange juice
4 tsp minced jalapeno
4 tsp minced red onion
2 tsp minced red capsicum
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp ground black pepper
Method:
* Stir the olive oil, garlic, basil, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Put the tilapia fillets in a resealable plastic bag; pour the olive oil mixture over the fillets and seal the bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.
* Make the salsa by stirring the mango, lime juice, orange juice, jalapeno, red onion, red capsicum, coriander leaves, and black pepper together in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavours to blend.
* Preheat the grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
* Remove the tilapia from the marinade, shaking off any excess oil, and wrap each fillet in a piece of aluminum foil.
* Cook the tilapia on the preheated grill until the flesh easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Spoon the salsa over the tilapia to serve.
(Recipe
developed for Cambay Tiger by Raul Dias)
For
more information, please contact Cambay Tiger at:
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Call - +91-7071707170, 022-67906787 for free home delivery of Cambay Tiger’s range of products
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Call - +91-7071707170, 022-67906787 for free home delivery of Cambay Tiger’s range of products
Store
addresses and contacts:
Lokhandwala
Shop no. 8, Grenville CHS Ltd., Plot no. 98-A/116, Opp. Samarth Vaibhav, Lokhandwala, Andheri (w), Mumbai 400053
Shop no. 8, Grenville CHS Ltd., Plot no. 98-A/116, Opp. Samarth Vaibhav, Lokhandwala, Andheri (w), Mumbai 400053
Bandra
Shop No 1, Kenwood Cooperative Housing Society, Ambedkar Road, Near Zig Zag Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
Delhi
B-87, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Block B, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024
Pune
S No 199 Pl 95 Shop No 5/6, Gulmohar Regency Viman Nagar, Pune 411032
Cambay Tiger Products Available in Nature's Basket, HyperCity, Star Bazaar, Aditya Birla More, Big Bazaar, Nilgiri's in all metro cities pan India.
WestCoast Cage Culture – Pilot
Project for the Maharashtra Government
·
WestCoast has taken on lease near
Pune, 1200 hectare Varasgaon reservoir and 800 hectare Panshet reservoir for fish
(in cage) culture. WC has received permission from Maharashtra state fisheries
department for utilising 1% of these water bodies for cage culture.
·
WestCoast has plans to replicate its successful shrimp model in
fish i.e. the fully integrated, hatcheries to retail model. The company sees a
huge potential in the business as the world is moving away from sea caught fish
to farmed fish.
·
The company currently has put up 160 cages
at Varasgaon and Panshet. The idea is to gradually increase the number of cages
up to 2,000 in the next 2 years. For Tilapia and Pangasius culture, each cage
is 5 meters x 5 meters x 3.5 meters with one cage being able to harvest
approximately 5 tonne fish per year.
·
At present Tilapia is reared in 110
cages and Pangasius in 50 cages.
·
The company plans to harvest 10,000 tonnes of
fish from these two reservoirs by the end of 2018.
·
Cage culture is a technique of rearing
fish in net enclosure with minimum predatory pressure. It is a technology which
is practiced in confined water bodies where the quality fish seed is reared
organically with well-monitored probiotic diet in pollution free environment.
·
Advantage with cage culture is – the
company has total control over the origin of the fish, the quality of
environment in which it grows, its diet, ensuring its overall goodness. This
also supports traceability, which the new market is very particular about
· They are also experimenting cage
culture of Seabass for the first time in India. They use small cages of
2mx2mx1m cage in which 1,200 kg of fish could be harvested in two crops per
year.
·
Live Tilapia is currently sold in
Mumbai at the company’s flagship fish retail outlet Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart
and major fish markets in Mumbai, a
first of its kind trend in the country
·
WestCoast also has plans to sell Cambay
Tiger branded Tilapia in the market to highlight traceability factor
About Tilapia -
·
Tilapia is the largest consumed fish
in the world with a global production of 45 lakh tons/year or 143 kg per
second.
·
Tilapia is the fourth largest
consumed fish in US, after shrimps, canned Tuna and Salmon and is popularly
known as aquatic chicken. It is quietly catching on popularity in Europe.
·
China, Egypt and Indonesia are the
major producers and exporters of Tilapia.
·
Tilapia is rich in proteins,
vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, and minerals. It helps in muscle
growth and development. It also benefits heart, bone and brains.
Tilapia Cage Culture – a game
changer-
·
Cage cultured Tilapia flesh does not
have typical odour that you get in wild caught or pond reared fish, making it
more & more popular among fish lovers.
·
WestCoast is primarily targeting
leading hotels and restaurants in metros with live Tilapia fish. It has
employed advanced transportation technology to transport live Tilapia in tanks,
so that the market gets the freshest fish.
·
Tilapia can be an excellent base fish
for value added fish based products such as fish fries, fish fingers, fish
cutlet, breaded fish, fish chips, grill fish, fish pakoda; and boneless fish
gravy-based dishes
·
Right now the market for base fish is
controlled by basa (Pangasius), mainly imported from Vietnam
Direct and Indirect benefits of the
project -
·
Promotes farm-to-fork model in fish.
·
Promotion of Cage culture helps tap
4.5 million hectare fresh water resources for fish production and thereby
increase consumption of healthy proteins in the country. Maharashtra has 3.5
lakh hectare which is suitable for cage culture. Per year fish consumption of
the world is 18.4kg per capita, and in India it is less than 2kg.
·
In line with Prime Minister Modi’s
‘Make In India’ concept, as against the current practise of importing fish
·
Employment generation - for every 10
cages, 3 people are required
·
Make fish available to market at
highly economic rates
·
Guarantees traceability and hygiene
·
Helps in controlling overfishing in
oceans and rivers, which is causing extinction of fish and environmental
degradation.
·
Enables sale of live fish and develops
a consumer behaviour trend of buying live fish from the market
Thursday, March 23, 2017
COOKING WITH CAMBAY TIGER: Cambay Tiger’s Fabulous new ‘Fitness Packs'
By Raul Dias
I’m one of those people who loves to eat fish. But I’m also
one of those who want nothing to do with the whole ensuing drama it takes to
get a nice piece of the sea’s bounty onto our plates. I mean, I can never see
myself trooping down to the nearest fish market, haggling over the price of the
day’s catch with a garrulous fish monger, leave alone scaling, gutting and
filleting aforementioned fish!
So, I was elated to say the very least when the nice people at West Coast Fine Foods (India) Pvt. Ltd.—the manufacturers of the very cool Cambay Tiger range of pre-packed frozen, fresh and even live(!!) seafood—got in touch with me to associate with them on their amazing range of products for a series of weekend projects that you’ll be soon seeing more of here at raulontheprowl and on my other social media outlets. What I’ll be doing is not only telling you all about what I think of their products, but also providing you with simple, easy to follow recipes that I’ve developed using Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart’s bouquet of seafood products.
So, for this weekend, I’ve decided to get with the fitness aspect of eating fish and talk to you about the superbly conceptualised Cambay Tiger Fitness Packs:
Now, we all must be aware, fish, rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, has become the new age medicine. Nutritionists suggest that consumption of fish in optimum amounts on a regular basis could help in curing a particular ailment, enhance one’s complexion and yes, aid in weight loss. Fish such as salmon, seer, tilapia and seabass have been proved good for your heart; Indian salmon is also good for your eyes; red snapper is good for skin; tilapia is good for the heart, muscles, brain and bones, while tuna is perfect for those seeking to aid in weight loss and to enhance the immune system.
Taking this knowledge to a new level. Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart—the country’s leading fish retailer has come up with special health and beauty fish packages called the Cambay Tiger Fitness Packs. These packages have been recommended by nutritionists after detailed research and include…
So, I was elated to say the very least when the nice people at West Coast Fine Foods (India) Pvt. Ltd.—the manufacturers of the very cool Cambay Tiger range of pre-packed frozen, fresh and even live(!!) seafood—got in touch with me to associate with them on their amazing range of products for a series of weekend projects that you’ll be soon seeing more of here at raulontheprowl and on my other social media outlets. What I’ll be doing is not only telling you all about what I think of their products, but also providing you with simple, easy to follow recipes that I’ve developed using Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart’s bouquet of seafood products.
So, for this weekend, I’ve decided to get with the fitness aspect of eating fish and talk to you about the superbly conceptualised Cambay Tiger Fitness Packs:
Now, we all must be aware, fish, rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, has become the new age medicine. Nutritionists suggest that consumption of fish in optimum amounts on a regular basis could help in curing a particular ailment, enhance one’s complexion and yes, aid in weight loss. Fish such as salmon, seer, tilapia and seabass have been proved good for your heart; Indian salmon is also good for your eyes; red snapper is good for skin; tilapia is good for the heart, muscles, brain and bones, while tuna is perfect for those seeking to aid in weight loss and to enhance the immune system.
Taking this knowledge to a new level. Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart—the country’s leading fish retailer has come up with special health and beauty fish packages called the Cambay Tiger Fitness Packs. These packages have been recommended by nutritionists after detailed research and include…
·
Red snapper and Indian salmon (each twice a
week) for beauty enhancement.
·
Red snapper and surmai (each twice a week) for
weight loss
·
Tuna (thrice a week) for muscle building
·
Tilapia (thrice a week) for bone health
·
Indian salmon (thrice a week) for general
fitness
·
Sea bass and surmai (each twice a week) for
cholesterol management
·
Indian salmon and tuna (each twice a week) for
eye care
A few key facts about the various kinds of fish and their
benefits:
·
Protein found in salmon is easily digestible and
omega-3 fatty acids helps lowering cholesterol. It also protects us against
kidney cancer.
·
Tuna fish has very high levels of omega-3 fatty
acids, which help to reduce omega-6 fatty acids and cholesterol in the arteries
and blood vessels.
·
Seer fish contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty
acids, which lower triglyceride levels as well as help reduce inflammation
throughout the body and support brain health.
·
Sea Bass is an excellent source of protein,
selenium, vitamins and essential omega-3 fatty acids. It helps produce
antioxidants and to synthesize thyroid hormones.
·
Tilapia help reduce weight, boost overall
metabolism, build strong bones, reduce the risk of various chronic diseases,
lower triglyceride levels, prevent arthritis, protect against cognitive
decline.
·
Red snapper is a low-calorie, lean source of
protein that is rich in selenium, vitamin A, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.
The packages are delivered at your doorstep free of charge
(call +91-7071707170 or log on to www.cambaytiger.com)
and come pre-marinated in three yummy falvours—chilli basil, spring onion and
herbs and my personal favourite lemon pepper! Believe me, I’ve tried them all
and they are the perfect packages where all you need to do to get your diet
right, is to rip open a pack and grill the fish for 3-4 minutes and serve with
a healthy selection of accompaniments (see
recipe below).
The packages can also be subscribed at the Bandra (in pic above) and Lokhandwala, Mumbai stores of Cambay Tiger Seafood Mart.
Grilled Salmon with Tzatziki and Sautéed Vegetables
(serves one)
Ingredients:
200gms (1 pack) Cambay Tiger salmon in a lemon pepper marinade
2tsp olive oil
50gm zucchini cubes
50gm butternut squash cubes
50gm baby potatoes (boiled with skin on)
100gm low fat greek-style yogurt
25gm grated cucumber
25gm finely chopped onion
10gm chopped dill
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Ingredients:
200gms (1 pack) Cambay Tiger salmon in a lemon pepper marinade
2tsp olive oil
50gm zucchini cubes
50gm butternut squash cubes
50gm baby potatoes (boiled with skin on)
100gm low fat greek-style yogurt
25gm grated cucumber
25gm finely chopped onion
10gm chopped dill
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
* In a non-stick pan grill the pre-marinated Cambay Tiger salmon (or any other variety of your liking!) with 1tsp olive oil for 3 minute on each side. Keep aside on a warm plate.
* In the same pan, lightly sauté the zucchini and butternut squash cubes along with the baby potatoes in the remaining 1tsp olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
* For the tzatziki sauce, in a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, chopped onion and dill, keeping aside a few sprigs of dill for garnish. Season with salt and pepper.
* In a plate, put the fish, veggies and drizzle over with the tzatziki sauce and garnish with a sprig of dill and serve.
* In a non-stick pan grill the pre-marinated Cambay Tiger salmon (or any other variety of your liking!) with 1tsp olive oil for 3 minute on each side. Keep aside on a warm plate.
* In the same pan, lightly sauté the zucchini and butternut squash cubes along with the baby potatoes in the remaining 1tsp olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
* For the tzatziki sauce, in a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, chopped onion and dill, keeping aside a few sprigs of dill for garnish. Season with salt and pepper.
* In a plate, put the fish, veggies and drizzle over with the tzatziki sauce and garnish with a sprig of dill and serve.
(Recipe developed for Cambay Tiger by Raul Dias)
For more information, please
contact Cambay Tiger at:
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Website - https://www.cambaytiger.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cambaytiger/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cambaytiger/?hl=en
Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/cambaytiger/?eq=cambay%20tiger&etslf=7241
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Cambay_Tiger
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)