Fruit and Fish

[David Ross]

Tonight I did a dish of Grilled Sardines paired with Watermelon, Tuscan Cantaloupe, Olives and Feta. The garnishes were Mint, Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil. All nice ingredients on their own, but.....the end result wasn't very palatable. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Mint, Basil and Lemon are beautiful in a late summer salad. The Feta adds a nice salty tang. Maybe a touch of Melon Liqueur? But throw oily Sardines into the mix with sweet melon and it equals=YUCK. Grilled Sardines and a hint of Lemon are all I needed. Just not fruit.

So in the right combination, maybe a pineapple salsa with Hawaiian Ono, it could work. But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples. What do you think?

[David Ross]

Tonight I did a dish of Grilled Sardines paired with Watermelon, Tuscan Cantaloupe, Olives and Feta. The garnishes were Mint, Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil. All nice ingredients on their own, but.....the end result wasn't very palatable. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Mint, Basil and Lemon are beautiful in a late summer salad. The Feta adds a nice salty tang. Maybe a touch of Melon Liqueur? But throw oily Sardines into the mix with sweet melon and it equals=YUCK. Grilled Sardines and a hint of Lemon are all I needed. Just not fruit.

So in the right combination, maybe a pineapple salsa with Hawaiian Ono, it could work. But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples. What do you think?

The offensive pairing of Grilled Sardines and Melon...

[heidih]

As a fan of SE Asian cuisine I like fruit and savory, including the funkier items like oily fish in a dish. I think perhaps the issue in what you showed is the texture. A soft oily fish and a soft sweet melon offers no contrast in either texture or really flavor since fish is (to me) sweet. It looks like there are olives in there so that would add the bitter and salty element. Still I think the melon is too mild to cut any oiliness or pair in an intriguing way with the olives (if they are olives). Some good old fashioned pickled watermelon rind with the fish -yes?

[KarenDW]

With Sardines, I would try pickled cherries or other small fruit. The acid from the pickle is important, as is the salt. I've also served mango, peach, or nectarine chutney/salsa with grilled halibut and salmon; guests were pleased.

Usually I look for an acidic element to provide a foil for the fish.

[Tri2Cook]

This may be taking liberties with the theme, the debate seems to persist as to whether or not coconut is a fruit (by strict definition it pretty much has to be but I'm not an expert on the subject) and green banana is much less sweet than the ripe version, but I did this one a while back and it was well received...

escovitch cod - green banana porridge - coconut milk rundown - pickled red onion

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'm a huge fan of stuffing trout with peaches or apricots and sprinkling with cloves and allspice before grilling it. I think it depends heavily on the fish in question and also the fruit pairing.

[Broken English]

Mango and fish is sublime, I also love using an apple herb salad with fish. I typically use kingfish and Mahi mahi for hot preparations, or tuna and wahoo for raw dishes.

I think it depends on the style of fish, I'm not too sure how well the stronger tasting, oilier fish go with fruit, as I'm not a huge fan of fish like sardines.

[Blether]

Gooseberries (sharp fruit) are traditional with blue / oily fish, aren't they ?

[Jenni]

Tamarind and fish is definitely a combo that works.

[jackal10]

Sole Veronique

[sheepish]

Salmon with orange.

http://carolcookskeller.blogspot.com/2008/05/citrus-marinated-salmon-with-confit-of.html

Cerviche?

[nikkib]

Mackerel is beautiful with ajo blanco which is traditionally served with grapes or melon - as is mackeral with rhubarb or gooseberries as well.

[SylviaLovegren]

I'm a huge fan of stuffing trout with peaches or apricots and sprinkling with cloves and allspice before grilling it. I think it depends heavily on the fish in question and also the fruit pairing.

When I lived in the northwest US I used to cook whole salmon stuffed with onions and apples or peaches, depending on the season. But I didn't serve the stuffing with, it was just for a bit of flavoring for the fish while cooking.

Sardines and melon sounds simply awful, I have to admit.

Shrimp and coconut, of course, is classic. Love the Brazilian version and make it frequently.

[Peter the eater]

But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples

Salmon can go with cranberries or blueberries.

Ceviche gets citrus.

[judiu]

But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples

Salmon can go with cranberries or blueberries.

Ceviche gets citrus.

Not with Sauteed Apples, no, but apples cooked in a gastrique? Could be done...

[Jaymes]

But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples

Salmon can go with cranberries or blueberries.

Not with Sauteed Apples, no, but apples cooked in a gastrique? Could be done...

Actually, in some parts of the world (Alaska for sure) salmon is often barbecued, complete with a fairly-typical sweet-&-sour-type barbecue sauce, often containing citrus or other fruit juices. The salmon winds up with a flavor profile somewhat similar to barbecued pork. And it goes really well with sauteed apples.

As does salmon baked on apple- or cherry- or other fruit-wood planks.

I think of salmon as being a fish that does remarkably well with fruit.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[David Ross]

I do a salad of shaved pear, candied hazelnuts, bleu cheese, red onions and greens. Usually I do a simple vinaigrette. I'm thinking smoked trout may work well, but I'd probably just toast the hazelnuts and maybe change up the cheese so it's not too strong.

[djyee100]

Sardines, fresh anchovies, mackerel, and possibly bluefish might belong to a class in themselves--not only are they dark-fleshed and oily, but also somewhat liver-ish in their taste. At least to me, anyway. The other kinds of fish could pair well with an acidic or tart fruit like mango, a citrus, or tomatoes. Going back to your original dish, you could substitute another kind of fish, either a white fish or salmon, lose the cantaloupe and substitute a fruit with sharper acidity (nectarines? tomatoes?) and you probably would have something good.

Recently I tried this sardine dish at a restaurant: crispy fried sardines over cooked chickpeas and tender-crisp (lightly sauteed) onions, with a dressing of good olive oil, a dab of vinegar, and a drop of lemon oil. It was a variation on the classic tuna and beans combo. Very good! A possibility if you want to play more with sardines.

[threestars]

Tamarind and fish is definitely a combo that works.

+1 Agree with that. Good combination.

[David Ross]

How does the fish-tamarind combination actually play out in a recipe? Is it a fish stew? Fish glazed with tamarind paste?

[Jenni]

Tamarind can be used in a variety of ways and I am sure that it can be combined with fish in lots of forms. But the one I have come across most often is the use of tamarind in fish "curry", that is to say in a spiced fish "stew". Such dishes are common in South India and Sri Lanka, and I wouldn't be surprised if fish "curry" with tamarind is made in East Asia too.

Another fruit that is used instead of tamarind in such dishes and in fact I think is actually preferred is kodampuli. The latin name for this fruit is garcinia something-or-other. Either this or this wikipedia article is talking about it. Also, another fruit called kokum is also used for this purpose. I'm pretty sure that kodampuli and kokum are two different but related fruits. They certainly both have garcinia in the name...maybe they are in fact the same thing! It's a bit confusing and I don't pretend to have it clearly sorted in my head.

Here are a few recipes I found on google:

Andhra style, using tamarind

And anotherAndhra style dish with tamarind from a very well known blog

Two Kerala style recipes with kodampuli

Edited September 7, 2011 by Jenni (log)

[threestars]

Sinigang is one example of a recipe that uses tamarind as a base. And you can make varieties of main ingredients that will go with your Sinigang like Fish Sinigang, Pork Sinigang or Shrimp Sinigang. I love making Milkfish Belly Sinigang or locally called as Siningang na Bangus Belly.

[Darienne]

DH grills salmon with lime. Of course, I swear I could go for lime with pretty much anything.

[MaLO]

I ate this for lunch on Saturday. Steamed Bass, Candied Peel, Cirtus (grapefruit & orange), Endive - at The Orrery, London. It was quite good. I thought the candied peel a little odd, although it did work better with the other elements.

[threestars]

I love sardines and melons! Looks superb!