Shark Ambotik

My hubby got some fresh shark meat from Asian store last weekend, so I thought of trying  Shark Ambotik,   a  delicious and extremely  flavorful dish well known for its TANGY and SPICY taste. "Ambot" meaning TANGY and "tik" meaning SPICY is a Popular Goan cuisine which goes extremely well with  SHARK  meat because of it's strong flavor. There are a lot of variations to prepare a Ambotik curry with fish like Pomfret, Mackerel, Sardines , but I felt this version to be the best as the strong flavors of Shark meat compliments the tangy and spicy taste of the gravy. I have improvised the recipe adding a little  sugar to enhance the flavors of the dish, also used kokum petals instead of tamarind.

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time :  20 minutes
Serves : 5







There has been a lot of assumptions regarding the usability of Shark meat. So I did a  little research  beforehand, when I came across this nice article in this website NEFSC Fish FAQ .It states "Shark meat is palatable and nutritious if properly prepared. In some countries shark meat is marketed under its common name, in others it is marketed under various names. The fish in England's "fish and chips" is sometimes dogfish or school shark (although this would be considered low quality "fish & chips". True "fish and chips" consists of cod, haddock (the 2 most popular) and also plaice). The prejudice against shark meat arises from a distaste for the scavenging habits people attribute to sharks, and to the fact that the meat spoils quickly. The meat of certain species is apt to be strongly flavored, a characteristic that may be reduced by icing for 24 hours, then soaking for two hours in brine Dry salted shark has become a staple food in some countries where salt cod was formerly popular. But shark liver should never be eaten - its high concentrations of vitamins can cause illness in humans. It is only a rumor that the hammerhead is poisonous."

I have been extremely busy for the past couple of weeks. We just shifted to our new apartment and kind of settling down.  Last weekend the climate was just fantastic , so we decided to take a stroll in the park.  My daughter took her First riding lesson from her dad which also happens to be MY FIRST CLICK with my new Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens :-) T2i is my first Digital SLR camera and so far, I loved it because of it's great picture quality and ease of use.  Especially loved the "landscape" mode, great for outdoor shootings ,the green and the blues become more vivid than the Full auto mode !!!  Included a few snaps from our visit to the park at the end post, do check it out !!! Now coming to the Recipe....

Ingredients :

• a little more than a lb. of Shark meat, cut into 2" cubes
• 7 to 8 shallots, chopped lengthwise
• 8 to 10 kokum petals
• A handful of grated coconut and 1tsp of coriander seeds , dry roasted to a golden brown color and made into a fine paste.
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, as required

Ingredients for the masala:

• 1/2 of a medium sized onion, coarsely chopped
• 6 to 7 whole Kashmiri Red chilies or 1 and 1/2 tbsp of Kashmiri chili powder( increase or decrease the spice level according to your taste)
• 5 to 6 whole peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 to 5 cloves of  garlic
• 1, 1" piece of ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp of vinegar

Directions:

• Marinade the Shark meat with a pinch of salt, keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
• In the mean time, make a paste of all the ingredients for the masala.
• Heat a tbsp of oil in a wide bottomed skillet, add the shallots , fry till translucent, next add the ground masala along with the paste of roasted coconut and coriander seeds. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on a medium heat by constant stirring or until the raw smell of the spices vanish.
• Next, add 2 cups of water, salt and the kokum petals, cover and cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil.
• Lastly add the shark meat, cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on medium low.
• Serve hot with Rice.

A Few snaps from our visit to the Park. None of the pictures are edited . I have just started getting more into photography with my new camera, I would really appreciate your suggestions :-) 

During sunset.......

Sending Recipe for the event SYF&HWS-BLACK PEPPER-EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT in Biny's space.

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