Turmeric Crappie
by Vernon Summerlin
You can’t watch much TV without seeing the spice turmeric hyped as a new wonder drug. This seasoning from India has been ingested for tens of centuries to flavor curry among many other dishes. It’s only recently reached TV audiences claiming that it “may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence.” Studies affirm it can be beneficial but not in the amounts used as a spice in recipes. Scientists now believe that chronic low-level inflammation can play a role in some health conditions and diseases. These include heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and various degenerative conditions.
Turmeric contains compounds called curcuminoids. The most important one, curcumin, is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is a very strong antioxidant. However, the curcumin content of turmeric isn’t that high. It’s around three percent by weight. Most of the studies of this herb use turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding one gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using turmeric as a spice, that’s why some people choose to use supplements. Curcumin, however, is poorly absorbed into your bloodstream. To get the full effects of curcumin, its bio-availability (the rate at which your body absorbs a substance) needs help. Consuming it with black pepper, which contains piperine, enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000 percent making the best curcumin supplements containing piperine substantially more effective. Curcumin is also fat soluble, making it more readily dissolved in fat or oil. That’s why it may be a good idea to take curcumin supplements with a meal that’s high in fat, such as fried crappie.
Turmeric Crappie
- 1 pound crappie fillets
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
- 2 teaspoons soft light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 large shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chili-lime Cucumber Sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 small red chili, sliced
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely minced
- 5 ounces cucumber, peeled (if you prefer), and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cold water
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the fish sauce, ginger, sugar and turmeric with a generous grind of black pepper. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat them in the marinade, then set aside.
In a separate bowl combine all the chili-lime cucumber ingredients. Set aside.
Heat a large non-stick sauté or frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, shallots and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the shallots start to soften, then add the garlic. Fry for another 3–4 minutes. Scrape out of the pan into a bowl and set aside.
Return the turmeric pan to a medium heat with the remaining oil. Add the fish and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Return the shallots and garlic to the pan and add a spoonful of the chili-lime liquor from the cucumber. Lift the cucumber from the chili-lime dressing and divide it among plates, topping it with the fish and shallots. Scatter with the coriander and chopped toasted peanuts and spoon over a little more of the chili-lime liquor. Serve with rice or rice noodles and lime wedges and the remaining chili-lime dressing for spooning over.
To Serve
- 1 large handful of cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 ounce toasted peanuts roughly chopped
- Cooked rice or rice noodles
- Lime wedges
Toasted Nuts or Seeds
Because of their high fat content, nuts or seeds turn from a shade of golden to blackened and bitter in a matter of minutes. So try not to get distracted while you’re in the process and do trust your sense of smell, it’s a very good indicator as to when they’re done. Generally, I prefer to roast nuts and seeds in the oven. Their uneven shapes mean you get uneven results with dry-frying, whereas, roasting gives a good all-round color. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and check them after 6 minutes. Different nuts in different ovens will take shorter or longer. Sesame seeds are the one anomaly that is better to toast in a dry frying pan because they need to be tossed regularly during the toasting process.
