Tilapia baked with Tapioca (Serves 2)

There is little doubt that the combination of Kappa and Meen curry (Tapioca and fish curry) enjoys the status of being the signature dish of Kerala. It is healthy, have the key nutrients in the right proportion and is accessible to all. Once considered the main fuel of the working class, this dish now enjoys a cosmopolitan status and has slowly found its way from the road side thattukadas to the five star hotels. Here is a twist to the traditional kappa and meen, developed using modern cooking techniques. Hope you all enjoy this simple baked fish preparation…

Tilapia 2 fillets (you can use neimeen(king fish), karimeen(pearl spot) or ayala(mackerel))
Tapioca 1 cup, cooked with salt and turmeric and grated
Grated coconut 2 TBSP
Shallots ¼ cup, finely chopped
Green chilly 1 no, finely chopped
Ginger and garlic 1 tsp each, finely chopped
Egg 1 no
Juice of one lemon
Salt as needed
Black pepper powder ¼ tsp
Butter spray

Preparation

Clean and pat dry the tilapia fillets. Marinate the fish fillets with juice of one lemon, salt and pepper powder for about 10-15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add the grated tapioca, grated coconut, chopped shallots, green chilly, ginger and garlic. Add the egg and enough salt. Mix this well to combine.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil. Place the marinated fish and top the surface with the tapioca mixture evenly. Spray oil lightly and bake in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes at 400 F. Change the temperature to BROIL mode for the last 5 minutes of baking. Enjoy!!!

Cheers!!!
Suji