Last weekend was Callie’s last spent with us. She’s now back to work in Charlottesville. She and Elizabeth were marvelous guests, and we hope that they’ll return soon.

mustard sauce masala over black cod

I enjoy have guests from out of town every now and then. This way, we can see San Francisco through tourist-eyes and often we’ll do things that we wouldn’t otherwise. I especially liked the evening we took Callie to the top of Twin Peaks for panoramic city views and to contemplate the full moon. It was during that recent heat wave so the sky was perfectly clear and fog-less, and it was balmy! It lasted for about three days: perfect 85-degree weather. Yoohoo! I enjoyed watching the city lights flickering to the horizon while the silvery moonlight reflected in the Bay, and savoring the smells exuded by the wild thyme, rosemary, yarrow and other herbs from the bushes down below. What a magical evening! Everyone seemed to have the same idea, as Twin peaks was mobbed! Lots of tourists speaking a profusion of languages, locals, lovers, and, since we’re talking San Francisco, pot smokers abounded. LOL 😉

Turns out that, like us, Callie likes Indian food! So it only seemed natural to don my apron and mix passions and powders in my Indian-cooking laboratory! (‘course, I’m talking about my tiny kitchen.)

For that Indian feast, I prepared some old favorites as well as this incredible mustard sauce masala over fish. The recipe comes from Lachu Moorjani’s Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India. In the book, he serves it over catfish. I don’t particularly like that, so used it with black cod. Really, this sauce is spectacularly delicious all by itself and could probably be used over most anything: rice, pasta, tempeh, tofu, other kinds of fish or even shellfish, you name it. So this recipe is not about the fish but, rather, the delicious mustard sauce.

mustard sauce masala

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp black mustard seeds
2 tbsp nigela seeds
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
8 ripe dry farmed early girl tomatoes, skins removed and chopped with their juices
1½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin seeds, pan toasted and then ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, pan toasted and then ground
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds, roughly ground
Kosher salt to taste
½ cup of raw cashew nuts or almonds, ground

Heat olive oil in a deep non stick pan. Add black mustard and nigela seeds and allow them to pop, about 30 seconds to one minute. Stir in garlic and sauté for further ½ minute then add onion and cook for about 15 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 12 minutes while stirring occasionally. Transfer about ¾ of the sauce to a bowl and using a stick blender process for a few seconds. Return to the pan. Add turmeric, yellow mustard, cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander powders, salt and ground nuts. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To prepare the dish with fish:

Olive oil
2 black cod fillets (about 1½ lbs.)
Kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper.

Place fish on a platter and sprinkle with salt and pepper over both sides. Rub some olive oil on both sides. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan. Bring temperature to medium high, add fish and cook for about 1 minute on each side.

Ladle some of the mustard sauce over fish fillets, bring temperature to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve in a warm platter and add a bit more sauce over the dish before presenting to your awed guests. Garnish with fresh cilantro.