Trout Ambot-Tik

Ambot-Tik when translated from Konkani( Goa’s local language) to English means “Sour and Spicy“. Did that get your mouth-watering because when you make this fish curry the smell will literally water your mouth. It’s the tamarind, vinegar and spices combo that makes it happen.  This curry does not use coconut milk like the famous Goan Fish Curry. Goan make this curry using either Shark or Catfish. I used trout since it is a popular fish here in the US (Psst!…I am not a big fan of shark or catfish 😉 ).

Ambot-tik is one of the curries which brings back some great summer time memories when we would get hungry and enjoy the leftover curry the next day with fresh-baked Goan Pao (bread).

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

2 regular sized whole trout or 4 fillet shark/catfish

3-4 tbsp of ambot-tik paste (depending on your spice level)

1 medium onion diced

2 cups of water

1/8 tsp of sugar

oil

salt to taste

Directions:

If using the fish whole, clean the fish of scales with the back of your knife, wash of the scales. Then cut in 4 equal portions or leave whole. Apply a little salt and keep aside.

Next heat a pot with oil add the chopped onions and saute till light brown. Add the ambot-tik paste and saute for a 1-2 minutes till the raw spice smell goes.

Next add water and cover and bring the curry to a simmer.

Finally add the fish, season with salt and sugar and cook covered on medium heat till the fish is cooked well. I cooked it for 20 minutes.

Enjoy the sour and spicy curry with white rice, torta or bolillo bread.

If you have leftovers then you can use the fish to make another famous Goan Fish Cake recipe called Almondages de Peixe check out the recipe here