SUPER FAST LEMONY SNAPPER CURRY, HOW TO FILLET A FISH & A DISCUSSION ON ANIMAL ETHICS

Ah ‪beach life!! I got home from work today and was greeted by a gorgeous big snapper, line caught by my good friend Fraser from his kayak. With no-one else home to pawn the job off to, I grabbed a terrible knife (not a proper fish filleting knife, regrettably!) and got to work. Gutting and filleting fish isn't my favourite thing in the world, but I figure it's part of every foodie, and every sustainably-minded eater's right of passage, and the delicious lemony summer curry I made afterwards tasted of achievement, and gratitude to that beautiful snapper. 

SUPER QUICK & EASY LEMON INFUSED SNAPPER CURRY WITH 
EGGPLANT, KALE AND COCONUT

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 a fresh chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
350ml coconut milk
1/2 a lemon, peeled and chopped into thick pieces
1 small eggplant chopped into chunks
1 big handful of baby kale or spinach
2 medium sized fillets of snapper, chopped into chunks
Coriander to garnish

Method
In a large pan on low heat, gently fry the oil,  lemon pieces, chilli, garlic, ginger, curry powder and cumin powder until a fragrant paste. Add the eggplant, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the fish and cook gently until just white through. Stir in the baby kale. Once wilted, remove from heat, remove the lemon slices from the curry, and serve alone or over cauliflower rice. Garnish with coriander. Enjoy!

HOW TO DEAL WITH A WHOLE FRESH CAUGHT FISH!

Equipment first. Make sure you have a REALLY sharp knife. I didn't and it meant my fillets weren't nearly as clean or fleshy as they could have been! A chopping surface. Running water nearby such as a hose. An ice bucket for your fillets, filled with salty icy water (if your fish is a salt water fish), and a container for disposal of the fish frame and offal. 

Guts first. Make an incision along the soft stomach skin, below the head. Pull out the innards using your knife to release any tough bits.  Wash the fish with cold running water and dispose of the guts.

Then the head.  If you prefer, cut off the head behind the gills. Heads are brilliant for making fish stock, so hold on to this if you like!

Make an incision along the back bone from the head to the tail. Working with short strokes and keeping the knife as flat as possible, gradually fillet across the bone to free the fillet, peeling back the fillet as you go. turn the fish and do the other side. 

Then I just slice the flesh away from the skin.  Run your fingers across the centre of each fillet, you will feel the bones that remain. Cut these out. Place all your fillets in the salty ice bath. All done! 

Nga mihi ki Hinemoana korua ko Tangaroa 

A DISCUSSION ON ETHICS AND ANIMALS

I got some interesting reactions when I posted the photo of me and the snapper (above left) on social media . I have other seafood recipes on my blog, but the image of the whole fish was particularly confronting for some.  I am sensitive to the fact that many people who read my blog are vegan, which I totally respect. The majority of my recipes are vegan, too, which reflects my diet - mostly vegan, the odd sustainably caught fish from time to time, eggs from my backyard. Health Yeah! is not and never has been a purist vegan blog - it's a plant-based blog, and it celebrates sustainable living, balance and ditching diet labels. 

I live by the ocean, I receive seafood from time to time, and I do believe in the natural cycle of life. Natural being the operative word -  this guy was caught on a line from a kayak, off the coast 5 minutes from my home. I hung out with this fish, gutted it, filleted it, boned it, cooked it. I understood it's sacrifice and I was grateful for it's nourishment.  I believe that's a far more connected and conscious way of enjoying the earth's bounty  than the obscene commercial overfishing of the worlds oceans, or mass livestock operations for that matter. I helped bring Meat Free Monday to New Zealand and researched and wrote all of the content for the website, including the "Why Meat Free?" page which includes all the positive health, environmental and ethical reasons we should be cutting back our meat consumption. 

We all have different cultures and stances and the world isn't black and white. There's also the discussion of body types & blood types - many people just don't digest plant-based sources of protein or iron all that well, instead thriving off the paleo way of eating. Others simply cannot function at an optimal level on a purely vegan diet and what's more, nutritionists are divided on the subject. Of course, none of the nutrition stuff matters if for you it comes down to the life of a sentient being taken for someones dinner. And are snapper sentient beings? So many questions! 

Are you vegan? Are you paleo? Are you on the fence? Have you been one way for years and then made a switch?  Please share your experiences and opinions in the comments!