Discover this exotic fish vindaye poisson: it is a fresh onion, vinegar and fish ‘curry’ from the island of Mauritius! Get ready for some explosive flavors on your dinner table… Enjoy!
Have you ever heard of this dish, vindaye poisson or fish vindaye?
Vindaye poisson (or fish vindaloo) is a very popular dish that you can find on the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Sea near Madagascar.
If you have ever been in Mauritius before, then I am sure that you also must have tried it there.
Or you must at least seen it on the menu somewhere. Some people say that the name vindaye comes from another dish by the name of vindaloo.
Mauritius Island
I first tasted it when we were on holiday in Mauritius.
We were there for our honeymoon to be more specific. We stayed at the exclusive Club Med Albion, an all inclusive resort where you you can make spectacular dives in the ocean. But that is not the only reason why we went there.
If you have ever been to a Club Med before, then you definitely know that this French hotel and holiday chain is quite famous for its excellent food. They are French of course! So yes, their food is splendid.
We we spoiled rotten.
Lobster, oysters, even caviar one night!
No joke.
Club Med Resort
We must have been to Club Med about 10 times and the food was always splendid.
Wherever the resort was: Indonesia, the Bahamas, Bali, Malaysia, even snow holidays in Austria!
So the level of food was no different at the Albion. An army of highly trained chefs prepared a bunch of cuisines day in day out.
Excellent French cuisine of course. And Italian, Indian even.
But all that aside, I was mainly interested in the local Mauritian cuisine.
Because Mauritian cuisine contains an unbelievably tasty mixture of different cuisines actually.
Mauritian Cuisine
You can easily find influences from India, France (Mauritius used to be a French colony) Africa, Malaysia, China and also some Creole touches even.
Why?
Years and years ago Mauritius used to be a well known stop for boats because of its central local on maritime shipping routes between Asia, Africa and America.
Rougaille
Needless to say that I overdosed daily on local specialties like rougaille (a Mauritian tomato and fish curry), chicken kalia (chicken and ginger curry) and those delicious local pickled vegetables.
And let’s not forget this fish vindaye poisson curry of course.
That is where I got my inspiration from.
Best Mauritian Vindaye Poisson Fish Curry
The most important ingredient here in this delicious dish is vinegar.
The acidity kick is massive!
However don’t let the word curry mislead you: this dish has nothing to do with Indian curries. No creamy coconut sauces or or Thai curry flavors either. This fish vindaye poisson is very unique, I would even call it an escabeche instead.
You can eat this fish and vinegar curry hot, serve it with boiled rice or accompanied by bread and a fresh cabbage and carrot salad.
Warm and Cold
But if you ask me, it tastes even better if you eat it cold the day after!
Just keep the vindaye poisson in the fridge overnight. It’s also a great cold lunch or starter on a hot day.
Soak the red onions in some white wine vinegar 30 minutes before preparing the dish. This will give the vindaye poisson an extra flavor kick.
Make sure to choose a good quality fish that doesn’t fall apart easily.
Swordfish, tuna, bonito or barracuda are just perfect for this recipe. I like it best with fresh mackerel. Its smoky flavor goes extremely well with the vinegar and onions.
Mackerel
Do you love Mauritian flavors like these?
Then you should also check out my creamy chicken kalia curry with fresh ginger!
Enjoy!
Best Mauritian Vindaye Poisson Fish Curry Recipe
Discover this exotic fish vindaye poisson: it is a fresh onion, vinegar and fish 'curry' from the island of Mauritius! Get ready for some explosive flavors...
- 12,5 oz fresh fish (350 g)
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves peel and mashed
- 2 inch fresh ginger (5 cm), grated
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar (60 ml)
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- a pinch of saffron threads or saffron powder
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp strong mustard
- vegetable oil
- pepper
- salt
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Combine the saffron and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Let it soak until needed later.
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Add the ginger, garlic, sugar, white wine vinegar, turmeric powder and mustard to a bowl.
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Stir until you get a thick paste. Then add the saffron water.
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Stir again. Put this spice mix aside until needed later. Rinse the fish and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Then chop it into pieces.
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Pour some vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan and place it over medium-high heat until hot. Then add the chopped fish.
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Quickly fry the fish on all sides for 3 minutes. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion.
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Cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the fish and veg to a clean plate. Lower the heat to medium. Then in the same hot pan pour the spice mixture you put aside. Add half a cup (120 ml) of water.
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Stir well. Simmer the mustard sauce for a minute. Then add the fish and veg back to the pan.
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Stir well and then cover the pan. Simmer the vindaye poisson for 10 minutes until the fish in cooked through. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste.
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Scoop the vindaye poisson onto plates. Serve with rice.
Mmmm how delicious that savoro fish sounds… rosemary, raisins and vinegar!! I just googled it and it reminds me a little of ‘sarde in saor’ or Italian fried sardines marinated in vinegar with raisins and pine nuts. I love pickled fish, anything with vinegar actually. I’m sure you will love the combination of the mustard, ginger and saffron here. It’s a dish I often make in Tenerife. Have a great week, friends!! 😀