One of the most common reasons people tell me that they don’t preserve is that they “don’t have enough time to do it.” As I shared in my 2013 TEDxToronto speech (which has just passed 50,000 views on YouTube!), my Meme (Grandmother) preserved food because she didn’t have time to cook! This curried apple slaw recipe is a great example of this – you can make it in 4-5 minutes (including clean-up) and it will keep in the fridge (the modern ‘cellar’) for weeks! It’s a fantastic accompaniment with fish but could also go well on a chicken salad sandwich (add raisins if you’d like), served on it’s own alongside any dish you’d serve a pickle with.
This post is sponsored by Ontario Apple Growers. who challenged us to create a savoury apple recipe that could be used as part of a meal plan. The partnership just made sense and we are proud to share this with you! Check out their blog for more apple ideas. In the case of this slaw we use vinegar and sugar in the way you would create a “quick pickle.” If you’ve never made one before you’ll notice that the apples won’t turn brown and will keep for a week or two (if you don’t eat them all first) which is why this is a quick preserve!
We call this type of preserving, “10 minutes or less” (we featured more than 25 of these recipes in our book, Batch). Many of them add acid (like vinegar) and sweetness (such as honey) to preserve an ingredient in the fridge for much longer than the ingredient would keep if it was in the fridge whole. Applesauce, hot sauce, quick pickles, infusions and some dehydration can be done quick and easy and this apple slaw is no exception.
OUR APPROACH TO CURRIED APPLE SLAW
We chose IDA Red apples for this recipe. You can use any apple you’d like but the tart and acidic punch of this species really adds a pickle-like component to this recipe. I’ve also made it considerably tart so if you prefer a sweeter slaw you may wish to increase the honey or back off the vinegar a little bit.
Speaking of adjustments, you should know that the longer you store this one, the more curry flavour it will develop. Feel free to let your tastebuds guide you and back off the curry if you wish too – but I’d encourage you to be brave and come along the flavour superhighway with me!
And a final note about mustard (oh, I love it so!). I really encourage you to use a gritty mustard – but don’t use one that’s made of pure seeds. You want some of that spreadable condiment that will help the sauce come together as an emulsified sauce and not a bunch of individual components. If you can’t find a gritty mustard you can easily use Dijon for this.
After the Curried Apple Slaw Recipe you’ll find a recipe for very simple fried fish and fish tacos that pair perfectly with it.
Curried Apple Slaw Recipe
Prep time
5 mins
Total time
5 mins
A recipe you can make in 5 minutes or less and will keep in your fridge for a week or more.
Author: Joel MacCharles
Recipe type: Quick Pickle
Serves: 3-4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp grainy mustard (you can use dijon if you don’t have any)
- 2 Tbsp grainy mustard (you can use dijon if you don’t have any)
- 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) mayonnaise
- 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) mayonnaise
- Generous pinch of salt
- Generous pinch of salt
- ¾ tsp curry
- ¾ tsp curry
- 2-3 Tbsp green onion (any part of it)
- 2-3 Tbsp green onion (any part of it)
- 3 tart apples such as IDA Red (not peeled – the colour of the skin is delightful)
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix all ingredients except for the apples. By mixing the sauce first you will help prevent the apples from browning.
- Cut the apples into slices then into small strips. Add them to the sauce and mix lightly. You want to mix the apples a bit at a time to prevent them from browning.
- Once all of the apples have been added and mixed into the sauce, place them in a jar and put in the fridge and eat over the next 1-2 weeks!
SIMPLE FISH TACOS RECIPE WITH CURRIED APPLE SLAW – OVERVIEW
My Mother is from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and I grew up with plenty of fish fry’s in our house. The crust was always extremely light (as you’ll see below) and is a great alternative to deep-fried fish and chips. We would reserve it for white fish and it was especially good for mild tasing fish as the batter didn’t disguise the taste or or texture of lighter fish.
We’ve shared sure-fire tips on how to make sure your crust sticks to chicken or fish over here but if you want to get going without a bunch of homework, here’s a few highlights:
- Bread your fish before heating your pan. If it’s damp, dry it off with a paper towel first. And, even though the order of events may seem odd (we add flour on dry fish BEFORE dipping it in beaten egg), I promise you this order works wonderfully.
- Heat your pan and then enough oil that there is a visible coating to the pan. You don’t need a lot of oil but you need a solid layer of about 2mm (about 1/10th of an inch) in the pan. Heat needs to be high and fish should be added right before or as it begins to smoke. Most people don’t add enough oil or heat. Don’t be most people.
SIMPLE FISH TACOS RECIPE WITH CURRIED APPLE SLAW – INGREDIENTS
For the fish:
- 6 pieces of whitefish. As much fish as you’d like (I generally use 1 piece per taco so 6 pieces = 6 tacos).
- small plate covered in white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten in a bowl
- Vegetable or other high-heat low-flavour oil (not olive oil)
For the tacos:
- 6 tortilla shells
- 1 cup arugula
- 1/2-1 cup curried apple slaw (above)
- 1 hot pepper of your choosing, chopped fine (optional)
SIMPLE FISH TACOS RECIPE WITH CURRIED APPLE SLAW – DIRECTIONS
- If necessary, pat the fish dry with a towel taking care to return the fish to a dried surface.
- Combine the flour and salt and mix with your fingers. Dredge the fish in flour, set aside and repeat for all pieces.
- Preheat the pan on medium-high and add 2 mm (approx. 1/10th of an inch) to the pan. Wait until it’s shimmering and nearly smoking (if it starts to smoke, lower the heat a bit and remove it from the burner to cool slightly as you do the next step then return it to the heat).
- Dip each piece of fish in the egg (on both sides) and place in oil. You should be able to do 3-4 pieces fairly quickly. Don’t overcrowd the pan or your fish will steam instead of fry! You can keep fish warm resting on a paper towel in your oven on a tray at the lowest setting if you’re cooking in batches. The paper towel will capture excess oil.
- While your fish is frying, place the arugula on top of the taco shells.
- To serve, place fish on top of arugula, add salsa and a touch of hot pepper.