fish marinade

We’ve discussed how as a child on the islands, I (and my siblings) gave mom ‘hell’ when she tried to get us to eat fish. Now I’m thousands of kms away from the ocean (I only like ocean fish) and it’s now that I crave fish and seafood on my plate. Poor woman tried her best back then, but we were just stubborn kids I guess. I’ll give mommy a big hug and apologize when I visit her next week… hopefully she won’t mind making her famous Curry King Fish for me.

You’ll Need…

2 lane snapper (about 2-3 lbs total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 shallot (sliced thin)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (grated)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 chive tops
baby bell peppers
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon (juice)

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the Soy Sauce, which you will need to replace with a gluten free version like Tamari.

Have your fish monger clean, gut and trim the fish if you don’t know how to do so. Wash with cool water and some lemon juice and pat dry… set aside as we make the marinade.

Combine the olive oil, salt, black pepper, ginger, shallot, garlic, soy sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk well.

With my fish clean, I cut two slices down the thickest parts of the belly (both sides) to help the marinade penetrate the flesh of the fish. Then in the same baking dish I would use to roast the fish off in the oven, I poured the marinade over the fish. Then using my hands I worked the marinade into the cavity of the fish as well as into the cuts I made. TIP! Line your baking dish with parchment paper for easy clean-up after. Marinate for 10 minutes. Nothing more or you risk having the lemon juice cook the fish.

I found some baby bell peppers in the fridge so I went in with a few and to help perfume the dish as it roast in the oven, I tucked the chive stems/glowers between the fish. You may top the peppers etc with a tiny bit more salt and black pepper if you wish. (I did)

Into a preheated 400F oven on the middle rack. It will take between 18-24 minutes to cook fully, depending on the size of the snapper you use. BTW just about any fish will work with this recipe. There’s no need to cover the baking dish as you want to help develop a lovely golden color on the fish and peppers. Plus if you were to cover with foil, it may cause the dish to go soup-like and we don’t want that.

Feel free to drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil as you take it out of the oven.. or maybe some fresh lemon juice? With Easter around the corner, I’m sure your family will appreciate this fish dish come Good Friday.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Caribbean Herb Grilled Fish

July 21, 2016July 12, 20164 Comments

I may have mentioned this in the past, but growing up on the islands I never liked fish and I think the same can be said about my brother and sisters (mom had a tough time with us). While I outgrew this, I still think my sisters are not fans of fish to this day. My brother on the other hand, elevated his taste buds.. so it’s not strange to see him at seafood restaurants in New York sitting behind a massive lobster feasting away. While my fav fish dish is my mom’s curry Kingfish, during the summer months this grilled fish is something I do quite often. So as we continue July’s Month Of Grilling, I thought I’d share this herb grilled fish recipe with you.

You’ll Need…

Large Fish (I used a snapper)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
6 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic (crush or chopped fine)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
2 scallions (chopped)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 lemon (slices)
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 medium tomato
1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free, do pay attention to all the ingredients listed (especially the soy sauce) to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. This marinade will be enough for 3 medium fish or 2 large ones.

Chop, squeeze, slice and grate the ingredients, then place them all in a bowl and give it a good mix. Remember when using scotch bonnet peppers (any hot pepper) to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after (suggest wearing gloves) and don’t include the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds if you want to avoid the ‘raw’ heat.

Clean and wash the fish (I like washing with water and either lemon or lime juice) you’re using and pat dry with paper towels. Then make 2 cuts down the thickest part of the belly to help the marinade do it’s thing and to ensure the fish cooks somewhat evenly. Place the fish in a bowl and pour on half the marinade. Work the marinade in the cuts and cavity of the fish. Since there’s lime juice in the marinade, we’ll only allow this to marinate for about 5 minutes or it will start cooking the fish.

As the fish marinates you can go get your fire started. I used a charcoal fire, but this works good on a propane grill as well. You have a couple options for grilling the fish, you can wrap in tin foil or use a fish grilling wire basket -thing (cheap at Walmart). Place 2 slices of the lemon on the inside of the wire basket, then a sprig of parsley and another lemon slice. Now place the marinated fish (try to keep as much marinade on it) and repeat with the slices of lemon and parsley before closing the wire contraption.

Unlike how we did the Drunk Chicken (indirect heat), this time we want the fish directly over the heat source. The slices of lemon will not only add flavor to the fish as it grills, it will help protect it from the direct heat.

The size/thickness and how well-done you like your fish, will determine how log to cook your fish. For me I had it over the direct heat for about 25 minutes in total. Flipping over every 4 minutes or so. The wire basket makes this really simple (once you lock the hinge) and if you want you can use the remaining marinade to baste the fish as it grills. I like adding the marinade near the end, just before I remove the fish off the grill and get ready to serve. That final blast of heat awakens all the flavors of the marinade for a wonderful finish. Make extra marinade and serve as a dipping sauce!

My appreciation for fish only happened after moving away from the islands, where I would have access to fresh out of the ocean goodness. Today I try to shop at fish markets where I know there’s a lot of foot traffic and turnover, so I tell myself I’m getting fresh stuff (as can be expected). You can make this marinade and store it in the fridge for a solid week. You can use any of your favorite fish for this recipe (may be a bit too bold for salmon..but I’m not a fan of salmon). In my case I try to only eat salt water fish as I get a sort of ‘muddy’ taste when I eat lake or river fish. The salt in the marinade was enough for me (with the soy sauce), but you can sprinkle on some sea salt after grilling.. to your liking.

Seafood

Fried Snapper In A Zesty Orange Ginger Sauce.

April 21, 2016March 19, 20161 Comment

With all the requests I usually get this time of the year (Good Friday) for fish recipes, I thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes using fillets of Red Snapper. In my youth days on the islands it was ALWAYS fish on Good Friday (Catholic home) and though mom and dad never went to church they felt it necessary to stick with tradition. Usually it was fried, stewed or curry fish, served with ground provisions (Yam, Dasheen. Eddoes, Cassava and/or green bananas), a salad of some sort and I still recall dad drizzling olive oil (sweet-oil as he would call it) over the boiled ground provisions. Funny how me and my brother would copy him even though we disliked the taste of that oil!

You’ll Need…

2 Red Snapper fillets (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper

2 scallions
3 sprigs thyme
zest 1 orange
1 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
thick slice of ginger (julienne)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds / optional)
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey (optional)
4 slices of orange

* You can use your fav fish for this recipe.. I much prefer ocean fish though. You’ll need about 1.5-2 cups of veg oil for frying the fish.

The fist thing we’ll do is season the fish to allow it time to marinate while we make the orange ginger sauce. Please note that this sauce will be a bit ‘hot’ with the scotch bonnet pepper and the natural heat from the ginger, but you can certainly tame it down by leaving out the scotch bonnet pepper. Wash the fish pieces with some lime or lemon juice and rinse with water (not mentioned in the ingredient list). Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Then season (mix well) with the salt, black pepper and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Allow this to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Let’s now make the amazing sauce for topping the fish with. In a saucepan heat the oil on a low flame then add all the ingredients except the orange zest, orange juice and slices of orange. Cook on VERY low heat for 3-5 minutes. If you’re adding the honey or sugar, add it near the end. Remember to NOT use any of the seeds of the scotch bonnet pepper (unless you want it REALLY hot) and to wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper with soap and water.

It’s now time to add the zest, slices and orange juice to the pot and crank up the heat so it comes to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and let the sauce reduce by about 1/2.

Heat the oil for frying the fish on a medium flame. Dredge the seasoned/marinated fillets in the flour (you can season the flour with some paprika and/or curry powder if you wish) and fry for about 5-7 minutes in total (depending on how thick the fish pieces are) flip so both sides get that lovely golden color. Set on paper towels to soak up the extra oil.

It’s just a matter of placing the fish pieces on a serving plate and straining on the finished orange ginger sauce on top of it. If you prefer your fish a bit more crispy , fry a bit longer and serve the sauce on the side. I used some of the cooked orange slices as a garnish, but since the scallions went discolored I used fresh chopped-scallions to brighten it up.

As I mentioned in the video, as kids we HATED fish, but as an adult I eat fish or some sort of seafood at least once a week. I hope you give this recipe a try and do leave me some feedback in the comment section below. HAPPY EASTER!

Gluten Free Seafood

Grilled Jamaican Escovitch Fish.

July 25, 2015July 25, 20153 Comments

One of the things I looked forward too the entire trip to Jamaica was the FISH. From the jerk, to them being steamed with okra and crackers to my favorite… escovitch! Red Snapper (or Parrot fish) seasoned, perfectly fried, then topped with the spicy pickled dressing known as escovitch sauce. For most the thin slices of Scotch Bonnet were to be avoided, but they were like little prizes between the sweet peppers, scallions, onions and other ingredients in the vinegar based sauce. Any trip to the Caribbean is more than just a homecoming, it’s a culinary extravaganza for me and Jamaica did not disappoint!

You’ll Need…

3 red snapper
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper
3 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
celery leaves (optional)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar
1 lemon
1/2 large shallot
1/4 red onion sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
2 scallions
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)
sea salt
black pepper
6 pimento berries (allspice)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 sprig thyme

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Wash, clean and pat dry the Red Snapper (I used relatively small fish – on sale). Then I gave then a couple shallow cuts along the belly to allow for the dressing to penetrate after grilling and to help cook faster while grilling as well. Open up the belly cavity and stuff with a sprig of thyme, a piece of scallion and the leaves of the celery (if you have any). Then sprinkle some black pepper and salt on the surface (you can do the same with the cavity if you want, but I’m trying to cut back on my salt intake) of the fish. The final step is to drizzle on some olive oil on the fish (evenly on both sides) so they don’t stick onto the grill.

I would recommend making the escovitch dressing (sauce) about and hour or two in advance so it can marinate in it’s own juices and all the flavors can come together. Basically all you’re doing is slicing all the ingredients very thinly (add the celery and shallot though they’re not traditional – great texture and flavor), add it to a bowl, then go in with the sugar, salt, pimento berries, lemon juice and vinegar. Give it a god mix and place in the fridge. Optionally you can add some thinly sliced bell peppers to the mix if you want.

Remove the dressing out of the fridge about 1/2 hr before you start grilling the fish so it comes back to room temperature (you can also place it in a pan and warm in on the grill if you really want). Brush your grill grates with a bit of veg oil so the fish does not stick (no matter it may still stick) and grill as you would normally do. I did mine directly over a medium flame (coals fire) as I wanted some charred bits and I gave it about 4-5 minutes on each side. Have the escovitch dressing next to your grill as you’ll need it as soon as you take the grilled fish off the fire.

Have a platter ready and as soon as the cooked fish come off the grill, pour the escovitch dressing directly over the fish! The warm fish will brighten-up the flavors of the sauce and really heighten what I believe is the best way to dress grilled fish!

Gluten Free Seafood

Grilled Sea Bass Stuffed With Jamaican Callaloo.

December 9, 2014August 4, 20136 Comments

You knew I’d be ending this year’s month of grilling with a truly wicked recipe.. one that’s very dear to me. This grilled stuffed fish is one of those dishes we try to make at least once a year (summer) when my best friends and I meet. One from Dominica, another from Jamaica and myself the Trinbagonian, connect in a sort of mystical way as we dive into our individual red snapper stuffed with Jamaican callaloo (amaranth, spinach or chorai bhagi) along with some cold beverages. The only talking is after we’re good and stuffed and each of us eying the last piece of boiled sweet potato or fried plantain.

You’ll Need…

2 Sea bass * (medium sized)
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 lime
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper diced finely
1 scallion

Stuffing

3 cups Jamaican callaloo
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper

Notes: I much prefer using red snapper for this dish, but the prices were too high for my wallet (the reality of not living in the Caribbean). If you can’t source Jamaican callaloo, you can use spinach or any of your favorite greens (Swiss Chard, Pak Choi.. collard greens?). IMPORTANT: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Wash, trim and chop the callaloo into 1/2 inch pieces and allow to drain dry in a colander. Heat the olive oil on a medium flame then add the sliced garlic, onion and thyme. Turn the heat down to low and let that soften up for a couple minutes. Now add the cut callaloo and top with the salt, black pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and coconut milk. Turn the heat up to bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and cook with the pot uncovered for about 7-10 minutes.

It will wilt down and go a bit darker in colour.. that’s normal. If there’s any residual liquid in the pot after 7 minutes, turn up the heat and burn it off. Then set aside allow to cool for stuffing the fish.

As it cools, lets make the seasoned oil for adding extra flavor to the fish as it grills.

In a deep bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley,chopped scallion, juice of a lime and finely diced scotch bonnet pepper. Slice the onion in rings and set aside.

Make sure your fish is scaled, washed and dry. Cut a couple slits (not too deep) across the belly of the fish so some of the seasoned oil can get in to do it’s thing. Then spread a (double) sheet of tin foil and brush some of the seasoned oil where the fish will be placed. Now add some of the onion rings and place the fish on top of that. Take 1/2 of the now cooled cooked callaloo and stuff the cavity of the fish. Then pour some of the seasoned oil on top of the fish (spoon it on) and top with a few of the onion rings. Wrap the tin foil to encase the fish and create a package.Repeat with the next fish!

It’s just a matter of grilling as you would normally grill fish. In my case I did it over a charcoal fire (love the flavors you get) but you can also use a propane grill or if you don’t have a grill.. the oven (about 375 F for about 25-30 minutes). I grilled away from direct flame (so indirect heat) and it took about 30 minutes or so (the last 4 minutes I placed the packages over direct heat to ensure I get a flaky fish when it was done cooking).

Do remember to be gentle when flipping them and when it’s done cooking allow to cool for a minute or two or risk getting burned when you open the packages as steam will form.

Serve with some lemon or lime slices and I love having this with boiled sweet potato or steam okras!

I do hope you enjoy this years month of grilling and I look forward to bringing you some more exciting dishes off the grill in July 2014! BTW, do you have any sort of recipe or tradition in place for when you meet with your dearest friends.. friends like mine who took the place of my siblings when I moved to Canada many moons ago?

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Seafood

Zesty Caribbean Pan Fried Sardines Recipe.

August 7, 2013May 6, 20134 Comments

I remember our mom having this ready for our dad when he came home from work after a long day with dhal (yellow split peas) and rice.. always had some sliced cucumber and water cress on the side. My king would be in dinner ecstasy! Fry dry as it was known in our home, wasn’t something me and my siblings looked forward too as our dad, as we hated the tiny little bones of the sardines. Something if fried correctly will have a slight crunch and can be eaten as well.

You’ll Need…

1lb sardines
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
2 sprig thyme
2 scallions
1 tablespoon parsley
3 leaves shado beni
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
pinch black pepper
1 lemon (juice) for the marinade
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
* about 2 cups of veg oil for frying

Notes: If you can’t source shado beni, use double the amount of cilantro. Remember to not use any of the seeds from the scotch bonnet pepper if you’re concerned about the raw heat. And do wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling these lethal peppers.

* Scale and gut the sardines (if it wasn’t already done for you at the fish market), then wash with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water. Drain and get ready to marinate.

Place all the ingredients mentioned above (except the flour, curry powder and fish) into a blender or food processor and blend into a paste. Be prepared for a very refreshing (herbal) scent.. you’ll love it!

Pour the marinade onto the cleaned sardines and mix well. Try to get some into the belly cavity of the fish. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours. If you don’t have a blender, chop the ingredients very finely.

As the vegetable (any oil which can withstand high heat) oil heats on a medium flame, it’s time to make the seasoned flour to roll the marinated sardines in. Basically all you have to do is place the flour (all purpose) on a plate and mix in the curry powder (madras blend). Then coat each sardine in the seasoned flour. Try to keep some of the marinade on the fish as you dust them in the flour. Be sure to shake off excess flour.

Place in the hot oil and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes… you’re looking for it to go golden in color and crispy. After about 7-8 minutes (I know it sounds like a long time to cook tiny fish.. but we want these crispy) remove, drain on paper towels and do try to serve as hot as you can.

There will be enough here for 3-4 people as a side dish and these crispy fried sardines can also double as a snack. Serve warm, with pepper sauce as a dip.. a garlic sauce would also go well.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Ginger Chive Roasted Snapper Recipe.

Caribbean Herb Grilled Fish

Fried Snapper In A Zesty Orange Ginger Sauce.

Grilled Jamaican Escovitch Fish.

Grilled Sea Bass Stuffed With Jamaican Callaloo.

Zesty Caribbean Pan Fried Sardines Recipe.

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