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jamaican fish soup

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Seafood

Jamaican Fish Tea (soup).

3 Comments on Jamaican Fish Tea (soup).

I know the title of the recipe will rub some people wrong in some way or the other, as every time I place a country’s name in one of my recipes, it’s just the norm. Hateful and sometimes ridiculous comments. Yes, throughout the Caribbean we have fish soup in one form or the other and they are usually very similar. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago (and many of the islands in the southern Caribbean) we have Fish Broff (broth).

You’ll Need…

1 fish head (about 2-3 lbs)
12 cups water
6-8 cups fish stock
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 onion (diced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
6-8 sprigs thyme
3 med potatoes (cubed)
1 large sweet potato (cubed)
1-2 lbs pumpkin (cubed)
8-10 okra (chopped)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 small corn (cut into small pieces)
2 small carrots (diced)
1-2 lbs Jamaican yellow yam (diced)
6-8 pimento (allspice) berries
1/2 lime

May I recommend cubing the sweet potato, pumpkin, potato and yellow yam the same size for uniform cooking (time). In a traditional Jamaican Fish tea you’ll find that they use those packaged fish soup mixes (like Grace) and sometimes they may use all-purpose seasoning powder as well. I’m not the biggest fan of using such.

Prep the ingredients and set aside. I usually put the pumpkin, carrots, potatoes and yam in a bowl and cover it will cool water to prevent them from going discolored.

I’m using the head of a King Fish, but you can use your fav fish and if you’re concerned about the bones etc.. use boneless. Keep in mind that the true flavor will come from those bony parts. I washed the fish with the juice of a lemon (not mentioned in the ingredient list above) and cool water.

Put you big soup pot onto a high flame and go in with 12 cups of water. Place the fish into the pot as the water comes up to a boil, along with the thyme (see the video below for a lovely time), celery (leaves too), garlic, onion, salt, scallion and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

It’s now time to add the body of the soup.. carrots, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, Jamaican yellow yam and give it good stir. Top with the fish stock!

Float the Scotch Bonnet pepper, and try your best NOT TO BREAK IT or you’ll release the raw heat. Once you see it boiling, skim off any scum at the top (discard) and reduce to a simmer. Do add the pimento berries at this point.

After 14-20 minutes you can remove the thyme and you may also remove the scotch bonnet pepper now (we got the flavor from it) so you don’t risk breaking it. At this point I like removing the fish pieces out of the pot, remove the bones and add back the pieces of fish to the pot. It will take a few minutes and be sure it’s cool enough to handle.

Now add the okra and corn (I used Canadian sweet corn) and cook for (see my tip on fish stock addition in the video below) for 10 minutes and then get ready to personalize.. check and adjust the salt and if you like heat you can always break that Scotch Bonet pepper!

As you turn off the stove, add the lime juice and top with chopped parsley if you want. Serve hot and with a wedge of lime.

Be sure to tell everyone that they may encounter fish bones and should you have excess, be sure to freeze for a later date. See my tip on thawing/reheating in the video below.

I’m sure my Jamaican Fish Tea will be different than yours, but I can GUARANTEE YOU, it doesn’t lack in flavor! Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Seafood

Caribbean Coconut Shrimp Bisque Recipe.

7 Comments on Caribbean Coconut Shrimp Bisque Recipe.

At no time was shrimp bisque ever cooked in our home when we were growing up. That would not be considered a traditional soup and to be quite honest.. it was too fancy and ‘light” compared to the thick hearty soups our mom would make! However with the changing landscape of Caribbean cuisine, it’s quite common to find this wonderful spicy seafood served at restaurants who cater to tourists and expats. Our first experience with shrimp bisque (also had lobster in it) was a cruise we took about 8 years ago to the Southern Caribbean and it made a lasting impression on Myself, Indy and Tehya . Since then we’ve had it several times, including one of the best servings I’ve ever had in a restaurant on the “Avenue” Port Of Spain, Trinidad.

Over the years I’ve perfected this recipe and with the addition of creamy coconut milk and the explosive flavors of scotch bonnet peppers.. I must say that this shrimp bisque will rival any we’ve ever had (even better). There’s no reason why we can’t enjoy the same cuisine tourists enjoying our beautiful islands tend to partake in… so here goes:

 

You’ll Need…

1 pound shrimp (see note below)
3 cups water
5 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/3 cup celery (diced)
1/4 diced scotch bonnet pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups tomato soup
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (I used a Madras blend)
pinch of salt (the tomato soup will already have salt)
pinch of black pepper

Notes: I used shrimp with both the shell and heads on as I needed those parts for making the stock for the bisque. With the scotch bonnet pepper, remember that most of the heat is within the seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds. Don’t use this area if you want flavor, with a little heat only. Do try to get a good tomato soup and not the cheap canned stuff. I find that type of tomato soup has a sort of metallic taste and is just terrible.

 

The first step in making this tasty shrimp bisque, is to clean the shrimp and use the heads + shell to make a stock. If you purchased already peeled/deveined shrimp, you may have to use a seafood stock instead. I gave the shrimp a good wash before cleaning as I knew I would be using the shell and heads in the stock. After cleaning the shrimp I heated 2 tablespoons of butter in a deep pan and added the heads and shell of the shrimp on medium heat. You’ll notice that it will change color to a sort of pink/orange color (about 3 minutes). This is when you add the water, bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer. Allow that to simmer for 20 minutes.

Dice the celery, scallions and scotch bonnet pepper. Then in another sauce pan (medium heat) add the remaining butter and as it melts, add the scallions, celery and scotch bonnet pepper. Allow that gently cook for 4-5 minutes.

Now add the flour to the pot and whisk constantly or it will burn.. The idea is to cook the flour and create a roux base for the bisque. The heat should be at min and do allow this to cook for at least 5 mins or we’ll have a raw flour taste at the end. What I forgot to mention to you all is that we need to trim the shrimp a bit. Cut each one in half lengthwise, then cut each strip in two pieces. So each shrimp will give you four pieces.

Now it’s time to assemble the shrimp bisque. Add the tomato soup and strain in the shrimp stock we made. Remember to whisk as you add the tomato soup and do it it first before adding the hot stock or risk getting lumps from the roux. Bring that up to a simmer then add the curry powder, some fresh ground black pepper and the coconut milk. Stir, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the pieces of raw shrimp and since shrimp cooks very fast, allow it to cook for 3 minutes. Now check for salt and adjust accordingly. I had to add a pinch for my liking.

You should now have a delicious Caribbean inspired coconut shrimp bisque ready for serving. A thick slice of good bread or coconut bake and you’re good to go. Now if your dad is old school like mine.. don’t dare ask him if he wants some soup and serve him this. He will be expecting salted meats and thick with yam, dasheen, green fig and other provisions he associates with ‘soup’.

Here’s the video of me preparing the shrimp bisque to use as an additional guide:

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