Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe
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Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe| Image source: Racquel's Caribbean Cuisine
By Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer
As Jamaicans, we truly enjoy seafood, so much so that one of our most popular community events is a fish fry. And no I am not talking annually, most communities have a fish fry atleast once per month, sometimes even more. The fact that the tickets are almost always completely sold out, is evidence of our general love of not just seafood, but specifically fish.
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One thing about us Jamaicans, we are often sceptical of the things we eat, especially seafood since sometimes they are unsafe to eat. Because of this, most of us stick to fishes like Snapper, Grunt, and Kingfish.
Now, on to how we prepare it. I am sure you have probably heard about our well-known escovitch fish dish, this, in my opinion, is the absolute best. But a close second is our Homestyle fish, not to be mistaken for our brown stew fish, it is slightly different. Bursting with aromatic spices and fresh herbs this dish is a treat for the senses.
So, I have a recipe that I use quite often. I won’t be sharing exact portions for the ingredients, as truth be told, Jamaicans don’t often measure seasonings, we eyeball everything and assume what we think is enough. Plus it is completely adjustable which means you can add as little or as much spiciness as you’d like. Don’t be afraid to add the extra scotch bonnet or leave it out entirely, if that’s better for your palate.
Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- Fish (choose your favourite, red snapper is a great option)
- Irish Potatoes
- Carrots
- Tablespoon of oil (vegetable, coconut or olive oil)
- Escallion, thyme and pimento seeds
- Scotch bonnet pepper and your favourite bell peppers
- Tomato, garlic and onion
- Vinegar or lime juice
- Salt and black pepper
- Fish seasoning (optional)
- Ketchup
- Flour to coat fish (optional)
PROCEDURE
- Prepare your fish. If you didn't buy fish that was previously prepared, this may be the hardest part. Your fish will need to be scaled and gutted. After that, thoroughly wash in a solution of vinegar and water or lime juice and water. After cleaning your fish, cut two slanting slices onto each side of it. Don't cut them completely through. So my advice? Buy your fish scaled, gutted and cleaned.
- Season your fish. You can simply season your fish with a combination of salt, black pepper, and some of your favourite powdered fish seasoning, I prefer to use Maggi. However, since you will be seasoning the fish with various natural seasonings, adding the fish seasoning is entirely optional. The centre of the fish and the slits you cut on each side should all be thoroughly seasoned.
- Prepare your vegetables and seasonings. Onions, thyme, scallion, and pimento allspice are required in this recipe. Your Irish potatoes and carrots should be washed, peeled, and cut into tiny, thin pieces. The truth is, Irish potatoes and carrots are optional in this dish, however, I enjoy the added vegetable plus it adds body to the sauce. Because fish cooks rapidly and your potatoes and carrots won't have much time to cook, you don't want to chop them too thick. The remainder of your vegetables and seasonings should also be washed and thinly sliced. Take care not to use too much pepper; you don't want it to be very hot.
- You are now prepped and ready to cook. In a skillet or Dutch pot, add a generous amount of oil and allow it to get hot. You can lightly cost your fish in flour to fry or fry without. Once you have your fish fried to a nice golden brown colour remove them from the pot and drain most of the oil.
- Add your seasoning. Add all your herbs and spices to the remaining oil in the pot and saute on low heat for 5 minutes. Once the tomatoes have started to soften and sweat in the oil, add about a cup of water, then a generous amount of ketchup and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Add Your Fish To The Pot. The next step is to add your fish to the pot, cover and allow to cook on low heat. Remember your fish is already cooked so this won’t take long, 7 to 10 minutes should be enough depending on the size of your fish. Throughout the cooking time base your fish a few times so the top of the fish can also absorb some of the colour and flavours. Do not try flipping the fish and risk it breaking or falling apart.
- Serve. serve up your fish with any side you like, a simple plate of white rice, or some rice and peas would go well.
There you have it, a simple and quick recipe for Jamaican homestyle fish. You can also try these other fish dishes that we love so much, and when you are done check these amazing dessert recipes that we have compiled together in our ebook.
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References & Sources For Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe
- Authentic Jamaican Fish Recipes -Steamed, Fried, Curried, Jerk & More. (n.d.). My-Island-Jamaica.com. https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/jamaican_fish_recipes.html
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