Seafood Archives | Page 21 of 36

It’s kinda funny that in the Caribbean we quickly reach of a can of sardines more often than taking advantage of the abundance of fresh sardines from the Caribbean sea. It’s probably a convenience thing, plus if you ever had to clean sardines you’d know that it’s a bit time consuming (and smelly). Admittedly I’m a HUGE fan of tin sardines.. done with thinly sliced onion, tomato and scotch bonnet peppers.. with a bit of freshly ground black pepper, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

You’ll Need…

1 lb sardines
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
1 scallion
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
3-5 birds eye pepper

* 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.

Finely chop the scallions, garlic and parsley. If you’re concerned about the raw heat from the bird’s eye pepper (say bird pepper in the Caribbean), you can leave them whole and the natural oils from the skin will be released as they roast in the oven.

Try to get the people at your fish market to clean and gut your sardines.. or be prepared for a bit of a mess as you scale and remove the innards. Rinse with lemon juice and cool water and drain dry. Then cut two shallow slits at the thickest parts of the belly (both sides). This will help the flavors to really penetrate.

Drizzle a bit of the olive oil on the bottom of your roasting pan, then place the sardines and go in with the other ingredients. Mix well. Top with the lemon juice and the rest of the olive oil. I like placing a few slices of lemon between the fish as well. Allow this to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 and then place the baking pan on the middle rack. Roast for 10 minutes.

To really intensify the flavors, I then crank up the oven’s heat to ‘broil’.. which is about 500 F and give it another 4-5 minutes. Then get ready to enjoy an amazing gluten free, fish dish unlike the canned stuff we normally reach for.

You can certainly do these on your grill, or if you wanted you can even dust then in flour and fry in vegetable oil until crisp. Remember if you’re doing the fried version it will NOT be gluten free, unless you use a gluten free flour.

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!

Seafood

Shrimp Wontons Recipe.

May 28, 2025February 23, 20161 Comment

Shrimp Wontons or Wantons is one of those snacks I grew up eating at the many Chinese restaurants and food trucks in San Fernando Trinidad as a young fella. Fresh from the fryer and dipped in a basic sauce of soy sauce and pepeprsauce, it was the ideal thing to eat after dad, my younger brother and I would go watch Kung Fu movies on a Saturday afternoon. It was usually the appetizer for an amazing full-on Chinese meal, as you could ONLY get in Trinidad and Tobago. Ask any Trinbagonian and they will swear that ‘our’ Chinee (Chinese) food is unlike any you’d find elsewhere.

You’ll Need…

3/4 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 scallion
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
pinch black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet (optional)
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
1 teaspoon soy sauce
pinch of salt
wonton wrappers
3 cups veg oil for frying

Tip: If you wanted to replace the shrimp with chicken, you can certainly do so.

Finely chop the prepared shrimp, scallion, scotch bonnet (no seeds and wash your hands after with soap and water) and grate the ginger. Place everything (except the veg oil and wrappers) in a bowl and combine. Allow to marinate for 15 mins.

It’s now time to prepare the little packages, called wontons for frying. I like making them all, before I start frying as they cook very fast. Take a wonton wrapper and wet 2 sides – meet at a corner… with water (on your fingers). Then place about 1/2 teaspoon of the shrimp mix in the center. Now (press the air out as you seal it) close by folding the dry corners over the wet corners. You’ll be left with a filled triangle package. Wet one of the outer corners with water and pull the other corner to touch, overlap and stick! Sounds a bit confusing, but you can watch the video below to see how simple this is.

Heat the veg oil on a medium/high flame and gently place a few of the wantons (so the hot oil doesn’t splash back at you). I did about 20 of these wontons, but you can easily get between 40-50 from the shrimp base we made. If you have remaining shrimp, freeze for another time.

Fry for about 3 mins on each side.. be sure to flip so it’s evenly cooked. In about 5-7 mins they will be nice and golden and ready to remove. Place on some paper towels to drain off the excess oil and do try to serve warm. You can always make these a couple hours in advance (if hosting people) and reheat in the oven. But they’re so much better freshly made (they may tend to go soggy after a while).

My dipping sauce was VERY basic.. soy sauce and peppersauce (hot sauce). But you can be creative with sesame oil, Hoisin, fish sacue or any other condiment/sauces you like.

Seafood

Tasty Shrimp Pholourie.

May 28, 2025January 7, 2016Leave a Comment

I’ve had a weakness for these delightful fried dough balls served with spicy chutney, ever since my school days. I’d guess that at least 50% of my weekly allowance went directly to the vendors outside our school compound, selling pholourie and other popular street foods in San Fernando (Trinidad). There was one spot where they sold them straight from the fryer dripping in hot grease, but the lines were always longest there. Would explain why as soon as the recess or lunch bell would go off, it was like an Olympic 100 meter dash to get out the gates and at the front of the line. I dare Usain Bolt to get in our way or try to outrun us.

This recipe is somewhat of a hybrid of the traditional way of making pholourie as we’ll use store bought mix and then add something totally unique to it – SHRIMP!

You’ll Need…

1 package pholourie mix
3/4 lb shrimp
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Caribbean green seasoning.
veg oil for frying (about 2 cups)

Learn how to make the Caribbean green seasoning with this video tutorial << CLICK!

Notes: I found the pholourie mix at an Asian grocery store here in Canada.. try West Indian stores as they will usually be the place you’ll find it. If you click on Recipe Index at the top you’ll find a recipe for this (without the shrimp) done the traditional way.

Clean and devein the shrimp. Try to leave a little of the tail still intact as you can use it to hold the shrimp to dip into the batter. Then using a sharp pairing knife make some cuts (across) the inner curve of the shrimp so they become somewhat straight/flat and cook faster.

Place the prepped shrimp in a bowl and season with the Caribbean green seasoning, salt and black pepper and allow to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

As the vegetable oil heats in a deep pot, mix the batter according to the package instructions. In my case I added about 2-3 tablespoons more water as you need the batter a bit thin to coat the shrimp. Should be a bit like pancake batter (a little thicker).

Oil on medium flame, dip the shrimp into the batter holding them by the tail and place gently into the hot oil. Don’t allow them to make contact with each other (or they will stick) and don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry (flip) for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Do them in batches and place the ones fully cooked onto paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil. Serve warm with mango, cucumber or Tamarind chutney.

Not the traditional way of making pholourie as it’s done in Trinidad and Tobago, but this version with the shrimp is becoming a huge hit as bar food and to be quite honest. I didn’t even know about it until I was included in a conversation on Twitter.

Rice & One-Pot Dishes Seafood

Caribbean Saltfish Fried Rice Recipe.

May 28, 2025December 30, 20153 Comments

I grew up in a house where food was NEVER wasted, so ‘butter’ containers (empty ice cream, butter and margarine containers mom would wash and reuse) stacked in the fridge was a norm. Usually packed with whatever leftovers there was from the night before. So finding the same in our fridge is not that surprising. This fried rice recipe is something I usually do when I want something quick, filling and delicious to eat and I have some leftover rice in the fridge.

You’ll Need…

2-3 cups cooked rice (chilled)
1 scallion
1 shallot (diced)
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced bell pepper
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup prepared salted fish (cod)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)

* To learn how to prepare the salted cod (saltfish) for use, click >> Learn How To Prepare Salted Cod For Use.

Prepare your salted fish (soak, boil, drain, strip/shred..set aside). The reason you do this is to remove most of the salt it’s cured in or it would be too salty for use.

Chop and dice the shallot, scallion, cabbage, bell pepper and scotch bonnet pepper. Please wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers, wash your hands immediately after with soap and water and do NOT use any of the seeds of white membrane surrounding the seeds. That’s where the ‘real’ heat is.

Make sure the rice is chilled so when the fried rice is done cooking it will have a lovely grainy texture. My rice was cooked in salted water.

Heat the veg oil in a pan and add the pieces of salted fish and cook on low heat for 3 minutes.

Then add the shallot, diced pepper, scotch bonnet and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Go in with the black pepper and five spice powder and give everything a good mix. Now add the cabbage, soy sauce and sesame oil before adding the pre-cooked (chilled) rice. Heat at medium-high. Mix well and heat though.

After 4-5 minutes the rice should be heated through.. add the chopped scallions, turn off the heat and mix well. Taste for salt. Since I cooked the rice in salt, added soy sauce and the residual salt from the salted fish, I didn’t have to add any salt to the dish… but adjust accordingly.

In under 10 minutes you’ll have a delightful dish for two, packed with amazing Caribbean flavors. If heat is not your thing you can certainly leave out the diced scotch bonnet pepper or use a more tame pepper if you wish. Yet another great way to put leftover rice to use. ENJOY!

Breakfast Gluten Free Seafood

Ultimate Caribbean Breakfast Recipe.

May 28, 2025October 15, 20151 Comment

Breakfast was usually a grab and go routine for me as a young fella on the islands during the week, as I went to school in the city and it meant leaving our sleepy village very early in the morning. I had to take a 2nd taxi (shared) when I got into San Fernando (2nd largest city in Trinidad) to make it in time for the first bell. So weekends was when mom would go all out with whatever we wanted for breakfast. Now this sort of breakfast was never included as I only developed a liking for many of the ingredients you’ll see me use, during my travels across the Caribbean as an adult. However the dish itself represents the sort of satisfying breakfast you’d find across the West Indies, especially on the weekends.

You’ll Need…

4 green cooking bananas (cooked)
1-2 cups prepared salted fish (Cod)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup diced bell pepper
4 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 large shallot (or 2 cloves garlic & 1 small onion)
1 can ackee (drain / rinsed)
2 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 small okra (cut in half – length)
6 cups Jamaican callaloo (trimmed/shredded)

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

Video Tutorials:

How To Prepare Jamaican Callaloo For Cooking

How To Shop For, Cook And Peel Green Bananas.

How To Prepare Salted Fish

Please use the video tutorials above to prepare the necessary ingredients. If using canned ackee as I did, be gentle and rinse with cool water to get rid of the brine it’s packaged in and set aside. On a medium flame, heat the olive oil (or coconut) and add the diced shallot and thyme. Lower the heat to low and let it cook gently for 3 minutes.

With your heat still on low, add the prepared salted cod and the black pepper and continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the cut/trimmed ockra and scotch bonnet pepper (remember to use as much as you can handle and don’t use any seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat). Stir well and cook for a couple minutes.

It’s now time to add the prepared Jamaican callaloo (chorai bhaji) and stir well. It will look like it will overflow, but it will shrink (wilt) down as it cooks. Add all the other ingredients, except the cooked green bananas and ackee and mix well.

After 5 Minutes, add the cooked green bananas (cut into 1 inch pieces) and mix well. Then GENTLY fold in the ackee. Please be gentle as it’s very tender and can fall apart very easily. Warm trough and combine the flavors and you’re basically done.

An amazing one pot Caribbean breakfast beast served (enjoyed) hot. Feel free to add other types of ground provisions to the mix (like yams, dasheen, cassava etc) and be sure to have some slices of fried plantains on the side with some coconut bake or johnny cakes.

Seafood

Oven Roasted Sardines.

Fried Snapper In A Zesty Orange Ginger Sauce.

Shrimp Wontons Recipe.

Tasty Shrimp Pholourie.

Caribbean Saltfish Fried Rice Recipe.

Ultimate Caribbean Breakfast Recipe.

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