As kids growing up on the islands the only way our mom could ever get us to eat fish, was when she made this recipe. Looking back I believe her fish of choice was carite (sp), but today I much prefer using King Fish (very meaty and holds it shape great when frying). I still remember breaking apart the slices of fish and dipping it into a mixture or pepper sauce, ketchup and mustard and my mom warning us to be aware of the center bone of the fish. This fry fish recipe is very simple and quite classic throughout the islands, so I’m sure it will be a hit with your family and friends.
You’ll Need…
1-2 lbs of King fish (sliced about 3/4 inch thick)
1 teaspoon green seasoning
1/4 small onion – sliced
1/4 hot pepper sliced thin (I used habanero)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (your fav)
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper
lime or lemon for washing the fish
oil for frying (about 1-2 cups)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
* if you don’t have the green seasoning paste, use I teaspoon each : thyme, shado beni or cilantro, garlic and scallion.
Get the people at the fish market to cut the King fish into 3/4 inch steaks for you, but ask them to use the part closer to the tail (than the belly) so you get full slices and not slices with the belly part missing. Then place the slices (I used 4) in a bowl and squeeze the juice of a lime or lemon over it and cover with cool water. Wash and rinse, then season with everything mentioned in the ingredient list, except the flour and oil. Allow this to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge.
After its been marinating, take it out about 15 minutes or so from the fridge before frying, so it can come back to room temperature. The next steps are very simple.
1. Heat the oil in a fairly deep pan. Since it was a nice day outside, I opted to use the burner on my BBQ (also keeps the “fry” smell outdoors).
2. Take each piece of fish and shake off any large pieces of tomato etc and dust in the flour, to coat evenly. Shake off any excess flour.
3. Add to the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (until you get a lovely golden brown colour). Remember to be careful when flipping so you don’t splatter hot oil onto yourself.
4. Remove and place on paper towels to soak up as much of the oil it was fried in.
5. That’s it.. enjoy!
This is just as good in sandwiches and served as you would any other fish dish. Remember to be aware that the fish will have a huge center bone (you may call it something else) so be very careful when eating. If you’re making sandwiches or giving this to your children, you can easily remove that bone by poking it out with a fork or by using your fingers. Other than eating this as we did as children (on it’s own) I also enjoy it with a plate of rice and dhal.
I’d love to hear from you, so I invite you to leave me your comments below. And don’t forget to join our Facebook fan page. We’re quickly growing into one of the largest FB fan pages dedicated to Caribbean food. You can be part of it!
My favorite fish, and that’s king fish. Thank you.
Where does the tomato come in, not mentioned in the ingredients? Thank you.
I am trying this for my lime this Friday.
I make this all the time using various fish papano red fish shark i will add some whole ochroes
Chris I love to season the flour with a pinch of seasoning salt some breadcrumb, blackpepper, and paprika. It gives it a very nice flavor.
I’m making this as we speak and it was super easy and quick to prepare, I can’t wait to taste it because King fish at the Caribbean spots is my absolute favorite!
Thanks for all your recipes I loved pretty much every one of them!
Love your fry fish. Took me back to my childhood days when my dearest mother would make fried fish stew. It was divine and when fried, it looked the same as yours. Good job and the king or cavalli were the ones to use for the Job. Love your site Chris and keep cooking.
Hi Chris,
Read the instructions, got a bit confused until I realized the pictures says it all. This is my first attempt at frying king fish and I loved it. Thank you very much.
God bless….
MW
Hello Chris I'm a Chef in the Virgin Islands and i love your techniques, I grew up in NYC but returned to my birthplace in the V.I. I cannot forget my Jamaican friends growing up in N.Y. and learning there food culture brought in the early 60's and them allowing and welcoming me into there moms kitchen to taste there food fare. All my Bajan and Jamaican friends Mother's were a mother to me as they were very too interested in our V.I food culture from my mother also which we shared with them in exchange. I just wanted to state on this King fish recipe which I usually have on my Menu but we do not have a fresh product but Frozen from China. I have been troubled with the fact many people here do not like King Fish because of what I call for lack of a better words a (Gamey) taste of the frozen King Fish, even of the soaking of it with lime, vinegar, removing blood sacs, etc. I have found that if i Thaw and soak in whole milk twice, this eliminates
the gamey taste and adds protiens back and firms up the fish flesh, leaving a fresh fish taste that my customers like. Keep up the good work Chris I enjoy your recipes over any other websites.
Chris, Just completed frying king fish. Next, stewed fish I have been looking for this recipe for a very long time I found it last night on your site. Great job man…Thank you.
Jennifer
Esto me recuerda al carite rebozado que se come en la costa de Venezuela, frito en aceite muy caliente, crujiente por fuera, tierno por dentro..
Luv, I will try 2 cook this dish tonight for my girlfriend. Very thanks for share 😉 Kind regards from lithuania
An ideal replacement for the King Fish would be Yellowfin Tuna, and I normally saute some onions, parsley and sweet peppers and pour over it on a plate. For me pepper sauce is a must. Great for Sunday morning breakfast.