baked fish Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

Here’s one of those meals which takes me back to the Caribbean, but not as a child… as we never had this version of fish growing up in our house. I think the only fish dish we had which came out of the oven, was when mom made baked salmon. However, it does give a level of comfort as it reminds me of my travels throughout the Caribbean as an adult (tourist).

You’ll Need…

1 2-3 lb fish (I prefer ocean fish)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
2 pimento peppers (sliced)
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon olive oil
1 stalk celery (diced)
4 cloves garlic (divided)
10 okra (divided)
1.5 lbs pumpkin (divided – dice and sliced)
1 lemon
8 small bell peppers
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
1 teaspoon sea salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
6-8 sprigs thyme (divided)
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar

NOTE! If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your gluten free dietary requirements.

Prep the vegetables.

Lets prepare the stuffing for the fish as I want it cool before use. In a saucepan add a tablespoon and a half of olive oil, followed by the diced onion, celery (including any leaves), scallions, 1/2 the thyme (leaves only) and stir.

After 3 minutes on low heat, add 1/4 the black pepper, 1/2 the salt, 3/4 cup diced pumpkin, 1/2 the garlic, 4 okra cut into 1 cm wheels and continue cooking on low.

Add the pimento peppers (1/2 cup diced bell peppers will work too), grated ginger (the ginger will give it a peppery note) and stir well.

5 minutes and you can turn off the stove and allow it to cool.

It’s time to make the sort of dressing. Add 1/3 cup olive oil to a bowl and mix in the remaining salt, black pepper and the remaining thyme leaves, garlic and lemon juice. Whisk!

I washed and prepped my fish (pat the fish dry), then I sprayed my baking tray with cooking spray (oil). I then made made 3 cuts down the belly of the fish holding my knife on a 45 degree angle (watch the video below). Now it’s time to pour or brush on the dressing we made. Get the belly cavity and make sure some gets into the cuts we made too. For easier clean-up after may I recommend lining your baking tray with foil or parchment paper.

Now it’s time to add the ‘cooled’ stuffing we made earlier into the belly cavity of the fish. Yes, it will spill out.. we want this actually.

To make it to a full meal, it’s time add the remaining pumpkin (skin on is fine), remaining okra and tiny sweet bell peppers. Spoon on the remaining dressing to cover everything.

add a bit more salt and black pepper on top of everything if you want.

Sprinkle on the brown sugar on the pieces of pumpkin to add a bit more sweetness as it roast. I sliced the pumpkin about 1 1/2 cm thick.,

Into a 425 F (preheated) oven on the middle rack uncovered as we want to get that oven-grilled effect (char) on everything.

Feel free to sprinkle on some fresh lemon or lime juice as you take it out of the oven. This is guaranteed to become a HIT in your house. Feel free to use your fav fish in making this dish. 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/

Oven Roasted Yellow Tail Snapper.

April 28, 2020April 5, 20204 Comments

I’ll be honest, I grew up eating fish three ways. Fried, Stewed and in a lovely Curry Sauce (mommy’s repertoire). Never grilled, steamed, smoked (well except for the smoked herring we get in the Caribbean), oven roasted or broiled. However that quickly changed when I started traveling through the Caribbean and seeing how we do fish and seafood differently. Sadly, I wish I knew sooner (when I lived on the islands) as getting good fish here in Canada is very expensive. Understandable, but painful to see. I’m not a fan of fresh-water (lakes and rivers) fish.. only ocean fish please.

You’ll Need…

1 Snapper (about 2 lbs)
1 tablespoon salt (divided)
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
4-5 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
8-10 Brussels Sprout (optional)
8-10 cherry tomato
8-10 olives
4 sprigs thyme
1/2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (to finish)
*juice of a lime or lemon (to wash the fish)

Important! 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.

Wash the fish, then cut slits across the thickest part of the back/belly – to help cook faster and to allow for absorption of the marinade.

Salt (1/2 of it) the fish, especially in the cuts and belly of the fish. Then in a small bowl mix the Caribbean Green Seasoning and 2 tablespoon of Olive oil and paste it all over the fish, including the belly cavity.

Then in your roasting dish (oven proof) go in with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the fish on it. Add the Olives, Brussels Sprouts, Scallions, Garlic (smashed) and Thyme and pour any remaining marinade over everything. The Brussels Sprouts is optional as I found some in my fridge and tossed them in there… great addition yea.

Top with black pepper and the remaining salt. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil. This will help develop some color during roasting. You may need to go in with you hands and make sure everything is coated. Try to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Now into a 400 F oven uncovered on the middle rack. 25 minutes.. then 5 minutes on broil (525 F) But be mindful it can burn easily at this high temperature.

As it comes out of the oven, drizzle with the lemon juice and top with the chopped parsley. This will brighten the finished dish a bit. I didn’t add any Caribbean Sunshine (Scotch Bonnet) nor anything spicy, but you can certainly add your fave heat source if you wish.

Today moms got a ton of fish recipes in her arsenal, including a to-die-for baked salmon. Maybe I’ll convince her to share that recipe soon. If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Gluten Free Seafood

Ginger Chive Roasted Snapper Recipe.

April 28, 2019April 6, 2019Leave a Comment

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

Seafood

Herb Crusted Basa Fillet Done The Caribbean Way.

November 18, 2014April 22, 201411 Comments

Herb crusted what? I’ll be first to agree that during my childhood days in the Caribbean, you’d never come across such a recipe. But the new generation of chefs and home cooks are experimenting with great success. We had fish four ways growing up.. fried, curry, stew and in fish broth (pronounced broff). Mom was a traditionalist and her dishes reflected the mentoring she got from her mother and aunts before her.

Basa (Pangasius bocourt, similar to catfish) is one of the most inexpensive fish you can get in our city at the various Asian markets and the good part is .. they are fillets. So you don’t have to worry about bones especially if you want to get your children eating fish.

You’ll Need…

2 Basa Fillets

Herb crust…

2 slices of bread (white bread with crust removed)
1 tablespoon parsley
1 scallion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme (fresh)
dill optional
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

dressing…

1 1/2 tablespoon mayo
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch salt
pinch fresh ground black pepper

* You’ll also need about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers (wash your hands with soap immediately after) and don’t use any of the seeds.

Remove the crust off the bread (and break into smaller pieces) , give the scotch bonnet, scallion and parsley a rough chop and remove the tiny leaves off the thyme stem. Add it all to a food processor and blitz until you have a crumbly consistency. Add in the salt, melted butter and grate in some lemon zest. Pulse a couple times and get ready to dress the fish.

Wash and pat the basa fillets dry with paper towels, then drizzle on some olive oil on a parchment lined baking tray and place the filets on it (no oil on the fish itself). The oil will add subtle flavor and prevent the fillets from sticking as it cooks in the oven. Add a bit more oil if using tin foil instead of parchment paper. Preheat your oven at 375 F.

As the oven comes to temperature lets give the fish some more flavor and help keep it moist when it’s done doing it’s thing in the oven. In a small bowl mix all the ingredients mentioned for the dressing, then lather it onto both pieces of fish.

I simply used the back of a spoon to paste this creamy sauce over the Basa fillets. Now it’s time to get crusty! Pour half of the herb crust we made over each fish and gently press down on it so it holds on the creamy dressing.

In the 375 F oven, middle rack for about 15-20 minutes.. depending on how thick your fillets are and how well done you like your fish.

Not you conventional Caribbean fish recipe, but I assure you it’ will be a ‘go-to’ recipe the very first time you give it a try. The herb crust will certainly stand out and the fish itself will be tender and moist from that lovely dressing we started off with.

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!

baked fish

Outstanding Oven Roasted Fish.

Oven Roasted Yellow Tail Snapper.

Ginger Chive Roasted Snapper Recipe.

Herb Crusted Basa Fillet Done The Caribbean Way.

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