stewed red herring Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

This is yet another leftover special I rock from time to time at lunch. With boiled yam (cooked in salted water) and Smoked Herring Choka (some say stewed smoked herrings) on hand, basically all I did was add cabbage and warmed everything together. You’re free to add more tomato, bell pepper and anything else you may have on hand.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 cup leftover prepared Smoked Herrings
1/2 lb Cabbage (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 – 2 lbs leftover boiled Yam

Notes! Please follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. The smoked herring was prepared with onion, garlic, black pepper, tomato, scallions and herbs, so it’s already loaded with flavor.

Heat a wide pan on a medium low flame then add the leftover Smoked Herrings (say smok-erinn) and warm through. The olive oil used in preparing the smoked Herrings will assist in this.

As this warms through, chop the cabbage.

After 3-4 minutes you may now add the chopped cabbage to the pan, stir well and top with the salt.

As this cooks for 3 minutes, go ahead and chop the pieces of leftover yam into small pieces.

Add the yam to the pan and stir well to coat with everything else. Turn the heat to low, place the lid on and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the yam is fully heated through.

Such a lovely ‘country’ dish, which takes me back to being a lil fella on the islands and mommy would prepare this for our dad, my brother and I. My sisters (as mentioned before) are not fans of ground provision, at least when we were children. Serve with a tall glass of Mauby. BTW some of you may know the smoked herring dish as Stewed Red Herrings.

One of my favorite memories of Barbados… tired, hungry and just exhausted from a long day of traveling to the island (gotta love slow customs and immigration). Luckily we opted for dinner at a local street vendor who had fresh-off-the-coal-fire – roasted breadfruit, stuffed with stewed red herrings. This son of the Caribbean was in heaven. Here’s my take on that delicious stewed smoked herrings.

You’ll Need…

1 lb red herring fillets (called smoke herring on some islands)
2 medium onions (sliced)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3-5 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 scallions (chopped)
10 cherry tomatoes (or 1 large diced)
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato puree
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped fine)
1 scotch bonnet (sliced)
3/4 cup water
1/2 lime (juice)

Important. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Use as much Scotch Bonnet (any spicy pepper you like) as you can handle and remember to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers.

I used Smoked Herring fillets as it meant less work for me. Typically you’d have to remove the skin, large bones etc. TIP! wear gloves or the scent will remain on you hand for hours. Burn that scented candle in your house (smile).

Pour boiling water over the fillets to remove the excess salt and smoke and to rehydrate the herrings. Yes there will be tiny bones, try to remove as much as you can, but if some of them are too small to remove, doh (don’t) sweat.

Once cooled, drain, pour more warm water and rinse. Drain dry and squeeze. Now break up the fillets into small pieces and set aside.

In a saucepan on a medium flame, add the olive followed by the onions. Reduce the heat to low, so we can gently sweat the onion (about 3 minutes). Add the black pepper, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook for another 2 minutes (stir well).

Add the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes. Then create a space in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste, so it’s in direct contact with the surface (helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the tomato) stir. Raise the heat to medium/low and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the prepared herring, followed by the scallions and tomato. Stir well, crank the heat to med/high and add the water. Bring to a boil. Lid On.

As it comes to a boil, stir, turn the heat down and simmer (lid open) for 3-5 minutes.

Finally (turn the stove off) add the lime juice and parsley, one final stir and you’re ready to enjoy.

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/

stewed red herring

Yam With Smoked Herring And Cabbage.

Stewed Red Herrings (smoked herring).

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