Day 4: Entrées/Mains

Recipe: Stuffed Crown Roast

In addition to ham, I generally serve only 1 other main meat dish in the form of a roast and most of the others - a combination of seafood. This makes the pescatarians very happy.

Recipe: Blackened Fish

Recipe: Pasta-Tuna Bake

Recipe: Stuffed Calamari/Squid

For the shrimp, season with your favourite herb paste or dry rub, heat oil in pan and cook for 1 and 1/2 minutes flipping halfway; for jumbo shrimp, cook for 2 minutes.

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Barbados @ 50 - Pot Fish

Parrot fish is a specie that is found in the shallow waters of the Caribbean and other parts of the world that enjoy a tropical environment. It is so called - parrot fish - because of its vibrant beautiful colours. Each specie of this collective comes in different colours and size. One of my favourites is the one called Chubs. Brilliant blue with hues of gold, yellow and turquoise. Found throughout the Caribbean, parrot fish is not without its controversy. Read about it here.

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Barbados @ 50 - Fried Fish Roe

As a lover of seafood, especially fish, I have enjoyed eating fish roe (fish eggs) when cooked in a curry. However, one day, on a trip to one of the fish markets in Barbados, I spotted packets of fresh, cleaned fish roe at several stalls and enquired about them. I was told that they are the fish roe of one of Barbados' most popular and well-loved fish - mahi mahi. Armed with advice and information from the fish vendor, I brought a packet and set about frying up some mahi mahi fish roe. Though not caviar, these fish roe are packed with nutrients and delicious when seasoned and fried tender.

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Barbados @ 50 - National Dish

Cou Cou & Flying Fish is Barbados' national dish. Cou Cou refers to the style of preparation of an ingredient. In the case of the national dish, cornmeal is cooked in water with okras and seasonings, low and slow until liquid dries out and the cornmeal comes away easily from the sides of the pot. The texture is silky from the okras. The hot cornmeal cou cou is transferred to a well buttered dish; the bowl is then swirled around to firm up, shape and mould the cou cou. Served with stewed flying fish with lots of flavourful sauce made with onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs, this is quite a filling meal. Other types of cou cou - breadfruit cou cou and green banana cou cou.

With breadfruit and green banana cou cou, the ingredients are boiled until soft and mashed smooth with butter, a little salt and sometimes a bit of cheese. So good!

 

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Barbados @ 50 - Flying Fish

Flying Fish in a tomato-onion sauce or stewed flying fish, if you like, is one half of Barbados' national dish of Cou Cou & Flying Fish. The other popular way to cook flying fish is battered and fried.

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B'dos @ 50 Food Photo Project

I am Guyanese. 18 years ago I moved to Barbados to work in a regional organisation. I still live and work in beautiful Bim. As many of you know, one of the best ways to get to know a place is through its food. Over the years, it has been exciting, enlightening and interesting exploring the food ways of Barbados.

Like Guyana, Barbados is also marking its 50th anniversary of independence this year - November 30th. As part of the observation, I am going to be doing another 50-day food photo project. The countdown starts tomorrow. This is Bajan food through my eyes, prepared by me. I hope that you'll come feast with your eyes, here on the blog, via Facebook and Twitter.

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Guyana @ 50 - Stewed Fish

In Guyana we get an astounding array of fish. There is so much variety that you can eat a different type of fish each day for 3 weeks, and that is based on my conservative count and limited knowledge. We prepare fish in many ways - curried, fried, steamed, smoked, salted, choka, baked, roasted, fried as fritters and blackened. A popular way to cook fish is stewed. The fish is first seasoned, fried lightly and then cooked in a sauce of tomatoes, lots of onions, fresh Guyanese thyme, celery, hot peppers, garlic and whatever else a cook feels will elevate the stew.

Stewed Fish ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 - Bangamary

Bangamary is a tender white fish that we get in Guyana. To simply say that it is delicious would be an understatement. Seasoned with Guyanese fine thyme, wiri-wiri pepper, garlic and salt, all ground to a paste, and massaged on to the fish, Bangamary is transformed into a most flavourful fish.  Pan-frying is the cooking method mostly applied to Banga (the familiar name used by Guyanese). A light dusting of all-purpose flour is all that is needed for a coating.

Fried Bangamary ©Cynthia Nelson

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Stamp & Go

Fish cakes or salted cod fritters is a delicious snack that you can find all across the Caribbean. Depending on where you are, the differences are subtle and in some cases, they show their direct influence. For example, in Guyana where I am from, you can see the Portuguese influence in our fish cakes based on the shape and the use of English potatoes in the mixture. However, due to the profusion of fresh seafood in Guyana, fresh fish is often used instead of salted fish. In other parts of the region, you can see the African influence in the style of accras, also known as fritters.

In Barbados and elsewhere, these salt fish fritters are known as fish cakes, fish fritters, salt fish cakes and accras or salt fish accras. In Jamaica, they are called Stamp & Go. Just as the names are different, so too are the fritters, even though they look similar and are made of the same primary ingredients. It is the application of these ingredients and techniques employed that make each set of fritters stand out. The differences of application can be deep versus pan (shallow) frying, the amount to heat (pepper) added, the herbs of choice, the amount of flour added, the addition or omission of baking powder, and in some cases it is all about how the salt fish is de-salted or not, and then shredded. Some batters call for the addition of eggs. Regardless of the preparation, a proper fish cake/salt fish accra is a food not to be missed. Eaten hot with pepper sauce and chased with an ice-cold beverage, it is very much a taste of the Caribbean.

I generally eat fish cakes with loud (meaning lots of) Guyanese sour. Sour is a savoury condiment.

Jamaica's codfish fritters, Stamp & Go, is pan fried in a little oil and the seasonings for the fritters are cooked before being added to the salt fish along with flour, baking powder and water to make a thick batter. This was the first time I had made the Jamaican version of salt fish fritters and it does taste different (good different) with the herbs and other aromatics being cooked first, as opposed to what usually uptakes in most other salt fish fritters - the seasonings (herbs, onions, hot peppers and so on) are very finely minced and mixed directly with the other ingredients.

This recipe is heavily adapted from Enid Donaldson's, The Real Taste of Jamaica.

YIELD: 36 - 40

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless salt fish, soaked overnight - 18 hours in tap water
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan frying
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 - 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fine table salt
• 3 scallions/green onions sliced thinly, white/purple & green parts
• 1 + 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• Water

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse and pat dry the salt fish. Flake into bits in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, thyme, tomatoes and pepper along with salt and toss to mix. Reduce heat to low and cook until the ingredients are soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Add the sautéed ingredients to salt fish and mix well.
4. Stir in the green onions/scallions.
5. Mix together the flour and baking powder and add to the salt fish mixture along with just enough water to form a thick batter. The batter should not be stiff or runny.
6. Heat oil for pan frying over medium heat.
7. Working in batches, add heaped tablespoons of batter and cook until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

NOTES

• Some salt fish are saltier than others, therefore there should be no need to add salt to the batter. However, if you find that all of the salt has been removed the salt fish, add salt to taste to the batter.
• Change the water at least once during the soaking process.
• If the fritters are browning too quickly reduce the heat a little and do not over crowd the pan.

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Bacon of the Sea

One of the many pleasures of life is having good friends, especially those that share your interests. Julius Gittens is one such friend.

On a fine Saturday morning a few weeks ago, Julius arrived at my place and we had a foodie exchange. I gave him fiery hot bird peppers and he surprised me with a back of Bacon of the Sea. You should have seen him, armed with an insulated bag to keep the goodies at the right temperature. I was immediately intrigued.

Bacon of the Sea is a smoked fish product made in Grenada. It is naturally smoked sailfish strips. Packaged just like bacon, it sells itself as a bacon substitutes for those who do not consume pork or are looking for a healthy alternative to regular bacon. With strict instructions not to cook it for more than 30 seconds, Julius was off. He had more stops to make on his Bacon of the Sea tour.

A week later, I cooked the bacon substitute. Once defrosted, I followed the package instructions of heating a pan with a little oil and sticking to the overall cooking time of 30 seconds. Cooked longer (and I did do that just to test it), the 'bacon' becomes stiff but that is not such a bad thing because you can then chop it into bits, like bacon bits.

As you can see in the picture from the package, the fish is redolent with the signature, brown, smoked hue. However, once it hits the pan, it turns opaque (see photo below) and there is a slight hue of pink. One of the surprising things for me is that it smelt a little like bacon while it was cooking. Maybe it is because of the smoke-cured process.

As I tasted the bacon, it reminded me of smoked salmon. I enjoyed it and would definitely buy it if I had ready access to the product. What I especially liked is that I found the portion in the package to be quite generous. There were 13 strips in the packet (I counted).

If you are interested in the sautéed tomatoes on the plate, here's what to to:

So, Jules, when you making another delivery?

For more information on Bacon of the Sea and how you can access the product, please check out the following:

Southern Fishermen Association Inc.
Grand Mal
St. George's
GRENADA
website: www.southernfishermen-grenada.com
Email: southfish@spiceisle.com
Tel/Fax: (473) 435-1693

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Fish So Fresh

One of the interesting things about hurricane season in the Caribbean is the variety of fish that we get that cannot be found at any other time of the year. Thanks to fish migration, I welcome the opportunity to try fish that I have never heard of before much less tasted. I am fortunate to have made friends with an owner of one of the fishing vessels at Oistin's. Wendell has been introducing me to other types of fish and it's quite an education.

For me, fresh seafood begs to be prepared in the simplest of ways so that you can taste the flavour and experience the texture. Each fish has its own texture, though there are similarities in some varieties. Of course the application/method used to cook the fish can determine the final texture of the fish. The seasonings used also contribute to the overall flavour of the fish and the dish as a whole.

I've never had Black Jack fish before. This is one of the fish that Wendell introduced me to. It is a favorite among fisher folk. I bought a couple, had a guy at the market it clean it for me and headed home to make an all-time Caribbean favorite - steamed fish.

There is no particular recipe for this dish. Here's what I did.

Once cleaned, the fish was washed well and pat dry, I seasoned it with lots of freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and a sprinkling of packet-fish seasoning. I cut up some hot peppers, removing the seeds and sliced up some green onions/scallions. Then I got 2 sprigs of fresh Guyanese/Portuguese thyme which I placed 1 sprig each on both pieces of fish while they were steaming so the flavour would permeate the fish.

Next, the fish was steamed in my Chinese bamboo steamer. First I lined the baskets with foil and then parchment paper before adding the fish. You can use a plate if you like. Let the pot or pan with water come up to a boil first and then place the baskets on top and steam for 12 - 14 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Add the hot peppers and green onions as soon as the fish is done cooking, cover and let rest for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the fish with the paper and its juices and transfer to a plate or serving dish - fish and juices. Squeeze some fresh lime or lemon juice onto the fish and getting some of the lime/lemon in the fish juices as well. Serve hot.

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Feasting on Fish Cakes

This month's edition of my newsletter - TASTESMONTHLY - features an array of fish cakes among other things. For a free copy, inbox me with Fish Cakes in the subject line.

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Bake & Shark: A Trini Favourite Street Food

Bake and Shark is good at any time of the day - morning, noon, night and any time in between. While it is a must-have if you ever visit Trinidad & Tobago, it is certainly something that you can reproduce in your home. If shark is not your thing, any firm white fish will do.

Having people over for breakfast or brunch? Make this and let everyone assemble their own Bake and Shark. Read how to eat Bake & Shark and ensure that you have the necessary condiments to go along with it.

Recipe for bakes. Recipe for fried shark.

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Fast food my way - No, not Jacques Pepin's

I love Jacques Pepin. The man is truly a master but he scares me. I remember watching him on one of his earlier PBS series where his daughter (Claudine) would be cooking with him... such a brave woman. It was so typical of many parents with their children in the kitchen - the watchful eyes, the directions, the taking of your knife and demonstrating how they want it done. I'd watch the show and only realize that my fists were clenched or my legs crossed tightly when the show was over. I was always scared for her, but Claudine handled herself well. Every time. Okay, so the only reason that I included Jacques Pepin's name in the title of this post is because he has a book by the title: Fast Food My Way. However, it's a phrase I use a lot when chatting with my friends of about quick meals I make when I don't have a lot of time or energy to spend in the kitchen. It aptly describes the dish I am sharing with you today - Grey Snapper in a Coconut Milk Sauce.

All you need are a few ingredients and this dish is done in about 20 - 25 minutes. It goes well with rice but when I made it, I had it with a crusty homemade bread. It was so good. Just let the bread sit in the bowl or pan and soak up the sauce. Use a couple of napkins; place one over your chest to prevent our clothes from being soiled. Trust me, that heavenly, yeasty bread pregnant with sauce is bound to drip!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds grey snapper fillets, cleaned and cut into 4 x1-inch thick pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, divided equally
• 2 cups fresh coconut milk or 1 cup canned coconut milk and 1 cup tap water

DIRECTIONS

1. Season fish lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
3. Add ginger, onion and garlic, sprinkle salt, toss to mix and reduce heat to low and cook until the aromatics are softened, do not let them get brown.
4. Stir in the turmeric and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
5. Turn heat to high and pour in coconut milk, add half of the cilantro, season lightly with salt and pepper. Let the pan come to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 - 6 minutes.
6. Turn heat to high and place fish in pan in single layer, cover and let pan come to boil. As soon as the pan comes to a boil, remove the cover and let the fish cook for 6 - 8 minutes; spoon sauce over the fish to baste as it cooks or if you like, carefully flip fish over halfway during the cooking process.
7. Toss in the remaining cilantro and shake pan for it to settle into sauce; taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Let the dish rest for a couple of minutes then serve while still hot.

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A Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

One of my favourite shows to watch on Cooking Channel is Luke Nguyen's Vietnam. The show is about real people, making real food and revelling in the tastes and flavours of their land. I pray that one day I can visit Vietnam and eat to my heart's delight.

When I saw Luke make this soup on one of his shows, I knew that I had to try it. It's simple, the flavours are clear and it's done cooking in minutes. The broth is excellent on its own but drop some crusty bread into it, let the bread suck up the broth and then bite into the bread... careful, you may have something dripping from the side of your mouth.

If you like seafood, especially fish, be sure to give this recipe a try. I know you'll like it. Here is the original recipe made with cod and below you can find my adaptation.

Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

(Adapted from Luke's Vietnam)

INGREDIENTS

6 sprigs chinese celery (aka Guyanese celery)

5 whole green onions

4 cups fish stock or vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bird peppers, crushed

2 lbs red snapper cleaned and cut into large pieces

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered

Fish sauce to taste (substitute with salt)

Juice of 1 lime

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the stems from the celery and bruise them with the back of a knife or rolling pin and set aside. Separate the leaves and the stems.
2. Cut off the white part of the green onions and bruise lightly. Chop green parts into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
3. Add stock to a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add celery stems, garlic and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add fish to pot along with the white parts of the green onions and let cook on high heat for 4 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, celery leaves and fish sauce or salt to taste, stir gently and continue to cook until the fish is fork tender.
6. Toss in green onions and lime juice. Stir, taste and adjust if necessary and serve immediately.

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The OTHER Potato Fries

I LOVE French Fries but when I want to be really good, I opt for Sweet Potato Fries. They are very quick and easy to make. I particularly like how the salt counter-balances the natural sweetness of the sweet potato. And you know what? You can eat the sweet potato fries with the same condiments you use for French Fries. And really, the sweet potatoes fries go well with fish, chicken, burgers and many other things that fries accompany.

For these fries, opt to use the white-fleshed sweet potatoes or the yellow-fleshed ones. The popular orange-fleshed sweet potato will yield a different result in terms of texture, more creamy than starchy. In fries, I am looking for starchy, not creamy.

Sweet Potato Fries

INGREDIENTS

1 lb white or yellow-flesh sweet potatoes, washed, scrubbed and patted dry

Vegetable or Canola Oil

All purpose seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Remove the top and bottom tips of the sweet potatoes (about 1/2 inch both ends).
3. Cut the sweet potatoes lengthways into 1/4 inch thick slices.
4. Lie the cut slices flat and cut lengthways into 1/4 inch thick slices
5. Add sliced potatoes to a baking sheet, drizzle with oil to coat; sprinkle all purpose seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix and coat.
6. Spread seasoned potatoes into a flat single layer.
7. Add pan to oven and bake for 18 minutes. Use a flat spatula to flip the fries and bake for another 18 minutes. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

I'm doing another book signing this week, this time at the University of the West Indies - Cave Hill Campus (Barbados) on Wednesday, March 23 from 5 - 7 p.m. I'll be sure to post some photographs next week, in addition to some from yesterday's Cloister book signing that took place at Sheraton Mall.

Hey, it's Lent and we're always looking for seafood dishes. Try this butterfish in butter sauce recipe that's on the table in about half an hour. Any white fish of your choice will work.

Have a good week everyone.

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Ummm Corned Beef! & A new Gig

A can of corned beef can be found in almost every Caribbean kitchen. It is one of those must-have items that we stock for that just-in-case moment. Just in case I need to cook something quickly. Just in case I didn't make it to the market for vegetables and meat. Or, just in case I have a craving for corned beef. Continue reading the column and for my recipe of Fried Corned Beef & Potatoes.

Check out my good friend Felix's posts on Corned Beef & Cabbage and Curried Corned Beef. He also gives some insight as to how corned beef is thought of in his neck of the woods. Very interesting stuff. Chris over at Caribbean Pot refers to the cooking of corned beef as a classic lazy-man dish.

While there are many dishes that one can make with corned beef. My favourite way is to have it fried with lots of onions and potatoes and eaten with rice. Fried in this case meaning sauteed. Recipe.

THE NEW GIG

I am now a Contributing Writer over at About.com - which is owned by The New York Times Company. I'll be writing about West Indian Food (English-speaking Caribbean) to the Guide site: Latin/Caribbean Food.

Each week on this blog, you will see me post photographs and links to recipes, demos or articles I've contributed. This way, you get more Caribbean food, and insights into the cuisine. This week, I'm featuring my Butter Fish in Butter Sauce recipe. It is quick and easy and can be on your table in about 30 mins. Any white fish will work for this recipe - bone-in or fillet. Of course the cooking time will reduce if you are using fillets instead of bone-in fish. Give the recipe a try and be sure to leave a comment/review at the bottom of the recipe when you do. Thanks!

Have a good weekend everyone!

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WANTED: A cook to make breakfast

I am serious. I don't know how much longer I can put up with preparing breakfast. Read this week's column and find out what has prompted me to make an earnest effort at eating breakfast. And be sure to check out my lofty aspirations that are not working for me! Then, if you're up to it, apply for the job. Click here for the column.

My efforts have been many and varied. Kinda how I like breakfast - if I am to commit to it.


Mini pancakes with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs

Fried ripe plantains

Stewed apples and yogurt or Plum (or any fruit) compote with yogurt

Roast Potatoes

Potato Choka & Sada Roti

And yes, oh gosh yes, I like a hot cooked meal for breakfast and a fish curry hits the spot every time!

All of these dishes are pretty straight forward (I think), but if anyone needs a recipe, drop me a line.

P.S. I know that you have not been seeing me visiting your blog lately. I am currently swamped with grading of papers etc and hopefully, soon, I'll come see you. Thank you for stopping by.

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