Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe

New! How much do you love Jamaica?

Join our growing list of well-thinking Jamaica-loving folks who are demonstrating what a friendly, helpful and fun Jamaican community looks like. Click Here to learn more.

And, if you ever need a trustworthy and knowledgeable local guide, consider booking a private tour with us!

Jamaican Homestyle Fish Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Fish (choose your favourite, red snapper is a great option)
• Irish Potatoes
• Carrots
• Tablespoon of oil (vegetable, coconut or olive oil)
• Escallion, thyme and pimento seeds
• Scotch bonnet pepper and your favourite bell peppers
• Tomato, garlic and onion
• Vinegar or lime juice
• Salt and black pepper
• Fish seasoning (optional)
• Ketchup
• Flour to coat fish (optional)

PROCEDURE

1. Prepare your fish. If you didn't buy fish that was previously prepared, this may be the hardest part. Your fish will need to be scaled and gutted. After that, thoroughly wash in a solution of vinegar and water or lime juice and water. After cleaning your fish, cut two slanting slices onto each side of it. Don't cut them completely through. So my advice? Buy your fish scaled, gutted and cleaned.
   
   
2. Season your fish. You can simply season your fish with a combination of salt, black pepper, and some of your favourite powdered fish seasoning, I prefer to use Maggi. However, since you will be seasoning the fish with various natural seasonings, adding the fish seasoning is entirely optional. The centre of the fish and the slits you cut on each side should all be thoroughly seasoned.
   
   
3. Prepare your vegetables and seasonings. Onions, thyme, scallion, and pimento allspice are required in this recipe. Your Irish potatoes and carrots should be washed, peeled, and cut into tiny, thin pieces. The truth is, Irish potatoes and carrots are optional in this dish, however, I enjoy the added vegetable plus it adds body to the sauce. Because fish cooks rapidly and your potatoes and carrots won't have much time to cook, you don't want to chop them too thick. The remainder of your vegetables and seasonings should also be washed and thinly sliced. Take care not to use too much pepper; you don't want it to be very hot.
   
   
4. You are now prepped and ready to cook. In a skillet or Dutch pot, add a generous amount of oil and allow it to get hot. You can lightly cost your fish in flour to fry or fry without. Once you have your fish fried to a nice golden brown colour remove them from the pot and drain most of the oil.
   
   
5. Add your seasoning. Add all your herbs and spices to the remaining oil in the pot and saute on low heat for 5 minutes. Once the tomatoes have started to soften and sweat in the oil, add about a cup of water, then a generous amount of ketchup and bring the sauce to a boil.
   
   
6. Add Your Fish To The Pot. The next step is to add your fish to the pot, cover and allow to cook on low heat. Remember your fish is already cooked so this won’t take long, 7 to 10 minutes should be enough depending on the size of your fish. Throughout the cooking time base your fish a few times so the top of the fish can also absorb some of the colour and flavours. Do not try flipping the fish and risk it breaking or falling apart.
   
   
7. Serve. serve up your fish with any side you like, a simple plate of white rice, or some rice and peas would go well.

New Here?

I recommend you START HERE to enjoy the best of this website!

New! For Authentic Jamaican products, from my very own hands, visit my Etsy store here.