© J Sainsbury plc 2020
Fish court bouillon
Fish court bouillon
"Creole fish court bouillon is the recipe every cook in the Caribbean has to master. It’s a tomato-based, very spicy broth in which parrotfish, snappers and other colourful Caribbean fish are poached until tender. It can be made with just one type of fish, or a mix of different fish."
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Ready in 30 minutes, plus at least 2 hrs marinading
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Cooking time 20 minutes
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Prep time 10 minutes, plus at least 2 hrs marinading
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Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 kg red snapper, whole parrotfish, red butterfish and/or pink sea-bream steaks, scaled and cleaned
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 limes
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 250 ml water
- 3 tbsp unrefined palm oil
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs parsley, chopped
- 3 spring onions (scallions), very finely chopped
- 3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilli
Method
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1
If using parrotfish or any other small fish, leave them whole. If using red snapper, cut them in half. In a large mixing bowl, combine one crushed garlic clove, the bay leaf, the juice of 2 limes, salt and pepper, the sunflower oil and 125ml of water. Add all the fish and marinate for at least 2 hours.
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2
Heat the unrefined palm oil in a large pot over a medium heat and cook the onion, thyme sprigs, parsley, spring onions and the remaining garlic for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add 125ml water and stir in the tomato purée. Cook for another 2 minutes.
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3
Add the fish and marinade to the pot – they will be cooked at different times, so add firmer and larger fish first and smaller fish last, ensuring the sauce covers them: if not, add more water. Add the whole chilli. Cover the pot and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes for most small fish, 15 minutes for snapper and 20 minutes if using sea-bream steak.
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4
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the chilli and bay leaf. Serve hot with root vegetables, which could include boiled plantains, yam, breadfruit or sweet potato.
