Chinese Style Fish Broth

This was an experiment that yielded great results. I imagined what it would be like to approach making fish broth in a sort of Chinese style. The protein of choice atop a bed of lightly sauteed veggies and bathed in a flavorful broth. In my mind I knew it should work but I had to give some thought to the process and how best to achieve the results I was looking for. So naturally I did a live stream on YouTube and invited viewers to see the process unfold in real time. To start the ball rolling I decided to do green seasoning to season the fish. I definitely wanted to strike a balance between strong Trini & Asian flavors so the green seasoning would provide that foundation for local flavor that I was looking for.

Trini Green Seasoning

• 1 large bundle of chives
• 1 large bundle of spanish thyme
• 1 bundle of celery
• 1 bundle of parsley
• 12 cloves of garlic
• 12 pimento peppers
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar

Method

1. Roughly chop ingredients then pulse in a food processor until a paste is formed.
2. Add vinegar then store in the refrigerator in clean glass jars or bottles.

Chinese Style Fish Broth

• 10 pieces of fish including head and tail
• 3/4 cup green seasoning
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
• 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 large carrot sliced
• 8 cabbage leaves quartered
• 1 head of cauliflower chopped
• 2 blades of chive chopped finely
• 4 star anise
• 6 grains of clove
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 8 grains of all spice crushed
• 1/2 nutmeg crushed 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 5 cups water
• Salt & black pepper to taste

Method

1. Season fish with lemon juice and green seasoning then set aside while you prep your veggies, spices and aromatics
2. Add oil to a pot then toast spices
3. Add butter then add ginger and scotch bonnet pepper, saute for 1 minute
4. Add fish tail and fish head to the pot then season with salt and black pepper
5. Reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes
6. After 2 minutes add one cup of water, cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
7. Add another cup of water, increase heat to medium and allow mixture to come to a boil
8. Cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 5 minutes
9. Return to high heat then add 3 cups of water and bring mixture to a boil.
10. Taste for salt and adjust to suit
11. Add remaining pieces of fish along with seasonings to the broth
12. Cook fish for 5 to 7 minutes
13. Remove all pieces of fish from broth then set aside
14. Strain all aromatics and spices from the broth then return to a pot leaving it to simmer on very low heat
15. To a frying pan add 1 tbsp of oil on high heat
16. Saute a combination of veggies (serving portions) for no more than 30 seconds
17. Season in the pan with a pinch of salt
18. Transfer veggies to a soup bowl
19. Place piece of fish on top veggies
20. Add to ladles of hot broth to soup bowl
21. Garnish with fresh chives
22. Enjoy

Shallow Fried Fish

• 6 pieces of fish
• 5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of green seasoning
• salt & black pepper to taste
• 2 cups cornstarch or potato starch
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. Season fish with lemon juice, green seasoning, salt & black pepper
2. Allow to marinate (the longer the better)
3. Combine salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and dried thyme with cornstarch
4. Allow liquid to drain from fish before dredging in cornstarch (you can pat dry with paper towels if you want)
5. Place in hot oil and begin to fry for four minutes
6. Using a spoon keep basting hot oil on the top side of the fish while frying
7. Flip fish in the pan and allow to fry for 2 to 3 minute on the other side or until golden brown
8. Place on paper towels and allow to drain before enjoying