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
- Roughly chop ingredients then pulse in a food processor until a paste is formed.
- 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
- Season fish with lemon juice and green seasoning then set aside while you prep your veggies, spices and aromatics
- Add oil to a pot then toast spices
- Add butter then add ginger and scotch bonnet pepper, saute for 1 minute
- Add fish tail and fish head to the pot then season with salt and black pepper
- Reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes
- After 2 minutes add one cup of water, cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
- Add another cup of water, increase heat to medium and allow mixture to come to a boil
- Cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 5 minutes
- Return to high heat then add 3 cups of water and bring mixture to a boil.
- Taste for salt and adjust to suit
- Add remaining pieces of fish along with seasonings to the broth
- Cook fish for 5 to 7 minutes
- Remove all pieces of fish from broth then set aside
- Strain all aromatics and spices from the broth then return to a pot leaving it to simmer on very low heat
- To a frying pan add 1 tbsp of oil on high heat
- Saute a combination of veggies (serving portions) for no more than 30 seconds
- Season in the pan with a pinch of salt
- Transfer veggies to a soup bowl
- Place piece of fish on top veggies
- Add to ladles of hot broth to soup bowl
- Garnish with fresh chives
- 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
- Season fish with lemon juice, green seasoning, salt & black pepper
- Allow to marinate (the longer the better)
- Combine salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and dried thyme with cornstarch
- Allow liquid to drain from fish before dredging in cornstarch (you can pat dry with paper towels if you want)
- Place in hot oil and begin to fry for four minutes
- Using a spoon keep basting hot oil on the top side of the fish while frying
- Flip fish in the pan and allow to fry for 2 to 3 minute on the other side or until golden brown
- Place on paper towels and allow to drain before enjoying
