The process of marinating fish in lime or lemon juice in Caribbean cooking may very well be something instinctual and innate as opposed to knowledge handed down through the generations. After all, you must wash your fish with lime when cleaning it then allow it to marinate in lime juice and green seasoning if you want it to taste good right? Well, maybe not.
Explorations along my culinary journey often lead down a path of discovery. Over the past year or so I found myself making ceviche quite often and the process opened up my eyes to a misstep we take when seasoning fish in the Caribbean.
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche for all intents and purposes is a “fish chow”. Fish or seafood is marinated in a medley of herbs, aromatics and citrus juice, typically lime or lemon. The citric acid breaks down the protein in the fish which changes the texture, making it almost indistinguishable from it being cooked with heat. So essentially, the citric acid “cooks” the fish. Ceviche is marinated for approximately 5 to 10 minutes before it is ready for consumption.
This led me to conclude that marinating fish for long periods of time then cooking it, whether fried, stewed, steamed, grilled or baked, would result in overcooked fish.
How I Season Seafood
My new approach to seasoning fish and other types of seafood is to omit citric acid from the marinade then adding it during or after the cooking process. This approach results in a delicious and perfectly cooked end product.
These are the ingredients for my marinade:
- 1 bundle celery
- 1 bundle shadon beni
- 8 cloves garlic
- 8 pimento peppers
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Combine these ingredients in a food process until a paste is formed then apply it to your favorite seafood. Marinate then cook according to your recipe.
Pan Seared King Fish
For this video I did a simple pan seared king fish recipe.
Method
- Ensure seasoned fish is at room temperature before cooking.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a pan on medium/high heat.
- Add king fish, skin side down to pan then allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Season underside with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Flip fish then allow to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat then finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.
- Serve & Enjoy!
I have no doubt in my mind that this blog post and the video associated with it will arouse the ire of grannies and tanties near and far, but trust me on this one. The end product is a perfectly cooked king fish that’s deliciously moist and tender with a touch of brightness from the fresh citrus juice. Yuh cyah go wrong!
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