List of Recipes

Martin's Creole Fish in Court-Bouillon


 
For the story of this recipe, see my blog from May 23, 2011: Recipe for a Fish Dinner Martin's Fish in Creole Court-Bouillon

When I asked our Dominican friend Martin Carrierre how he prepared the dorado fillets we gave him from our monster catch, he told me this recipe.

In the traditional French-island dish of fish cooked in court-bouillon, the poaching liquid consists of water and seasonings, sometimes including tomatoes and/or a bit of wine. In Martin's Dominican Creole court-bouillon, the liquid is coconut milk with seasonings and a bit of curry, and the result is rich and delicious. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste. When Martin gave me the recipe, he didn't provide exact quantities – just the general approach and (as he put it) the "usual" seasonings. I winged it in the galley, and I was delighted with the result. Next time we're lucky enough to catch a dorado (or similar fish), I'll certainly cook some of it Martin's way again.

2 tbsp
olive oil

1
onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2–3
seasoning peppers (or ½ cubanelle pepper), chopped

1–2 stalks
West Indian sive (or 1 green onion), chopped

1 heaping tsp
curry powder (preferably West Indian)

1 branch fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

1 cup
coconut milk salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4–1 lb
dorado fillets (or substitute another firm, white-fleshed fish)

1. Heat the oil in a pan that is large enough to hold the fillets in one layer. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, and sive or green onion, and cook for a few minutes until softened.

2.
Stir in the curry powder and continue to cook for a few minutes longer, stirring frequently.

3.
Pour in the coconut milk, add the thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 5–10 minutes to combine the flavours.

4. Slip the fish into the liquid, cover, return to a gentle boil, and cook until fish is just done. Serve the fish with some of the cooking liquid on top of rice.

Serves 2–3

Comment on this recipe