Photo: Doaa Elkady • Food Styling: Thu Buser
This flavorful spicy poached snapper is topped with a salad of fresh and boiled vegetables to balance the piquant broth. It’s Madame Ti Roche’s specialty at Ideal Bar Restaurant, a local institution in Gros-Morne, Haiti.
Featured in “The Light of Morning: The Cuisine of Haiti” in the March 2011 issue by Jocelyn C. Zuckerman.
Makes: 2–4
Time: 44 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 whole red snappers (about 1 lb. each), cleaned
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped scallion
- ½ tsp. dry mustard powder
- 1 Scotch bonnet chile, halved
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- Sliced cooked carrots and beets, for serving
- Sliced tomatoes, for serving
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, make shallow cuts in a crisscross pattern on both sides of the fish, then transfer to a shallow dish. In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, scallion, mustard, chile, thyme, and half of the shallots and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour over the fish and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until almost evaporated, 8–10 minutes.
- Remove the fish from the marinade and set aside on a plate. Add the marinade and sugar to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the shallots soften, 4–5 minutes. Add the fish and ¾ cup of water, cover the skillet, and cook, turning once halfway through, until the fish is cooked through, 8–12 minutes.
- Transfer the fish to a large serving platter. Season the cooking liquid to taste with salt and black pepper and pour through a fine-mesh strainer over the fish. Garnish with the remaining shallots. Serve with sliced carrots, beets, and tomatoes.
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