Levi Roots' steamed snapper with Tenderstem recipe
Steamed snapper fish with ocra (ladies fingers) is one of Jamaica's favourite dishes. Predominantly seen as the coolest Sunday meal served with rice and peas, it’s also loved as beach food with festivals. Here Levi Roots swops the ocra for similar-but-sweeter Tenderstem broccoli, to make his dish a little healthier.
Ingredients
- 2 yellow tailed snapper (400g each) or good sized butter fish or sea bass (scaled, trimmed and cleaned)
- 1 lime
- 2 Scotch Bonnet chillies (one de-seeded and cut into thin strips)
- 1 knob of butter
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips)
- 1 small potato, thinly sliced
- 0.5 christophine or butternut squash (peeled, heart/seeds removed and cut into thin slices)
- 0.5 red onion, cut into half rings
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tbsp pimento berries (or ground allspice)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 spring onion (green part of stems only) battered with the back of a spoon to release flavour
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 100 ml vegetable stock (optional)
- 200 g pack Tenderstem broccoli
Details
- Cuisine: Jamaican
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 2
Step-by-step
- Wash the fish and squeeze and rub the lime all over.
- Place the strips of chillies and one of the sprigs of thyme (leaf only) and the beaten spring onion inside the gut of the fish. Close up the fish and set aside.
- Lightly heat a large broad saucepan and dissolve the oil, butter and coconut milk, then add the bay leaves, garlic, the other sprig of the thyme, christophine or squash, red onions, potato, carrot and the other scotch bonnet chilli (whole).
- Place the fish on top and cover the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side on a low heat, carefully turning them over.
- Add the broccoli evenly on top and pour over the stock (or a little water). Use a mortal and pestle to crack the pimento and sprinkle over the top.
- Cook for further 5 minutes, season with salt, then serve with rice & peas or plain rice.
Recipe provided by Tenderstem.
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