Description
This Jamaican brown stew fish recipe features whole snapper or other white fish that is first seasoned and pan-fried until golden and crispy. The fish is then simmered in a flavorful sauce made with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, scallions, garlic, thyme, ketchup, browning sauce, soy sauce, and pimento seeds. The stewed fish is allowed to cook until the sauce thickens, resulting in a moist, tender fish dish with a rich, aromatic sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 whole snapper (cleaned, scaled and gutted)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 fresh garlic cloves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 cups bell peppers (mixed varieties, sliced)
- 1 medium onion (yellow, thinly sliced)
- 1 ripe Roma tomato (diced)
- 2 fresh scallions (thinly sliced)
- 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoons browning sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon pimento seeds
Instructions
- Make diagonal cuts on both sides of your fish and dry it with paper towels.
- Add salt and black pepper generously to season the fish’s interior and exterior.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with oil. Drop in two whole garlic cloves and two thyme sprigs to let the oil absorb their flavors.
- Cook each fish until it turns golden and crispy. This takes about 5 minutes on each side. Set it aside after cooking.
- Remove extra oil from the pan. Leave just 2 tablespoons to continue cooking.
- Add your vegetables to the pan – bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, and scallions. Cook them with the remaining garlic and thyme for 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in ketchup, browning sauce, soy sauce, and pimento seeds along with ½ cup water.
- Place the fish back in the pan. Cover it with sauce and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce becomes thick.
Your brown stew fish will be perfect once the sauce reduces and the fish stays moist and tender.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: American
- Cuisine: American