Fish Tea

Does that title sound disgusting to you?  It sounded very unappetizing to me when I first saw it on a menu in Jamaica last year.  But our Jamaican companion insisted it was delicious, so Eddy and I gave it a try.  All I can say is, YUMMY!

Fish tea is a traditional Jamaican dish.  It's not really a tea, but rather an aromatic, deliciously spicy soup.  We enjoyed it so much, that the next day we went back to the very same place and ordered the very same thing! 

Last week, Eddy came up to me and announced, "I'm in the mood for fish tea."  Well, it was 10:00 at night and there wasn't much I could do about it then, but the next day I searched online for a recipe.  Most of the recipes I could find online were for a clear broth with fish.  What we had enjoyed in Jamaica was a hearty soup filled with root vegetables, called ground provisions in Jamaica. 

I decided to improvise a recipe of my own and it turned out great.  I bought most of the ingredients at Saigon grocery store on Calhoun St. where they sell whole red snapper (frozen and cleaned) at a very good price.  I spent $33 but ended up with a big pot of soup that fed us for several days.




Here's how I made my Jamaican Fish Tea.....

Ingredients:

4 lbs whole red snapper, cleaned (you can use any other fish you'd like)

10 whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 bottles of clam juice

6 cups root vegetables peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I used sweet potatoes, malanga, and yuca)

2 chayote squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

12 scallions, chopped

2 medium onions, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 habanero pepper (more or less to taste)
juice of 1 large, juicy lime
salt to taste

Method:

1.  Make sure fish is free of scales.  Cut in half and place in large soup kettle.  Dump in the clam juice and then cover the rest of the way with water.  Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and the thyme.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer, cover pot and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

2.  Strain the broth and return to the kettle.

3.  Add the yuca, malanga, sweet potatoes (Caribbean sweet potatoes have white flesh), chayote, scallions, onions, garlic, and habanero and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

4.  While the soup is simmering and once the fish has cooled enough to handle, use your fingers to remove it from the bones.  Add the fish to the pot as soon as you are done picking it from the bones and allow it to continue cooking with the vegetables.

4.  When the vegetables are tender, add the lime juice and salt to taste.

*Note: traditional Jamaican fish tea has plantains in it.  As I don't like them, I left them out.  If you like them, add them, but reduce the root vegetables appropriately. *

Suon Nuong (Vietnamese BBQ'd pork chops)

Those of us who live in Fort Wayne are lucky to have Saigon Restaurant where they serve up delicious tasting, authentic Vietnamese food at a very reasonable price.  After eating the BBQ pork rib they served me a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to try making this dish at home.

I recently became the happy owner of an awesome cookbook called Secrets of the Red Lantern. 

This is more than just a cookbook; this is a family's story.  The author, Pauline Nguyen, is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants to Australia.  Her parents ran a Vietnamese restaurant there and her book is filled with stories from her family's history, including photos from long ago and documents and letters, such as photocopies of their visa applications.  She also shares wonderful recipes from her family's kitchen and I found a recipe that seemed quite similar to the dish I had at Saigon.

This recipe is very easy and delicious!  I'm sure your family would be impressed with the results.  However, if you hate to cook and live in the Fort Wayne area.....  you can enjoy the same results by heading downtown for a meal at Saigon!

Ingredients:

3 lbs thin pork loin chops
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 T honey
1 T sugar
1 stalk lemon grass, chopped (white part only)
1 bunch scallions, crushed (white part only)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup canola oil

Method:

1.  Mix all ingredients, except for pork chops, in a bowl.

2.  Lightly pound or flatten pork chops.

3.  Place pork chops in a glass dish or one gallon size plastic bag and cover with marinade.  Marinate overnight.

4.  Remove pork chops and grill or broil until done.

How easy was that??!!!  These pork chops are traditionally served with Vietnamese dipping sauce and garnished with thinly sliced bird chilies and cilantro.  I served mine with rice, grated carrot, and thinly sliced cucumbers. 

If you'd like to make the dipping sauce, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 T fish sauce
3 T rice vinegar
2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bird's-eye chilies, sliced
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice

Mix all ingredients well, until sugar dissolves.

bits and pieces......

Two months!  Are you kidding me?  I can't believe I haven't posted anything for almost two months.  It certainly isn't because I haven't been cooking!  I was planning to use as my excuse, the fact that Eddy and I were busy traveling the west coast.  But we've been back for almost four weeks, so I guess I can't really use that excuse anymore....

We had such a great time eating our way down the coastline.  We started in Seattle, WA and ended up in Newport Beach just south of Los Angeles.  My hands-down-favorite meal was the dim sum we had in Seattle with our friends Mary and Jeremy (thanks guys!)

I also enjoyed my first Korean BBQ.  Eddy and I had some friends from Korea years ago and she used to make the most delicious bi bim bop and other wonderful Korean dishes.  But I'd never had Korean BBQ; so that was really fun!  The meat was cooked to order over a pit BBQ in the middle of the table.



Then, the meal was served with rice and little dishes of Korean vegetables, such as bean sprouts, spinach, kimchee, and my favorite, potatoes.

Eddy and Jeremy decided they wanted to try the traditional wine of Korea.  It was milky white and was, in my opinion, the only item that should have been sent back!

We had a very nice stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Napa Valley.  Our hosts made a spot-on eggs Benedict for breakfast and the fresh fruit they served was so sweet and juicy, I could hardly stop moaning in delight!

I also enjoyed my very first "fresh" fig, which I picked right off the tree near our balcony!  It was sticky and delicious!

Since coming home, I have continued to try new recipes.  Here are some pictures of recent adventures:

coconut mango sorbet

Thai red curry noddle soup

rustic spinach and cornmeal soup

butternut squash gnocchi

banana stuffed french toast with strudel topping

chili relleno tart (my personal favorite!)



Today, I'm in the mood for Jamaican fish tea.  Eddy and I had an amazing bowl of the stuff when we were in Jamaica.  It was so wonderful, we went back the next night and ordered the exact same thing!  I'm on a search for a good recipe and if I find one, I'll post all about it!