Ingredients:
• 4 lbs whole fish or sliced fish (scaled and cleaned)
• 1 teaspoon fish seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Vegetable oil (enough for frying and to fully cover the fish)
• Vinegar
• Lemon
Brownstew Sauce
• 1 small onion (julienned)
• 1 tomato (diced)
• ½ tri-color sweet pepper (red, green, yellow) (julienned)
• 4 scallion stalks (chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• ½ teaspoon grated ginger or ginger paste
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6-8 pimento seeds (crushed)
• 1 large carrot (peeled and julienned)
• Okra (optional)
• 1 cup wine (Stone’s Ginger Wine) or water
• 1 tablespoon green seasoning
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
• 1 teaspoon fish seasoning
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oil (coconut oil preferred)
Instructions
1. Prepare the Vegetables:
Wash and drain all vegetables. Julienne the sweet peppers and onion. Chop the remaining seasonings and set aside.
2. Clean and Score the Fish:
Thoroughly scale, clean, and score the fish by making crosswise cuts on both sides. In a large bowl, wash the fish with vinegar, lemon, and water. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Season the Fish:
In a small bowl, mix the fish seasoning, salt, and pepper. Evenly coat the fish, ensuring to rub the seasoning inside the fish as well. For deeper flavor, marinate the fish overnight or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes if short on time.
4. Heat the Pot:
Place a large, wide pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Let the oil heat for at least 5 minutes to prevent the fish from sticking. Add 2 stalks of scallion, the Scotch bonnet, and a garlic clove to infuse the oil with flavor.
5. Fry the Fish:
Carefully place the fish in the pot and fry for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
6. Drain the Fish:
Remove the fish from the pot and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
7. Prepare for the Sauce:
Discard most of the oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot to use for making the brown stew sauce.
How To Make Brownstew Sauce
1. In the same pot used to fry the fish, add 2 tablespoons of the seasoned oil from frying. For added flavor, mix in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, totaling about 3 tablespoons of oil.
2. With the pot over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, tomato, sweet pepper, scallion, carrot, thyme, Scotch bonnet, ginger, and pimento seeds. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and softened.
3. Stir in the wine, fish seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, green seasoning, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix well with the sautéed vegetables and allow to cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add more wine or water if needed and adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Once the sauce reaches the desired flavor, gently place the fried fish back into the pot.
5. Spoon the vegetables and sauce over the fish, ensuring it is well-coated.
6. Cover the pot and let it simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to fully develop.
Chefs Notes: With Red snapper or lane Snapper being my choice of fish for this recipe, you may use Fish steaks or fish fillet instead of the whole fish. You can also remove the head if you choose to.
