It may sound like stew fish, but it isn’t. This recipe takes less time to prepare and it is a quick cook anytime of the day.
Sometimes you want something light to eat, without sacrificing flavour. Sometimes you want something that can be ready is under 30 minutes. Sometimes you want something that you can eat with rice, ground provisions, bread or steamed vegetables. Well, this dish checks all of those boxes.
In Guyana, our stew fish involves a 2-step cooking process – seasoning and par cooking the fish by frying it first and then adding it to a rich sauce/gravy to finish cooking. Man, there is nothing like stewed Snapper, Snook or Trout. This recipe of Fish in Tomato Sauce eliminates the step of frying making the dish less caloric. And, by adding the fish raw to the boiling hot sauce the fish cooks up quickly facilitating the true texture of the fish to be experienced. This way, you can cook a variety of fish and learn of their textures, what you prefer and don’t like. It is cooking simple and letting the ingredient ‘speak to you’.
When cooking this simply, you want the best and freshest ingredients and with such high-quality ingredients, there is not much you need to do but to cook them simply.
Not only is it Lent – a time when people dedicate themselves to eating fish on particular days but many of us are generally looking for ways to eat less meat, and more fish. I got you. Try this recipe.
Now, there is a reason why onions and tomatoes are in the title of the recipe because they need to be there to give body and flavour to the sauce. Onions will impart sweetness, and tomatoes, umami.
INGREDIENTS
● 2 pounds fish (de-boned or bone-in), cleaned and cut into 1-inch steaks
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper
● 4 tablespoons oil
● 3 cups thinly sliced onions
● 2 cups chopped tomatoes
● 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
● 2 sprigs fresh thyme
● Finely minced hot peppers
● Thinly sliced scallions/green onions for garnish (optional)
● 3 – 4 cups boiling water
DIRECTIONS
1. Pat the cleaned fish dry and lightly season with salt and black pepper and set aside.
2. Add oil to a pan and place over medium heat until hot.
3. Add the onions, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, hot peppers along with salt to taste, toss well to mix,heat low and cook until the tomatoes are pulpy and the onions soft and the pan fragrant.
4. Turn the heat to high and add the boiling water;give the pan a stir. Bring the pan to a roaring boil for 7 minutes then reduce heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Return heat to high, taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Let the pan come to a boil.
6. Lay the fish into the pan, spooning some of the hot sauce over it and cook on high heat for 3 – 4 minutes (boneless) 5 – 6 minutes (bone-in). Shut the heat and let the dish rest for 10 minutes serving.
7. Garnish with scallions if using.
NOTES
● The time for cooking the fish will vary depending on type of fish, thickness, bone-in or deboned.
● Vegetable or fish stock can be used in place of water.
Cynthia
