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Author:
Franco Salzillo
The Caribbean is a cultural hotpot. You’ll find ingredients and recipes inspired by Latin American food, European classics and even African techniques. After centuries of receiving visitors from all around the world with legitimate and not so legitimate intentions, Caribbean food is now everything but ordinary.
Today I’m telling you about an easy Caribbean-style cod curry. And yes, curry is a thing in the sunny islands, but trust me, you’ve never tried curry like this. So, where to start? Let’s talk about the essential ingredients.
You’ll need some fresh cod for this colorful meal, but haddock, hake or grouper will work fine too. You want whitefish that’s not too delicate because we’re searing it and then cooking it in the curry sauce, and we don’t want it to fall apart.
The secret here is marinating the fish before cooking it, in this case in some lemon juice, yellow curry powder and tasty coconut sugar. Then it goes straight into the frying pan.
The curry is just store-bought; I mean, making curry paste from scratch is not an easy feat, so find a nice yellow curry. I like Thai yellow curry for this dish because it’s nicely compatible with coconut milk.
You’ll also need onion, garlic and bell pepper. I think the bell pepper gives this dish its tropical Caribbean feel, along with the coconut, of course. Other than that, you’re all set!
Like all curries, this one is fantastic with white rice. You need something to scoop the sauce, right? What is not that typical is another one of my favorite sides. Tostones. Deep-fried plantains, they’re fabulous with curry!
Dice the cod in bite-sized pieces. Mince the onion and garlic. Slice the bell pepper.
In a mixing bowl or container. Place the cod and rub with the coconut sugar, curry powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Refrigerate covered with film for 30 minutes.
In a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of coconut and sauté the fish until seared, flipping each piece once. Be careful; the fish is fragile. We want it cooked halfway through.
Set the fish aside and in the same skillet, sauté the onion, garlic and bell peppers until fragrant and roasted. Add more coconut oil if needed.
Mix in the curry paste and pour the coconut milk. Stir until combined.
Once simmering, return the fish to the skillet and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with a side of white rice and pickled scotch bonnet!
