Jamaican Blackened Fish with Spiced Pickled Cabbage
A bit of a throw back to my days sailing the Caribbean. From Jerk Spiced chicken served from a beach shack with sides of brown rice and yams while kite surfing St Lucia to the famous shark n bake and Carnival of Trinidad.
The islands draw on so many cultural flavors and styles from all around the world. Jerk spice one example and is a blend that varies from island to island but usually you'll find allspice, cinnamon, clove, chilli and thyme. The spicy pickled cabbage is a Haitian recipe and some times goes by Haitian coleslaw. Usually all ingredients are combined and refrigerated for a week before using. This method speeds every thing up so you have pickled cabbage in an hour and works for all your favorite pickling vegetables like onions, beets, cucumber and cauliflower to name a few. Don't throw that pickle juice away once your done. It's full of flavor to use in dressings, marinades and sauces!! This recipe works well for a whole variety of seafood. Swap out the cod for swordfish, tilapia, salmon or shrimp. You can make a batch and create your own tropical gourmet gift basket with your pickle and our gourmet chutney.
Ingredients for Fish |
1 lb Cod Fillet (cut into 4 equal pieces)
3 Tbs Jamaican Jerk spice
Salt
3-4 Tbs Butter
Ingredients for Pickled Cabbage |
1/4 large Red Cabbage Shredded
1 large carrot shredded or julienned
1/2 white onion finely sliced
1 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 red chilli finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinammon
1/4 tsp ground cloves or 4 whole cloves
1 tsp salt
Method |
To make Pickled Cabbage|
combine cabbage, carrot, chilli and onion in large bowl.
In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, bay leaves, cinammon, cloves and salt and bring to the boil.
Pour the hot vinegar over the cabbage mixture and allow to sit for 1 hour (try to keep most of the cabbage immersed in the liquid). Refridgerate until ready to serve (will keep for up to 2 weeks in fridge)
To make your Fish |
Pat dry fish and sprinkle salt on each side of fillets.
Coat each side of fillet with an even layer of Jamaican Jerk Spice.
In a cast iron skillet on medium high heat, melt your butter in pan (approximately 1 1/2 Tbs for each piece) and add your fish. Sear each side for 2-3 minutes, as you are cooking tilt pan up to the side, to gather butter/juices in spoon and spoon over top of fish while it is cooking.
Now for the final touches. Add a scoop of our Pineapple Chutney on top and there you have it.
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