The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (25 page)

Cut the fish into finger-size pieces. Marinate them in the milk for 30 minutes.

Season the flour with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Drain the fish, and dredge the pieces in the flour. Heat ½ cup olive oil in a skillet, and fry the fish, turing it once, until it is golden on both I sides. Keep the fish warm.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons I oil to the skillet, and sauté the garlic - and onion until the onion is limp. Add to the skillet the vinegar, capers, wine, and red pepper flakes. Cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced to 6 tablespoons. Pour the sauce over the fish. We like to serve this dish neither hot nor chilled but at room temperature, so all of the flavors are mellow and well combined. When you are ready to serve, mound the fish on lettuce-lined salad plates and garnish with tomato and lemon wedges. Sprinkle the fish with a drift of finely minced parsley.

 

Makes 6 servings

One of our talented chefs, Ivor Peters, prepares this traditional Caribbean dish with special flair.

 

Prepare a fire for grilling, or preheat the oven to 450°.

Put the fish into a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and pour the mixture over the fish. Allow the fish to stand about 5 minutes to absorb the seasonings.

To make the sauce, heat the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the garlic, onion, and thyme, and sauté them over medium-high heat until the onions are limp. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the chopped tomatoes, peppers, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Cook the mixture for 4 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Add the tomato sauce, and simmer the sauce until it is thickened, about 5 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper, and keep it warm.

Remove the fish from the dish, and grill it over glowing ash-covered coalsor bake it for about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness.

To serve, place the fish on plates, and spoon the warm sauce on top.

 

Makes 6 servings

We have dozens of banana plants growing at the Sugar Mill—not just for their fruit, but also for their leaves. If you're fresh out of banana leaves, parchment paper or foil will work just fine.

 

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut the banana leaves into rectangles large enough to be folded over the fish, or cut the parchment into similar pieces. Sear the banana leaves, if you're using them, over a gas flame until they are limp and pliable.

Place each fillet on a piece of banana leaf, parchment paper, or foil. Sprinkle the fish with the salt and pepper, chopped tomato, and chopped green onion. Spoon on some coconut cream. Fold the wrapping to enclose the fish and filling, and seal the edges by folding over twice. Fold over the ends in the same way. (When we are using banana leaves, we take the extra precaution of tying the packages with strands of tough local grass. String works as well.)

Bake the packets for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Allow your guests to open their own little bundles, which look like lovely gifts.

 

Makes 6 servings

We first enjoyed this exotic dish at Ginnie and John Morrell's home, overlooking Cane Garden Bay. We love the combination of flavors and the soothing coconut cream. By the way, Ginnie suggests that if you don't want to make coconut cream and can't find it in a store, you can combine equal parts of sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez) and half-and-half.

 

Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan. Sauté the onions, ginger, and garlic for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the shrimp, and cook, stirring continuously, until the shrimp turns pink. Remove the shrimp mixture to a bowl, and set it aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, and cook the cabbage, eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and pepper for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf, lime juice, hot sauce, and coconut cream. Cover the pan, and simmer 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Return the shrimp mixture to the pan, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Combine the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons water. Stir this into the simmering mixture, and cook just until the mixture is thickened. Season with salt and pepper, and serve the mixture hot with white rice.

 

Makes 6 servings

The Caribbean-Cajun seasoning connection traces its roots to African cooks, who both transformed the tastes of the American South and also presided over the kitchens of Caribbean great houses. Their legacy is at work in this sprightly and very easy shrimp dish.

 

Melt the butter with the Worcestershire sauce. Combine the ingredients for the shrimp seasoning. In a shallow baking dish, combine the melted butter, shrimp seasoning, and shrimp. Cover the dish, and refrigerate it for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the baking dish in the oven, and bake the shrimp for 20 minutes or until they are pink. Serve the shrimp with rice.

 

Makes 6 servings

If you have all the ingredients cut up and ready to go, the filling for this pretty party dish is as easy to put together as a quick stir-fry.

 

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and the oil in a skillet, and sauté the shrimp 2 to 3 minutes, depending on its size, until it is bright pink. Remove the shrimp to a bowl, and set it aside. Add the onions to the pan, and cook them over low heat until they are limp.

Add the remaining butter, and sauté the mushrooms until they are soft. Add the sherry and peppers, and cook gently for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and then the cream, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Add the shrimp, and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the split puff pastry diamonds, and garnish each with a shrimp and a drift of parsley.

 

Makes 6 servings

Sometimes an unusual combination of ingredients strikes just the right balance, as does this medley of smooth, tender scallops, crunchy wal nuts, spicy ginger, and zingy lime. To toast the nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and heat them in a 350° oven until they are golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, shaking once or twice so they brown evenly. Toasting the nuts brings out their flavor and fragrance.

 

With a fork, beat together the ingredients for the lime-ginger butter.

Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add the scallops, and sauté them until they are golden, about 2 minutes. Pour off the fat. Stir in the lime juice, and cook 1 minute. Lower the heat, and stir in the lime-ginger butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook just until a thick sauce forms.