Green Seasoned Fish with Pineapple Chow & Herby Yoghurt
Green seasoning is a fresh, vibrant and herby Caribbean condiment. It’s particularly popular in Trinidad and Jamaica and is used as a marinade or seasoning for meats, fish or stews. Any unused seasoning can keep in the fridge for another meal. The refreshing (and ‘ikkle bit spicy) pineapple chow is a delicious fruity accompaniment for the spiced fish.
Method
Put the marinade ingredients into a food processor with a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz until combined into a thick wet paste (add a little more oil or water if needed).
Reserve 1 tbsp of the marinade.
Put 4-5 tablespoons of the green seasoning in a shallow dish. Pat the fish dry and then add to the dish. Carefully toss to coat. Cover and marinate for 20 minutes or chill for up to 1hr.
Meanwhile put the pineapple, scotch bonnet, garlic, coriander and lime zest into a bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice and season to taste with salt. Set aside.
Put the reserved green seasoning, the mint and yoghurt in a mini processor and blitz until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and chill until needed.
Put the flour, allspice, thyme and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a shallow dish and mix well.
Remove the fish from the marinade, brush off any excess and gently pat dry (try not to remove all the marinade). Lightly dust the fillets in the flour, coating very lightly on both sides and shaking off the excess.
Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat until hot. Add the fish and fry without moving for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and carefully flip to cook the other side for 2-4 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillets), until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the fish, with a drizzle of herby yoghurt and the chow on the side. A side of white rice or fried plantain is also nice.
Ingredients
- For the Green Seasoning Marinade
- bunch of coriander (approx. 20g)
- large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ -1 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded (use a milder chilli if you don’t like things too spicy)
- 2 baby green/pimento peppers or ½ green bell pepper, deseeded
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped
- 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
- 2-3 spring onions
- juice & zest of 1 lime
- 2-3 tbsp light olive oil
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- For the Fish
- 4 x fillets of sustainable hake or other firm white fish, skinless, boneless, cleaned
- 80g of plain flour
- 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- oil and butter, for frying
- For the Pineapple Chow
- 1 small-medium fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into thin wedges or small cubes
- ¼ - ½ red scotch bonnet pepper or a dash or two of hot sauce
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled, minced
- large handful of coriander, leaves picked, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, zest and for squeezing
- For the Herby Yoghurt
- 150g natural plain yoghurt
- 6-8 mint leaves