Steamed fish with shrimp gravy

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 pounds Red Snapper; (whole fish) gutted and split with head left on
1 Lime
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Pepper
8 Cloves Garlic; minced
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 Hot Pepper; minced
2 mediums Onions; thinly sliced
1 small Green Pepper; thinly sliced
1 pounds Shrimp
1 Fish Head
3 cups Water
1 Stalk Celery
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 cup Flour
1 Bay Leaf
½ teaspoon Thyme

Directions

Wash the fish with the juice of the lime. Rinse, drain and pat dry.

Cut 3 or 4 diagonal gashes in each side of the fish, cutting forward along the head. Make a mixture of the salt, pepper, 2 cloves of the garlic, the vinegar and a little of the minced hot pepper. Grind to a paste. Rub the gashes and the inside surfaces of the fish with the paste. Place the fish in a flat baking dish and cover with the onions (reserving a few) the green pepper and the remaining garlic and hot pepper. Marinate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, shell the shrimp, reserving the shells. Coarsely chop the shrimp and set aside. Place the shells and the extra fish head in a large saucepan with the water, reserved onion and celery. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Shake the marinade off the fish and dredge the fish in flour. Fry quickly, 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown but not done. Lower the heat and add the marinade vegetables. Pour in 2 cups of the fish-shrimp stock. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and a little more salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove the fish and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Set aside and keep warm.

Add 2 tb flour to the skillet and stir. Cook slowly, scraping bottom of skillet, until gravy starts to thicken. Strain gravy and return it to a clean skillet. Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink and the gravy is thick. Serve gravy over fish.

Per Serving: Calories: 265, Protein: 35 g, Carbohydrate: 13 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 131 mg, Sodium: 246 mg, Fiber: 1 g.

Source: "Family of the Spirit Cookbook: Recipes and Remembrances from African-American Kitchens," by John Pinderhughes (Simon and Schuster, 1990)

Typed by Katherine Smith Kook-Net: The Shadow Zone IV - Stinson Beach, CA

Related recipes