Bowl of Trinidad Fish Broth
(click to enlarge)

Fish Broth, Trinidad


Trinidad and Tobago   -   Fish Brof
Makes:
Makes:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 17 cups
***
2 hrs
Yes		 A spectacular Fish Soup/Stew. It's a little complex but way worth the effort, and making it can be spread over several days, see Making Ahead.




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11
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8
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1/3
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-- Fish
Fish, firm (1)
Green Seasoning (3)  
Salt
Pepper
-- Provisions
Potatoes (4)
"Figs" (5)
Eddoes (6)
Sweet Potato, white
Carrot
-- Aromatics
Tomato
Onion
Garlic
Celery
Thyme Sprig
Scotch Bonnet (7)
Green Seasoning (3)  
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Okra, medium
Stock -or- (8)
Salt
Pepper
Lime Juice


-- Dumplings (12)
Flour, all purp.
Salt
Sugar
Water
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Do-Ahead
  1. Prepare FISH as needed. Preferably start with Whole Fish as they do in Trinidad. See Note for details and options. (varies)
  2. Make GREEN SEASONING if not on hand (45 min).
  3. IF using (see DUMPLINGS for options). Can be made days ahead and frozen. (30 min)
Fish   -   (20 min + 1+ hrs (or overnight) marinate)
  1. Cut Fish (see Making Ahead). In Trinidad this can be very large pieces including heads and tails, but for buffet use fillets or chunks cut into smaller pieces, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches.
  2. Add to Fish 1/2 cup Green Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper. Tumble to coat and let marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Peel all Provisions items and cut into about 1 inch chunks. Slice Carrot about 1/2 inch. Mix all and hold submerged in Cold Water until needed to prevent discoloring.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 1/2 inch dice.
  3. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice thin crosswise. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Add both to Tomatoes.
  4. Cut CELERY crosswise about 3/4 inch and add to Tomatoes.
  5. Tie THYME SPRIGS together for easy removal and add to Tomatoes.
  6. SCOTCH BONNET. For mild, leave whole. For some heat, split it in half lengthwise and remove seed mass. For a little hot, split in half and leave seed mass in. Add to Tomatoes.
  7. Add 1/4 cup Green Seasoning to the Tomatoes.
  8. Cap OKRA and cut into about 3/4 inch lengths.
  9. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
Run   -   (50 min)
  1. In a large stew pot (5 quart), place Stock and Water to make 8 cups (see also Broth -or- ). Bring to a boil. Stir in Aromatics mix. Drain Provisions mix and stir in. Bring back to a boil, turn to a simmer, cover and simmer until Carrots are not quite tender - don't overcook.
  2. Stir in Okra and Dumplings (if frozen do not thaw). Bring back to a boil. These Dumplings don't float well, but when they're coming up near the top when you stir, they're done. Stop here if doing ahead.
  3. Bring stew back to a boil (if done ahead) and remove Thyme Stems.
  4. Gently stir Fish into the Stew. Bring to a simmer and simmer until fish flakes, 5 to 10 minutes depending on Fish, longer if heads are included.
  5. Season with Salt and Pepper, then gently stir in Lime Juice and take off the heat.
  6. Serve hot with steamed Long Grain Rice. If you've used the right fish, this soup/stew can be reheated.

Dumplings   -   (30 min)
  1. Mix together all Dry items
  2. Slowly massage in Water until you have a dough you can shape with oiled hands.
  3. Form into thin sausages 1 to 1-/2 inches long, They will pull back and be thicker as the sit. Not too large because they will swell in cooking. Lay out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  4. IF using soon, cover lightly with parchment paper to prevent drying. For making farther ahead, slide the baking sheet into the freezer and bag them after frozen.
NOTES:

  1. Fish:

      Weight is as prepared for cooking. Use light colored fish that stays firm during wet cooking. Pompano, Red Snapper, Red Drum (Redfish), Amberjack, and Baramundi are good. In Trinidad, small fish are most often used, scaled, cleaned, and cut crosswise into a few large chunks, heads and tails included in the Broth. This if fine for table service, but smaller chunks are needed for buffet service, and you probably won't include heads. If you are disassembling whole fish you can use heads, bones and off-cuts to make Stock and use it for this recipe. See also Broth -or- I usually select Pompano, a Caribbean fish that's quite durable, flavorful, and does not need to be skinned. The photo example was made with Japanese Amberjack and Tilapia. For further details see our Varieties of Fish page (very large page).

  2. Stock:

      This can be made days, even weeks ahead, if you freeze the fillets and preserve the stock by the method given at the bottom of our Making Fish Stock page. Instructions for Cleaning and Filleting are at Cleaning and Filleting Round Bodied Fish. IF not making Stock, see Broth -or- ,

  3. Green Seasoning:

      A very important seasoning for marinades and the like, especially in Trinidad and Jamaica. Easily made by our recipe Green Seasoning. This recipe uses it in two places.

  4. Potatoes:

      White Rose or Red Potatoes work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they quickly turn to mush with long cooking or reheating. For details see our Potatoes page.

  5. "Figs":

      This is Jamaican for Green Bananas. These are regular eating Bananas, not Plantains. Get them as green and unripe as you can get them. Buy close to making the recipe and refrigerate to prevent ripening.

  6. Eddoes:

      These look like and are very closely related to Taro "roots" (Dasheen in Jamaica). Taro are common here in North America, so I use them instead. For details see our Arums page.

  7. Scotch Bonnet Chili

      These are extremely scarce in most of North America, but here in California we have the common Orange Habanero, which makes a very suitable substitute. There may be a few Jamaicans who can tell the difference.

  8. Broth -or- :

      If you have made Fish Stock, use it, along with enough Water to make the amount. Recipes that say just "Water" usually expect you to include the Fish Heads and Tails. If you aren't including heads, and have no Fish Stock, you can do it Asian style with Chicken Broth or Pork Broth. If you have none of these, add in 1 Tablespoon of Thai Fish Sauce.

  9. Making Ahead:

      This stew is a good candidate for making ahead. Do the dumplings way ahead and freeze. You can prepare the Fish up to cutting and freeze it, making Fish Stock days ahead. Thaw Fish with enough time to give it a good marinade. If you're holding just overnight you can skip freezing and cut and marinade, then refrigerate overnight.

  1. Dumplings:

      Dumplings are "authentic", but due to shortage of kitchen staff, some recent recipes use short Pasta instead. IF using Pasta, I strongly recommend cooking it separately in salted water until al dente, drain and tumble with a dash of Olive Oil so it doesn't stick together. Add to the Broth along with the Fish. IF you will be saving some of the Soup for later, add Pasta only to the amount you will be serving now, refrigerating the rest, otherwise it will absorb all the liquid, swell, and soften, and you'll have to dilute the Broth when re-heating.
  2. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste, lrg=large
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