6.13.2013

JAMAICAN FISH HEAD STEW // the local food report


Fillets are what most New Englanders want. No bones, no tail, and above all, no head. It's a cultural thing, and my friend Neilly says it's too bad. He's from Jamaica, and Jamaicans use the whole fish—not just because it's wasteful not to—but also because the bones and the heads are where the flavor's at.

The recipe he makes most often here is brown stew fish. The flavors are similar to brown stew chicken—there's ketchup and Scotch Bonnets—but instead of poultry, the meat in the dish is fish heads. They're cut in half and the blood is cleaned out, and what you're left with is the meaty cheeks and the jaw and the bones and the eyeballs. He says it's edible, every bit. 

I tasted a batch he made the other day with bluefish. He also makes it with striper and redfish, and I was excited about the idea of a stew that uses the parts of the fish most people toss in the compost. I wasn't disappointed. It's delicious. The bluefish heads give the stew a richness that you don't get from fillets, and the cheek meat melts in your mouth.


We made the stew last night at home. My parents were here, and they were very curious as to what I was doing with a bag full of fish heads. We fried them up and stewed them down with peppers and onions and a sweet, tangy sauce, then served it all over rice. I haven't worked up the courage yet to try an eyeball, but I'll keep you posted.

BROWN STEW FISH

Neilly didn't have a written recipe, so I asked him about quantities ingredient by ingredient. This is very close to the original. If they cut their own fish, most fishmongers will give you bluefish trimmings for free.

3 bluefish heads, cut in half lengthwise and cleaned
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 sweet pepper (red or yellow), thinly sliced
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons red or white vinegar
3-4 sprigs thyme
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup coconut milk
4 cups water

Dredge the bluefish heads in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry the heads in a skillet greased with olive oil over medium heat, flipping after about 3 minutes. Set the cooked heads aside.

Warm up another glug of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, and scallion and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until they start to get soft. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, thyme, ketchup, and coconut milk and stir well. 

Add the fish heads and the water. The water should just cover the heads, so you may need more or less depending on the size of your fish. Simmer the stew for at least 15 minutes before serving, and up to several hours. It's excellent over rice.

34 comments :

sandro said...

I love it! Finally someone other then me who appreciates bluefish. I'm a New Englander, I use heads and bones, eat cheeks and eyeballs, and make stocks and soups. I'll make this recipe as soon as I get my next blue. You should try blue fish marinated in the Portuguese marinade Vinha d'Alhos. You can Google it. Great article.

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth, please tell me you use these parts to make the broth. Please tell me you do not actually eat eyeballs!

Elspeth said...

Sandro, so glad to hear it :) I have always loved bluefish but never had it prepared this way before I tasted Neilly's soup! It is absolutely delicious.

And anonymous, no, we eat it all! All sorts of adventures to be had.

All the best,
Elspeth

Unknown said...

It is great to have the opportunity to read a good quality article with useful information on topics that plenty are interested on.

www.imarksweb.org

Anonymous said...

Elspeth,

I enjoyed this piece you did on the Jamaican fish head stew. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to give it a go. Sounds like my kind of meal.

To clarify about cutting the fish heads. You said "cut in half lengthwise and clean." I'm assuming you've removed the backbone and tail.

Do you cut the fish head from top to bottom, or bottom to top, halving it into the left and right, mirror image parts of the head, in line with the backbone. ?

And does "cleaning" involve removing ... what ? Certainly any blood. What about the exposed spinal and "brain" bits exposed on the cut surface ? Anything else ?

I know cleaning fish is a messy business, but some of us are interested in the techniques experienced Jamaican cooks would use, in an effort to get similar results during the browning of the fish heads.

Thanks for posting this recipe, keep up the good work.

Dave

Unknown said...

I'm going to try this! I will let you know!! ONE LOVE!!!!

Richard turner said...

Business users may choose the product according to their business level. Other product by the antivirus is for different categories and users across the world rely on it to secure their data.For More information Visit Our Site: 
norton.com/setup      
  office.com/setup   

Hardeep said...

Setup office 365 group with us. We are the gathering of specific specialists and give the best particular help to activate office 2016 our clients a lot after the foundation strategy.

Hardeep said...

Download Norton Mobile Security and Antivirus application norton download that can shield your records from getting affected from any online malware or contamination.

Hardeep said...

Enter avg retail activation code to install and activate your avg antivirus avg retail installation software instantly.

Hardeep said...

Antivirus is the need of PCs that makes them contamination free and we are going to norton internet security give you full help to get the best antivirus presented in your PCs and workstations. Download norton antivirus group with us.

Airlines@123 said...

Southwest Airlines Reservations Thanks for the information provided by you it’s really great to help from your side but I got the complete solution from the mentioned site.

Airlines@123 said...

United Airlines Reservations A good Blog gives a lot more knowledge about this. I will continue to support your work Thank you.

Airlines@123 said...

Thanks for sharing this great information, your post it really so helpful …… United Airlines Book A Flight

Airlines@123 said...

Thanks for providing the information with this post. The post is very nice! United Airlines Booking

Airlines@123 said...

Thanks for sharing the useful information. You have mentioned all essential points for getting Assignment Help easily.United Airlines Reservations

Airlines@123 said...

United Airlines Vacation packages Thanks for the information provided by you it’s really great to help from your side but I got the complete solution from the mentioned site.

Airlines@123 said...

American Airlines Reservations Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. I’m happy I found this blog. Thank you for sharing with us,I too always learn something new from your post.

Airlines@123 said...

American Airlines cancellation policy Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. I’m happy I found this blog. Thank you for sharing with us,I too always learn something new from your post.

Airlines@123 said...

Southwest Airlines Reservations Thankful for the OK blog. It was important for me. I'm happy I found this blog. Thankful to you for giving to us, I additionally reliably increase some new helpful information from your post.

. said...

really good food, i've made it before and i'll make it again

Lisa said...

If your system isn't booting or loading applications at the same time and it takes a lot of time then in that case you first unboxed it, iolo system mechanic download

Lisa said...

System Mechanic is very good for your computer. System mechanic speeds up your computer and if computer has a virus, it also removes. System Mechanic can upgrade your pc and modify of shrouded records. You have to system mechanic download keep your pc free from unwanted viruses.

Lisa said...

SBCGLobal is one of the first-rate email service providers used by the billions of users all over the world. Users can simply send and receive their important emails in a very secure way over multiple devices. 

Lisa said...

SBCGLobal is one of the first-rate email service providers used by the billions of users all over the world. Users can simply send and receive their important emails in a very secure way over multiple devices. 

Lisa said...

Microsoft Office is the productivity suite used for homes and offices and developed by Microsoft. office.com/setup is useful for all the organization as it includes the desktop applications like MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Outlook etc.

Lisa said...

office.com/setup gives you the facility to access this data from anywhere and anytime. Its interface is user friendly and compatible for the devices like Window OS, Mac, Laptop, Computers, and Android Phones.

Lisa said...

If you purchased the software and want to download or restored iolo system mechanic on your pc, Then please keep your activation key with you and make sure the activation key should be correct and visit the website. For help and support contact us at: ​iolo help

david martin said...

Amazing information providing by your article, thank you so much for taking the time to share a wonderful article.
Read more: Computer Graphics Assignment

Julie Robinson said...

Hey there. It's a good article about fish. I read it and make some notes for myself. As well, I'm a writer at the custom thesis writing service some fresh ideas are so beneficial for me.

Daisy said...

Birthday Gifts Delivery Online
car transport in hyderabad
car transport in mumbai
Happy Birthday Gift Delivery

Legal Translation Company in Dubai said...

Thanks for sharing this knowledgeable blog with us, truly a great informative site. It is very helpful for us. Visit website Here:

English To Korean Translation
English To Malaysian Translation
English To Nynorsk Translation
English To Romanian Translation
English To Slovak Translation
English To Telugu Translation
English to Yiddish Translation

Victoria Heinicke said...

Nice information, valuable and excellent design, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which I need, thanks to offer such a helpful information here.
Fish Cutting Expert

Legal Translation Company in Dubai said...

Dubai, Law No. (16) of 2021
Dubai, Law No. (13) of 2021
Dubai, Law No. (13) of 2021
Dubai, Law No. (12) of 2021
Dubai, Law No. (11) of 2021
Dubai, Law No. (10) of 2021

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
All text, photographs, and other original material copyright 2008-2010 by Elspeth Hay unless otherwise noted.