In West Indian cuisine, there are certain recipes that cannot be ignored. Fish court-bouillon is one of them. As its name suggests, fish court-bouillon consists of rapidly cooking fish in a tomato sauce seasoned with spices and Roucou (red butter).

As for the choice of fish, in the West Indies we have goldfish, for which this type of cooking preserves their softness. In Hexagone, opt for Snapper, Sea Bass, Sea Bream or even Parrot.

Equipment :

• Glasses
• Knife
• Coffee spoon
• Ingredients (6 people)

For the Brine

• 1 kilo fresh fish (snapper, bream, parrot...)
• 2 large limes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 vegetarian chili pepper (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 100 ml water
• Court bouillon sauce

For the Court-Bouillon

• 3 teaspoons red butter
• 2 chives
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 large thyme leaf (or 1 sprig of thyme)
• 1 whole hot pepper
• 1 Indian wood leaf (or 1 bay leaf)
• 1 large, ripe tomato
• 100-125 ml water
• 1 lime
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons brine (fish seasoning)

Recipe preparation

1- Clean the fish: scale and gut the fish. Rinse well under running water. If they are very large, they can be cut into pieces. Place the fish in a dish, then pour over the juice of 2 limes, 2 crushed garlic cloves and the minced vegetarian chili pepper. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with water. Massage the inside of the fish, including the head, with the spices from the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2- Wash and chop endive, parsley and tomato. Crush garlic. Heat the red butter in a large saucepan and sauté cives, parsley and garlic, stirring well to prevent burning.

3- When the spices take on color but don't burn, add the tomato pieces and stir for 2-3 minutes to "melt" the tomato.

4- Add the fish drained from the marinade, and cover the pan to let the fish "render its juice". Cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes.

5- Cover the fish with water (approx. 100 ml). Then add the whole chilli pepper (without popping it!), the large thyme leaf (or thyme sprig) and the Indian wood leaf. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

6- In a small bowl, combine the juice of 1 lime, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of brine. Pour into the sauce and stir gently while stirring the pan. Simmer for a further 2 minutes or so.

Tasting:

Serve with white rice, potatoes, country vegetables (yams, sweet potatoes, manioc, etc.) cooked in water.

And don't forget: we prefer natural, quality and local products whenever possible! If you don't have a West Indian grocery store near you, you can plan ahead by ordering some of the ingredients for this delicious recipe from Arawak Market, our online market for West Indian products!