Krabby Patties

Something Smells Fishy...

To venture into seafood month and not do a crab cake, a dish that is so high on the seafood hall of fame list would be a sacrilege.  This is my second encounter with homemade crab cakes, back in the day, meaning over 5 years ago when I first made, it I followed a food network recipe. I used American lump crab and the recipe included capers. Needless to say I hated it. So this time around I used my own simple ingredients, with the star ingredient being Jamaican crab.

Crispy sweet potato crusted Snapper

Something Smells Fishy...

Big thanks to Rojo at Spanish court hotel and Calle Ocho in NYC as they both served me a delicious fish that became the inspiration for this post. They both prepare fish crusted with some form of starch. Calle ocho serves "Crispy Snapper", which is snapper filet wrapped in a leaf and fried. It tastes just like it’s wrapped in potatoes. Rojo serves "Sweet Potato Crusted Snapper", which I thought was an even better idea. So here is my home made version, better than any fish n chips Ive ever had.

Curry coconut seafood n dumplings

Something smells fishy...

This recipe has been in our family since 2007. There was a time where we were making this every Sunday. My cousin in NY looks forward to this dish every thanksgiving, it’s his favorite and for good reason. Who would not love a bowl of your favorite seafood simmered in a creamy curry coconut sauce? And it’s all thanks to a lunch my mother had at the Four Season’s hotel.

Salmon Wellington

Something smells fishy....

“Bwoy me nah tell nuh lie “This is the ultimate way to have salmon, I kid you not if you know a salmon whore, they may need to add this to their repertoire. In Jamaica we eat a lot of seafood on a weekly if not daily basis. My father in particular will have salt fish or mackerel and boiled dumplings with a side of brown stew fish every day. However we always stick to the usual, stew fish, steam fish, roast, escovitch ect. (I was actually going to make brown stew fish for this post :/ ) It was really nice to try something new and for everyone to actually love it.

Shrimp Rundown

Something smells fishy...

Aka Shrimp in coconut sauce, not to be confused with coconut shrimp.  It is yet another delicious and hearty Jamaican seafood dish with a twist; as this recipe is traditionally prepared with Mackerel. Coconut milk is a magical ingredient that somehow makes ‘everyting nice’.  And this shrimp stew is no different. The veggies and seasoning really complement each other well. I don’t know if you can say something taste traditional, but this sauce really tastes like Jamaica. It embodies all the flavors of home, and the coconut just sets it off.

They call it Steamed fish

Something smells fishy...


As you can ascertain from the title I don’t consider this dish to be steamed fish at all. By ‘they’ I mean my Jamaican parents, grandparents, ancestors and every seafood restaurant in the country. While this is CLEARLY a fish stew and in no way a steamed fish, I have come to accept it for what it is and not question decades of Jamaican food history. Never the less this is one of my favorite ways to prepare fish second only to escovitch.

Foil roasted fish

 

Something smells fishy... 

I will admit I stole this recipe from my aunt, “Miss set it and forget it“. This lady uses any excuse she can to throw food in the oven and leave it there until it’s ready. Especially for reheating, I often shake my head as she warms leftovers in foil for 20 minutes in the oven as opposed to using the perfectly working microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds….sigh…to each his own. In any case I’m not complaining, because I got this fish recipe as a result of her insanity (or genius).

Red Salmon Flatbread Pizza

Something smells fishy...

I always wondered why people hate canned salmon. It’s my favorite kind of salmon, normally we have it sautéed with onions tomatoes and peppers for breakfast with fried dumplings, or for dinner over rice. It’s just so versatile and yummy, but I have heard from multiple persons that they find it disgusting. Do you know someone who feels the same way? This recipe was made for them, it will turn any person into a lover of canned salmon.