Caribbean Fried Mackerel with Vegetables and Banana Recipe
Caribbean-style fish with vegetables and fruit is an exotic and incredibly tasty dish of vegetables and mackerel with ripe banana added to the side.
For most of us, the word “Caribbean” goes with sailing ships, pirates, sea battles, one-legged Long John Silver, Captain Flint, a one-eyed parrot and pieces of eight.
The Caribbean region is several thousand islands of different sizes stretching from Florida to the shores of Latin America. No wonder the region's cooking traditions are remarkably diverse. Having taken the best from the culinary traditions of the European conquerors (Spain, France, Portugal, Italy) as well as from the settlers, Caribbean cuisine became a blend of many cooking styles. It has long been an integral part of American cuisine.
The basis of Caribbean cuisine is grains, meat, vegetables, beans and potatoes, really everything found in any cuisine in the world. But local nature added its own bright colors to the culinary palette, creating a whirlwind of flavors and combinations: maize, exotic fruit, coconuts, bananas, sweet potatoes, chili and hundreds of foods whose names we'd never remember anyway. For example, fish with vegetables and fruit is usually an affordable, inexpensive sea fish with a colorful variety of vegetables and fruit on the side; fish with vegetables and fruit isn't rare at all, it's more of a tradition.
On the whole, Caribbean cuisine is mostly seafood, refined and amazingly varied. The hundreds of kinds of fish served at the table can bewilder any gourmet, since eating them all is unrealistic, and even tasting them all is impossible. Especially when it's stuffed fish or fried fish.
Caribbean fish with vegetables and fruit is cooked in the traditional way of the region, similar to the roasted vegetables recipe. The vegetables and fruit for the side are fried first, and then the prepared fish is fried in the flavored oil. Caribbean-style fish with vegetables and fruit is simple and tasty.
Ingredients
2 servings
- Mackerel 1
- Bell pepper 1
- Cherry tomatoes 6-8
- Lemon 0.5
- Banana 1-2
- Garlic 1 head
- Parsley and basil 2-3 sprigs
- Olive oil 2-3 tbsp
- Salt, black pepper, ground coriander to taste
Step-by-step recipe
- Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), a fish of the mackerel family in the perch-like order, is mostly known here as a tasty smoked fish or sold frozen.
- Everyone knows this fish: long, up to half a meter, with incredibly tiny scales, a blue-green back, a silvery belly and lots of black, slightly wavy stripes.
- Thaw the mackerel. There's not much to clean: the bones are few and large, the scales barely there, the head gets thrown away, and there are very few innards. So thaw the mackerel, clean it and remove the bones.
- You'll get two fillets; cut each into 4-5 pieces and sprinkle with a mix of ground coriander, salt and black pepper. Put them on a plate, drizzle with lemon juice and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- For fish with vegetables and fruit, the bananas should be slightly underripe so they don't turn to mush when fried. Peel the bananas, cut them diagonally into 5-7 pieces and fry in olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the fried bananas straight from the oil to a plate and let them cool.
- In the same oil, fry the seeded bell pepper cut into large pieces. Along with the pepper, fry a head of young garlic cut in half crosswise through the cloves. Fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring. Salt lightly and add a pinch of ground coriander. Of course, the garlic won't have time to soften and will stay half-raw. Its job is to add extra flavor to the dish, if you like. By the way, you can also serve the fish with vegetables and fruit with garlic and peppers cooked in oil beforehand.
- Put the fried vegetables on a plate as a side and add the fried bananas. Add a few halved cherry tomatoes.
- In the flavored oil left after frying the vegetables, fry the mackerel until golden brown.
- Fry for about 4 minutes per side over medium heat, uncovered.
- Put the fried mackerel on the plate with the side and drizzle with a little of the oil left from frying.
- Sprinkle the fish and vegetables with finely chopped parsley and basil leaves. Fish with vegetables and fruit is served hot.
| Serves: | 2 servings |
| Calories: | 150 |
| Prep: | 40 mins |
| Cook: | 20 mins |
| Total: | 60 mins |
| Category: | Main Dishes |
| Cuisine: | American cuisine |
| Rating: |
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4.9
(10)
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