By VERDEL BISHOP Wednesday, June 27 2012

This week Newsday is placing emphasis on fish; and with Fisherman’s Day (St Peter’s Day) only days away there’s no better time than now to feature various local fish dishes.

Various fishing villages on both islands will commemorate Fisherman’s Day this Friday, but was many of the will be on the seas that day, celebrations will take place over the weekend.

For Christians, St Peter is generally regarded as an important figure in Christianity, and Roman Catholicism specifically. As such, many Christians throughout the world annually celebrate his birthday on June 29 with traditional religious services and festive activities in commemoration of his life’s work. This festival is regarded as an historical occasion and is particularly centred on the sea, fish and fisherfolk because St Peter, who was one of Jesus’s twelve Apostles according to the biblical story, was also a fisherman. He is also the patron saint of fisherfolk.

Some of the local coastal communities have major celebrations for Fisherman’s Day including Carenage, Toco, Moruga, Grande Riviere, Fullerton, Claxton Bay, Maracas Bay, and Belle Garden in Tobago. Celebratory activities in Tobago are sometimes also a part of harvest festivals which take place during the months of June to October.

In each community, the day usually begins with a religious service where fisherfolk give thanks, pray for bountiful harvests and ask for continued blessings in the year to come. Boats are blessed by the local priest or pundit and this is followed by festive activities including family events, boating activities, good food to eat and block parties.Page Heading: Recipes



St Peter’s Day celebrations this weekend



Fish in demand





By VERDEL BISHOP



This week Newsday is placing emphasis on fish; and with Fisherman’s Day (St Peter’s Day) only days away there’s no better time than now to feature various local fish dishes.

Various fishing villages on both islands will commemorate Fisherman’s Day this Friday, but was many of the will be on the seas that day, celebrations will take place over the weekend.

For Christians, St Peter is generally regarded as an important figure in Christianity, and Roman Catholicism specifically. As such, many Christians throughout the world annually celebrate his birthday on June 29 with traditional religious services and festive activities in commemoration of his life’s work. This festival is regarded as an historical occasion and is particularly centered on the sea, fish and fisherfolk because St Peter, who was one of Jesus’s twelve Apostles according to the biblical story, was also a fisherman. He is also the patron saint of fisherfolk.

Some of the local coastal communities have major celebrations for Fisherman’s Day including Carenage, Toco, Moruga, Grande Riviere, Fullerton, Claxton Bay, Maracas Bay, and Belle Garden in Tobago. Celebratory activities in Tobago are sometimes also a part of harvest festivals which take place during the months of June to October.

In each community, the day usually begins with a religious service where fisherfolk give thanks, pray for bountiful harvests and ask for continued blessings in the year to come. Boats are blessed by the local priest or pundit and this is followed by festive activities including family events, boating activities, good food to eat and block parties.

This weekend the consumption of fish will no doubt be overwhelming and popular choices like carite, king fish and red fish are sure to be in high demand. While most Trinis enjoy a good fried fish, a hot steamy bowl of fish broth goes a long way. As for me, there is something about the light fish stock that is soothing and comforting.

Medical experts believe that adding fish two or three times a week to your diet is a healthy thing to do. Fish is low in saturated fat and high in protein. The “fatty” fishes – salmon, trout and halibut – are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce your risk of heart attack and lower your cholesterol.

Fish is commonly steamed or baked, but can also be the star of a hearty broth and in TT fish broth is made in a variety of ways with king fish, carite and red being the preffered choices. While fish would be enjoyed in a variety of ways this weekend, for those of you who chose to go the broth way here’s a recipe for a good Trini fish broth which was sourced on www.simplytrinicooking.com



Fish Broth

Ingredients

Fish, cleaned and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

Thyme, minced

¼ cup water

2 tsp lime juice

½ onion, chopped

1 garlic

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

½ cup chive, finely chopped

1large carrot, diced

1 cup pumpkin, diced

3 small potatoes, peeled and diced

6 green fig (bananas), peeled and chopped

3 ochroes, chopped (optional)

1 pimento pepper, chopped

water

salt and pepper



Method:

Blend the garlic, onion, thyme, lime and 1/4 cup of water. Season the fish with this mixture. Allow to marinate for an hour. In a large pot sauté the onion, garlic, pimento pepper until golden brown. Add water and the rest of the vegetables and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. When vegetables are tender, add fish and allow to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Here are some more seafood recipes courtesy the Caribbean Seafood Extravaganza cookbook, a publication of the Seafood Industry Development Company Limited



Shark Meat Pies

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

Flaky Pastry Dough:

4 cups flour

2 tsp)salt

300 g fat (½ lard and ½ margarine)

250 ml (1 cup) water

10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice



Filling:

1 lb 2 oz fresh skinless shark fillets

1 red sweet pepper, chopped

1 green sweet pepper, chopped

1 tbsp celery, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp lime juice

1 small onion, chopped

1 piece hot pepper, chopped salt, to taste

Method

Pastry: Sieve flour and salt into mixing bowl. Mix fat on a plate, divide into four equal parts. Rub ¼ of fat into flour. Mix to a soft dough using water and lemon juice. Try to add most of liquid at once. Turn out dough on floured board and knead lightly. Roll out to an oblong keeping sides straight and ends square. Dot another ¼ of fat over 2/3 of the pastry. Fold pastry in three; folding bottom 1/3 up and top 1/3 down. Seal edges with a rolling pin. Turn top flap of pastry to face east from south, re-roll into an oblong, repeat step step, and twice more using remaining ½ of fat and set aside.



Filling

Cut shark into cubes. Add lime juice, and some of the sweet pepper, celery, onion and hot pepper to the shark and marinate for 25-30 minutes. Steam the marinated meat. When cooked, remove from heat and crush with a fork. Sauté remainder of seasoning in butter. Add to crushed fish, add salt to taste and mix. Roll out pastry thinly and cut into squares. Place filling on square, fold to form triangle and seal ends with a fork. Put to bake at 220 C (425 F) for ten minutes or until desired colour is attained.



Tilapia in White Wine (Serves 4)

Ingredients

4 (140 g) Tilapia fillets

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

tsp salt

tsp pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

½ cup dry white wine

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 blades chive, finely sliced

1 oz fresh French thyme, finely chopped.



Method

Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside. Heat a shallow, oven-proof casserole over a high heat. Add the oil and continue heating until it sizzles. Add Tilapia fillets, skin side down, and cook for 3 minutes, or until brown. Turn the fish over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in wine; add garlic, chive and parsley. Transfer casserole to a pre-heated oven at 230C (450F), and bake uncovered for 5 minutes, or until the flesh flakes easily. Serve directly from casserole.



Baked King Fish in Orange Juice

Ingredients

1 lb seasoned King fish, (head to middle portion of fish)

½ cup orange juice

5 oz pineapple chunks

1 tbsp sugar

½ cup ketchup

2 tbsp lime

fresh seasoning (chive, onion, celery, seasoning pepper)



Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and add to fish. Wrap in foil. Bake at 150 C (300F) for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with orange butterfly and celery strips.



Curried Shrimp (serves 4-6)

Ingredients

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp curry powder

1-2 tbsp water or coconut milk

4 lime leaves (optional)

1 lemon grass stalk, bruised and chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

½ small cucumber, seeded and cut into thin strips

5 basil leaves

4 green chillies or bird peppers, chopped to garnish



Method

Mix curry powder with a little water to create a thick paste. Heat the oil in a frying pan, Add curry paste and fry until bubbling and fragrant. Add shrimps, lime leaves and lemon grass. Fry for 1-2 minutes, until the Shrimp have just turned pink. Reduce heat and add coconut milk. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer; stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are tender. Do not overcook. Stir in the fish sauce, cucumber and basil, and then top with the green chillies. Remove from heat. Serve with rice and potatoes.



Fried Fish Logs (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients

3/4 lb fish fillets, skinless from any white fish

5 oz white bread, without crust

4 tbsp milk

eggs, to bind and coat

½ tbsp chadon beni

tsp salt

tsp pepper



Coating And Frying

2 oz flour

2 eggs, well beaten

2 oz bread crumbs, fine white oil, for frying



Garnish

1 lemon, wedged

2.5 g(½ tsp) paprika

METHOD

Either chop, or using a food processor, coarsely mince the fish. Add the parsley and the chadon beni. Strip and soak the white bread in the milk for about 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk and add to the fish mixture. Season with salt and white pepper and mix thoroughly, using a little of the beaten egg to bind. Divide the mixture into a 8-10 pieces and shape into logs about 1 inch thick. Roll in flour, then into the remaining beaten egg and finally into the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a shallow, heavy-bottomed pan and cook the logs slowly in shallow fat until golden brown and properly cooked. Drain on absorbent paper and serve immediately with lemon wedges dusted lightly with paprika.



Sweet and Sour Shark (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 lb 2 oz Shark fillets, cut into strips

1 tbsp beer or dry sherry

½ tsp salt

1 tsp minced ginger root

2 tsp sesame oil

1 egg white

2 tbsp cornstarch oil

1 sweet pepper, coarsely chopped

1 tomato, coarsely chopped

1 jar sweet and sour sauce

1 bouillon cube



Method

Marinate the shark in a mixture of beer, salt, ginger, sesame oil and egg white for 30 minutes. Drain the shark strips and blot them dry with paper towels. Coat the strips with cornstarch. Fry the fish in the hot oil until golden colour (brown colour will spoil the appearance). Remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on paper. Discard oil from wok and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil. Sir-fry the sweet pepper and tomato. Add cup sweet and sour sauce the bouillon cube, water and pineapple. Mix all the ingredients. If the sauce is too thin you can thicken it with cornstarch mixed with water. Bring the sauce to a boil and add the fried shark strips. Coat the strips with the sauce and heat for 3-4 minutes more.



Shrimp with Coconut Rice (Serves 4)

Ingredients

¾ lb cooked shelled shrimp

3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 scallions or chive bulbs, chopped

½ cup *dried coconut, grated

1 green chilli, seeded and chopped

1 cup jasmine rice

cup fish stock

1¼ cups coconut milk

1 tbsp fresh parsley

Method

Heat oil in a wok. Stir-fry scallions or chive bulbs, coconut, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add rice and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add coconut milk. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until rice gets tender. Stir in the shrimp and fresh parsley. Heat through and serve.

Note: If you do not like the crunch of coconut in rice, replace it with 3 tbsp of pure coconut cream. Jasmine rice is a variety of white rice.