The Mid-Week Run Down: Caribbean Fish Stew

 

This week’s food adventures cook us to the Caribbean, because we’re really looking forward to our cruise in March and I’m absolutely determined to try something I’ve actually eaten before on one of our ports of call. I’m flying blind here with the menu planning for the week – the only food I recall eating on our last trip was mofongo, at a little café in Puerto Rico in which I didn’t recognize ANYTHING on the menu. (I was absolutely delighted and tried to order everything; fortunately I was with 4 other people so we made significant inroads. I also have a bag of plantains sitting on my kitchen counter so who knows? Maybe I’ll take a stab at mofongo as well.)

I like to cook things I’ve never had (or heard of). I must be an optimist, since this is actually kind of bold (presumptuous?) of me. What if I get everything completely wrong? What if it sucks? What if I’m actually a bad cook who can’t follow directions and my family only eats my food because I’ve numbed their taste buds over the years? These things occur to me occasionally when I’m headed somewhere new, culinarily speaking, but nobody’s died yet and it means we generally recognize things on menus.

Not one of our ports of call, alas

This stew hails from Jamaica, but according to Wikipedia it’s eaten all over the Caribbean and can contain a huge variety of seafood and vegetables. The only constant is the coconut milk, which reduces to a thick-ish sauce. It's usually made with mackerel but Mark Bittman has made my life cheaper and easier by subbing in fresh cod instead. The dish is called “run down,” not because that’s how you’ll feel after slaving over a hot stove for hours – it’s fast and easy, I promise; there’s not even much chopping – but because you cook it until the fish falls apart into pieces. 

John is notoriously picky about fish, refusing to eat anything under $20/lb as a matter of course. I recently found out that my cholesterol is sky-high, so he better get used to slumming; cod is usually pretty reasonable even at the fancy-schmancy grocery stores and is a favorite around here with everyone except John (who is indignant at my writing this and insists that he loves fish in all its forms). If you plan ahead and salt your fish the day before, this stew comes together in about half an hour, which is totally reasonable for a weeknight. It was a great one-bowl meal, as we decided to ignore vegetables this particular night, and was delicious served over coconut rice (make stovetop rice subbing 2 cans of coconut milk for the water; be careful it doesn’t boil over and also stir it a lot or you’ll get a bunch of practice cussing while you clean your stove grate and favorite pot).

From Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World, which can be counted on for weeknight dinners with lots of variety.

Jamaican Fish Stew (Run Down)

1 ½ - 2 lb cod or other white fish, in a couple of large pieces (I had to cut mine up in order to fit it in my small LeCreuset)
3 Tbsp canola or other neutral oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 habanero chile, minced into tiny non-painful bits (if you’re being authentic; I used hatch chiles instead)
1 tsp black pepper
1 ½ - 2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped tomato with its juice
1 lime, juiced
Chopped fresh cilantro, if you’re feeling garnish-y

Salt the cod lightly on both sides and put in the fridge to rest for about an hour (up to 24 hours if you don’t want to build in wait time at the beginning of this).

Put the oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, chile, and pepper. Cook until the onion softens, about 5-1o minutes. Add the coconut milk and tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until it reduces by about half.

Rinse the fish and add it to the pot. Adjust the heat so it bubbles a bit but not like you’re cooking pasta. Cook about 10 minutes or until the fish is done, then add the lime juice. Garnish with the cilantro if you bothered with it.