Caribbean Comfort Food: Lime-Marinated Poached Fish Recipe

In celebration of Vista’s arrival in the Caribbean and Central America, I’m sharing a fresh new tropical fish recipe from The Culinary Center. It’s island comfort food for two. Caribbean Blaff, which is a delicious lime-marinated shallow-poached fish, calls on warm spices like cloves, allspice and garlic and is best paired with fluffy white rice or savory polenta cakes. This zesty Creole dish transports me to the palm-lined shores of St. Vincent and Martinique every time.

We’ll be teaching this recipe and plenty of other French Caribbean and New World favorites in The Culinary Center this winter. We hope to see you at The Culinary Center on board Vista soon!

Caribbean Blaff: Lime-Marinated Poached Fish Recipe

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup very thinly sliced onion
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 allspice berries
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 (6-ounce) fish fillets (such as snapper or grouper)
• ¼ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• ¼ cup white wine
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup fish stock, plus more as needed
• Lime wedges, for finishing
• Parsley leaves, for finishing
• Sliced chives, for finishing

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large glass bowl, combine the onion, oil, lime zest, lime juice, cloves, allspice, garlic and thyme and mix well.
2. Add the fish, turn to coat and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.
3. Remove the fish from the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a medium sauté pan and add the bell pepper and wine.
4. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the onion and pepper soften and the alcohol evaporates. Remove the thyme and reserve.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and place the fish on top of the onion and pepper. Place the tomatoes around the fish. Add just enough fish stock to reach the bottom of the fish. Return the thyme to the pan alongside the fish and cover with a cartouche.
6. Over medium-low heat, shallow poach the fish until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
7. Discard the thyme, cloves, allspice and garlic.
8. Plate the vegetables in 2 shallow bowls and top with the fish. Finish with a generous squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of parsley and chives.
9. If desired, this dish can be served over your choice of rice or polenta cakes.

About Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Enrichment Kathryn Kelly
Since joining Oceania Cruises in 2011, Chef Kathryn Kelly’s passion for adult learning has been the driving force behind The Culinary Center. While overseeing a faculty of dedicated Chef Instructors, she is the chief architect of more than 100 unique culinary classes as well as our popular Culinary Discovery Tours™, which are immersive chef-led excursions offered in more than 40 destinations worldwide. Chef Kelly completed her doctoral studies in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and holds two master’s degrees in community medicine and biostatistics. After a fulfilling career in health care, she pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a chef, graduating with honors from The Culinary Institute of America in the fifth decade of her life. Chef Kelly resides on Amelia Island, Florida, and in Austin, Texas. She is an avid golfer and the proud grandmother of Kate, Luke and Jack – who spend cherished hours with their ”YaYa” grilling, cooking and baking for their grateful family.