I have never been to the Caribbean and don’t claim to have much experience in sampling their cuisine. But I wanted to cook some fish and I had a ripe mango and a red bell pepper that I needed to use, so I decided that my inspiration would come from the islands with a mango chutney.
First I must say that my ratio wasn’t ideal here. I wanted to use that red pepper, but I should have used less in relation to the mango. Note to self and to the rest of you: More mango, less red pepper. Develop your intuition in the kitchen as you start cooking without a recipe.
Mango Chutney
- mango
- red bell pepper
- jalapeno (always keep one in the freezer)
- ginger (always keep some in the freezer)
- shallot
- garlic powder
- red pepper flakes
- cardamom
- lime juice
- salt (in case that wasn’t obvious)
Again, I’m not giving you a recipe to follow. I mixed together some things that I thought would taste good together and sampled along the way, trying to balance spicy, sweet and sour elements. In the end, I added a tiny pinch of sugar because I wanted it a little sweeter, but if I had used more mango compared to bell pepper, that would not have been necessary.
Additional lime juice squeezed over everything finished off the dish nicely. By the way, slitting the lime wedge for your diner means they won’t squirt juice in your eye when they squeeze it on their meal.
The Fish
Just about any fish would have been fine here. I had some cod pieces because they’re so affordable. I recommend buying pieces because you can often find them at a better price than their more attractive fillet counterparts. At my local fish market, I look for chowder pieces because I can usually get more expensive wild fish varieties at a discount that way.
I seasoned this fish with garlic powder and Chinese 5 Spice, which contains:
- Anise
- cinnamon
- star anise
- cloves
- ginger
Then I baked it in the oven at 350 until it was done. Maybe 15 minutes? Thin fillets and pieces really don’t take very long to cook. What I know about fish is that you just have to check it periodically to see if it’s ready.
Growing up, we always cooked fish whole and ate it with chopsticks. I recommend the chopsticks if you cook a whole fish because it’s easier to eat around the bones.
Testing Fish for Doneness
How did my mother know when the fish was ready? She would call my Japanese father in once she decided it was time to check it. He would come in, test it with chopsticks to see if it flaked in the middle. Usually he would then say, “Little more bet.” Translation: Cook it a little bit more.
So, that’s my method for not overcooking fish. Look at it before you think it’s ready and then check it again in a couple minutes if it needed longer the first time. It’s that simple.
For another idea on dressing up your fish, please read Fearless About Fish next.