Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
Jamaican Brown Stew Fish is a must-try authentic Caribbean recipe. Snapper fish seasoned, fried until golden brown, then simmered in a brown savory sauce. Perfect for two or the whole family!
I enjoyed making this delicious stew fish recipe, though it wasn’t always a favorite of mine.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big FISH fan now! My favorite fish dishes are Jamaican Steamed Fish and Jamaican Roast Fish.
But for as long as I can remember, fried fish wasn’t my preferred meal.
I always felt I was getting less fish when it’s fried, haha.
Silly, but that’s just me. However, now that I’m older and have opened my palette, I will enjoy a fried fish meal once in a while.
When I originally made this recipe, I didn’t fry my fish, which is okay.
You can still enjoy the brown stew fish flavors either way.
Cooking time may be different since you’re not frying the fish before. My fish didn’t fall apart, and it still tasted great!
P.S. At the time of this recipe, I used fish steaks, which I received from a local fisherman in the Cayman Islands. You can use a whole fish or cut your fish in halves for this recipe.
But traditionally, and for authenticity, I will share the steps for this recipe, including frying your fish first.
What is Brown Stew Fish?
Brown Stew Fish is a Jamaican dish prepared by frying your fish until golden brown, then simmered into a delicious savory brown sauce.
This method of Jamaican cooking is similar to other stew recipes, such as Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken.
Ingredients To Use
Like many Jamaican stew recipes, there are a few common ingredients, such as ketchup and browning sauce.
So, for this recipe, the ingredients include:
- Fish: snapper, grunt, or kingfish are great for this recipe
- Vegetables: carrots, okra scotch bonnet pepper
- Aromatics: fresh thyme, onion, garlic, escallion, scotch bonnet pepper
- Sauce: browning, water/fish stock, ketchup, fish tea mix
- All-purpose seasoning
- Fish powder seasoning
- Salt
- Oil
How To Make Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
One of the great things about making this dish is once you’ve fried your fish and set it aside – the rest is easy.
Note: If you decide to use a whole fish for this recipe, don’t forget to add small slices on the sides of the fish. When rubbing in the seasoning, you can also rub them into the slices for more flavor.
Frying The Fish:
- Remove any scales, gills, and guts from fish.
- Wash fish in vinegar, lime juice, and water. Pat dry and set aside.
- Season each piece with salt, fish seasoning, and all-purpose. Be sure to coat each piece for maximum flavor.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry each piece of fish until slightly golden brown or for a crust-like texture. (Omit this part if you don’t plan to fry your fish.)
- Remove from pan to drain excess oil on a paper towel.
Sauce Steps:
- In another pan, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat, then add carrot, okra, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, and escallion. Toss, add ketchup, browning, fish tea mix, and water. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Reduce heat, then add carrot, okra, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, and escallion. Toss, add ketchup, browning, fish tea mix, and water. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens.
- If you didn’t fry your fish before this section, then allow the fish to cook evenly. The flesh should be white when cooked.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Serving Suggestions
When I first made this dish, I enjoyed it with a plate of plain rice, and as a side, I added sliced tomatoes.
You can also enjoy this dish with:
- Rice and Peas/Pumpkin Rice
- Fried Bammy
- Mashed Potatoes
- Green Salad
- Fried or Roasted Breadfruit
- Boiled yam, green bananas, dasheen, sweet potatoes, plantains
- Fried Plantains
Why You Should Make This Recipe
Here are some reasons why you should make this dish for dinner:
- Make Ahead Of Time: if you need a recipe to make your day easier, this is it.
- Quick and Easy: making this dish doesn’t require much time once you’ve fried the fish (which doesn’t take long).
- Great For The Family: the flavors of this recipe are simple and aromatic, which everyone can enjoy.
- Versatile: you can serve this with your favorite sides and use any white fish.
- Healthy Dinner Idea: fish is packed with omega-3 and vitamins vital to our daily nutrients.
- Budget-Friendly: another reason to love this recipe is how low-budget it is.
Tips For Making Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
Here are some tips and tricks I think will help you make the perfect fish dinner:
- Check out the steps to making this recipe without frying the fish.
- If using a whole fish, cut small slices on the sides of the fish. Rub the seasoning into the slices to provide maximum flavor in every bite.
- Jamaicans love to season their meals. Down to the oil is seasoned sometimes. To enhance your dish even further, adding a slice of scotch bonnet and garlic to the oil before frying your fish is a perfect idea.
- For more flavor and color, try adding bell peppers to the mix.
- Strain the fish tea mix to remove the noodles, and only use the powdered seasoning.
Storage Tips
Keep any leftovers in your refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
For a longer storage time, you can keep it in your freezer for up to 30 days.
Other Fish Recipes:
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Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs snapper fish whole or cut into steaks
- 2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp fish seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks escallion chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper sliced and seeds removed
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 large carrot sliced or julienne
- 2-3 okra sliced
- 1 tsp browning sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp fish tea mix optional
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Frying The Fish
- Remove any scales, gills, and guts from fish. I did use fish steaks for this recipe but feel free to use a whole fish.
- Wash fish in vinegar, lime juice, and water. Pat dry and set aside.
- Season each piece with salt, fish seasoning, and all-purpose. Be sure to coat each piece for maximum flavor.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry each piece of fish until slightly golden brown or for a crust-like texture.
- Remove from pan to drain excess oil on a paper towel.
Sauce:
- In another pan, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat, then add carrot, okra, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, and escallion. Toss, add ketchup, browning, fish tea mix, and water. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens.
- Adjust to taste, then add each piece of fish to the sauce. Turn fish after 5 minutes to coat evenly in the sauce – spoon sauce over the fish.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Notes For Making Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
- Check out the steps to making this recipe without frying the fish.
- Add sliced bell peppers to your stew fish for more color and flavor to your dish.
- Strain the fish tea mix to remove the noodles, and only use the powdered seasoning.
