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! My favorite fish recipes include 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When I originally made this recipe, I didn’t fry my fish, which is okay.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.
My fish didn’t fall apart, and it still tasted great!
But traditionally, and for authenticity, I will share the steps for this recipe, including frying your fish first.
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.
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.
So, for this recipe, the ingredients include:
- Fish: snapper, grunt, or kingfish are great for this recipe
- Sauce: ketchup, browning sauce, pickapeppa sauce, fish stock
- Seasoning: onion, garlic, escallion, fish seasoning, all-purpose seasoning, salt
- Vegetables: tomato, potato, bell peppers
- Fresh Thyme
- Scotch bonnet pepper
- 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.
Steps:
- At the time of this recipe, I had used fish steaks, but you can use whole fish for this recipe. Remove scales, gills, and guts from fish.
- Wash fish in vinegar, lime juice, and water. Pat dry and cut into steaks if preferred. Set aside.
- Season each steak with salt, fish seasoning, and all-purpose. Rub seasoning on each steak piece.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry each piece of fish until slightly golden brown.
- Remove from pan to drain excess oil on a paper towel.
- In another pan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat and pour fish stock over sauteed onions. Stir in ketchup, browning, and pickapeppa sauce. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add fish steaks to the sauce. Turn fish after 5 minutes to cook evenly. Add potato, tomato, and thyme. Cover and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Spoon sauce over the fish, and finish with sliced scotch bonnet pepper and escallion.
- 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
- Fried Bammy
- 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.
- Budget-Friendly: another reason to love this recipe is how low-budget it is.
Storage Tips
Keep any leftovers in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. For a longer storage time, you can keep it in your freezer for up to 30 days.
Other Stew Recipes:
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Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs snapper fish whole or cut into steaks
- 2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
- 1 tbsp fish seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pickapeppa sauce
- 1 tsp browning sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 small onion sliced/diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 stalks escallion chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper sliced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 large russet potato diced
- ½ cup fish tea mix or fish stock/water
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- At the time of this recipe, I had used fish steaks, but you can use whole fish for this recipe. Remove scales, gills, and guts from fish.
- Wash fish in vinegar, lime juice, and water. Pat dry and cut into steaks if preferred. Set aside.
- Season each steak with salt, fish seasoning, and all-purpose. Rub seasoning on each steak piece.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry each piece of fish until slightly golden brown.
- Remove from pan to drain excess oil on a paper towel.
- In another pan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat and pour fish stock over sauteed onions. Stir in ketchup, browning, and pickapeppa sauce. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Add fish steaks to the sauce. Turn fish after 5 minutes to cook evenly. Add potato, tomato, and thyme. Cover and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Spoon sauce over the fish, and finish with sliced scotch bonnet pepper and escallion.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Notes For Making Jamaican Brown Stew Fish
- Add sliced bell peppers to your stew fish for more color and flavor to your dish.
Best Served With:
- Rice and Peas
- Fried Bammy
- Fried or Roasted Breadfruit
- Boiled yam, green bananas, dasheen, sweet potatoes, plantains
