There is a lot of discussion about the availability of fresh fish and its quality in light of the recent oil spills. I recently bought lovely white salmon, fresh, at the San Fernando fish market and it was as good as it usually is and I paid $35 per pound.There is still good quality fish for sale, the key is to know your fish vendors and know your fish with respect to quality, if the fish has an oily feel and of course a smell, then don't purchase. Fish vendors won't waste their dollar purchasing bad fish.There are other seafood varieties that are sumptuous as well, take for instance the mighty conchs, this is enjoyed in other Caribbean islands more widely than it is here. Nonetheless it is available here, so why not give something new a try for a change. There's a lot of crab available as well, so the next time you have a lime try serving up some crab and conchs, I guarantee you will received many rightfully earned, rounds of applause!
CURRIED LAMBIE/ CONCHS
1 lb lambie or conchs, skin removed, pounded and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped chives, minced
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 small onions, sliced
1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 tbs curry powder mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 lime
1 tbs chadon beni
Method
Wash lambie and squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over, add, chives and garlic, let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat oil and add onion, sauce until almost brown, add curry paste, stir and fry until all the water has evaporated. Add lambie and hot pepper, stir well.
Cook for a few minutes uncovered, then cover and cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes.
Add only a small amount of water at a time to prevent sticking.
Sprinkle with chadon beni and serve with additional lime.
�2 Serves 4
TO PREPARE LAMBIE/CONCHS
1. Wash in lots of water, squeeze the juice of one lime on the lambie, cover in water.
2. Place lambie on chopping board. Remove skin by cutting off with a knife or tearing it away from the body of the lambie, this is an easy process.
3. You want to remove all the dark and orange coloured skin.
4. Place into more cool water with lime juice.
5. Cut into three inch pieces and pound until the flesh is about 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch thick.
6. Now chop finely and use in your favourite recipe.
HOT AND SPICY PEPPER CRABS
Marinade
2 lbs fresh crab, cleaned and chopped into two each
1 tbsps minced garlic
2 tsps salt
2 tsps fresh lime juice
2 tbsps vegetable oil for frying
Add
1 tbsps chopped garlic
2 tbsps Chinese chili garlic sauce
1 hot pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped chives
Sauce
1 tbsps oyster sauce
1 tbsps tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
Method
Season crabs with the marinade, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat a large saut� pan or wok, add vegetable oil, add garlic, chili garlic sauce and hot pepper, stir and fry until fragrant.
Add crabs to wok, stir and fry until they turn reddish in colour, cover and steam cook for 15 minutes, then add sauce ingredients, stir fry for a few minutes more.
Remove from pot and sprinkle with chives.
�2 Serves 4
CURRY CRAB ANDCOCONUT DUMPLINGS
Filling:
6 ozs crab meat
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 pimento pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp allspice
Curry sauce
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tbsps chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsps curry powder
1/2 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped chadon beni
1/4 cup chopped chives
Juice of one lime
DUMPLINGS
2 cups flour
1 tsp butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Method
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub butter into flour until mixture is grainy, slowly add water and knead to a stiff dough.
Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.
Season crab with salt, pepper, and lime juice.
In a large saut� pan, heat oil, add garlic, onion and pimento pepper, cook for about one minute, add crab and toss to combine, Remove from stove and cool.
Cut dumpling dough into 12 pieces. Make each piece into a round. Shape each piece of dough into a 2 1/2 to 3 inch circle. Place about one teaspoon of meat into the lower centre of the dough. Fold other half over and seal. Repeat until all the dumplings have been filled.
To make the curry sauce
Heat vegetable oil in a saut� pan, add garlic, onion and pepper.
Saut� until fragrant.
Combine curry powder with water. Add to pan and cook until mixture begins to dry.
Add coconut milk and sprinkle on chives and chadon beni. Cook until bubbly.
Drop dumplings into curry mixture, cover and steam for a further 10 minutes,
Turning dumplings once.
If mixture seems too dry, add a little more coconut milk or broth.
Sprinkle on more chadon beni if necessary.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
�2 Serves 4 to 6