Creole Court-Bouillon (Fish in a spicy and flavorful sauce)
A fish recipe that is common in the Caribbean, Creole Court Bouillon, a tasty and simple recipe that will immediately transport you to the islands without ever leaving your house. Full of flavors from the fresh herbs, and spices
What is a Court-Bouillon
A Court-Bouillon is similar to a Blaff. A Court-Bouillon is a stock containing tomatoes and spices in which fish is cooked. A Blaff is a style of cooking fish or shellfish in water and spices. Although both are similar, the style of cooking is different.
A Creole Court-Bouillon is usually prepared with fresh herbs and spices, the Caribbean way. The fish is marinated with lemon juice and spices for a few hours and then cooked in a tomato and spicy sauce, hence court-bouillon.
More about Creole Court-Bouillon
In the Caribbean, a Creole Court-Bouillon is prepared to cook red snapper or yellowtail snapper, a favorite of the islanders. My Creole Court-Bouillon recipe serves 4 and prepared with red snapper. About a pound of fish is needed. The fish (singular or plural) should be cut in half or smaller pieces if preferred.
The main ingredient when cooking fish is a lemon. Naturally fish does not require a lot of spices, and it is always better to use fresh herbs and fresh spices. If you can also able to buy fresh fish, it would be a delightful dish to serve your family. You will always want to buy fresh fish after trying out this recipe.
May I share a little secret with you! It is ok to cheat from time to time, and many of us do it. If you want your Creole Court-Bouillon tasting a little special, add some good Caribbean hot sauce, not the kind that has a lot of vinegar but one that is very tasty and spicy at the same time. Just be careful of the hot peppery taste.
What’s in the recipe
This recipe only contains common and basic ingredients you can find in most markets. It also fresh ingredients.
- whole fish (snapper, seabass, grouper, monkfish, rockfish)
- lemon/lime or vinegar
- garlic
- bay leaves
- whole cloves
- ground pepper
- hot pepper, Pikliz or Noubess Original Hot and Spicy Sauce with Herbs Sauce
- oil
- onion
- tomatoes
- bouquet garni
My Creole Court-Bouillon can be served with rice, potatoes, or any other type of root vegetables. And don’t forget to add some green leafy vegetables as well to complete this healthy meal.
Enjoy!
Creole Court-Bouillon
Ingredients
- 1 – 1.5 pounds whole fish
- 1 lemon/lime or vinegar
For the marinade
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- 2 – 3 whole cloves
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- ½ of a whole hot pepper seeded and membrane removed or 1 teaspoon Pikliz
- 2-3 tablespoon water
For the court-bouillon
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion
- 2 to matoes juicy tomatoes, peeled and slice small
- 1 bouquet garni thyme, chives, parsley
- 1 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
Instructions
- Clean the fish with lemon, lime or vinegar. Cut in half or smaller pieces. Rinse and pat dry, squeezing slightly to remove excess water and set aside in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix ingredients for marinade. Stir in marinade with fish, cover and let marinate for at least 1 hour.
- In a large pan, on medium high heat, heat oil and sauté onion, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Let mixture cook until it turns a reddish golden color. Add the last crushed garlic and stir. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Add fish and marinade to water mixture and let cook on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the fish.
- Before the last 5 minutes of cooking and if you find the sauce a bit blend, create a mixture with an additional crushed garlic, salt, pepper, little oil and lemon juice and add to the court-bouillon. Stir well and continue to cook until fish it thoroughly cooked. Add hot Caribbean hot sauce or hot pepper or Pikliz if preferred.
- Serve hot with additional lemon, preferably.
Notes
To make the court-bouillon, you may use snapper, fresh sardines, bream, goatfish or grouper. The creole court-bouillon is usually served with rice, potatoes, green plantain, yam or other root vegetables. Add a slice of avocado and you have a complete dish from the Caribbean.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
