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Jamaican fish tea
Peppery fish broth
Fish tea: thin, peppery Jamaican fish broth
Fish tea is what Jamaicans along the coast from Kingston to Old Harbour sip from a cup when they feel run down, and it is ladled out at beach fish shacks and dances to steady late-night appetites. It is a thin, peppery broth made from fish heads and bones or cheap small fish, with green banana, pumpkin, thyme and a hint of scotch bonnet, light but full of flavour. The mistake to avoid is boiling it hard for a long time, which makes it cloudy and bitter; simmer gently and strain. Chef's tip: mash a few pieces of the soft pumpkin into the broth for body without any flour.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb fish heads and bones or small whole fishsnapper, grouper or similar, gills removed, rinsed
- 2 litres water
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 spring onions (scallion)chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 scotch bonnet pepperwhole
- 10 ½ oz pumpkinpeeled, cut into small cubes
- 2 green bananaspeeled and sliced
- 1 carrotdiced
- 1 ½ tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 lime (optional)cut into wedges, to serve
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb fish heads and bones or small whole fish, 2 litres water, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, half of 1 ½ spring onions (scallion), 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 6 allspice berries (pimento) in a large pot. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any foam and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Strain the broth into a clean pot through a fine sieve. Pick any good pieces of fish off the bones, add them to the broth and discard the bones.
Step 3: Add 10 ½ oz pumpkin, 2 green bananas, 1 carrot and 1 scotch bonnet pepper to the broth and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the banana is tender and the pumpkin is soft enough to crush.
20 minStep 4: Crush a few pumpkin pieces against the side of the pot to thicken the broth slightly. Remove the whole scotch bonnet. Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and add the rest of 1 ½ spring onions (scallion).
Step 5: Serve hot in cups or bowls, with 1 lime if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican fish tea take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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