 L et me transport you to the isle of Jamaca, where the oceans are crisp and blue, the fish as brilliant as rainbows, and the food a wondrous rollercoaster for the palette. Due to its previous possession under Spain, Jamaica hoards numerous Spanish influences in addition to other cultural reflections upon the food. Despite this, Jamacia still holds its own tropical personality. The primary source of protein seems to come from beans and fish, due to coastline location. Fruits and vegetables vary from the most tropical like ackee, breadfruit, and callaloo to the more common ingredients such as plantain, ginger, and avocado. The seafood in Jamacia is focused upon fatty/meaty fish and shellfish. The fish I, however, chose, was Swai.
Swai, for those of you unfamiliar to the name, is a variety of catfish imported from South Asia. I’ve seen ti numerous times in the local Kroger paper but it wasn’t until I recently saw it on sale that I finally decided to experiment. The fish is very delicate, almost like tilapia, yet buttery and mouth melting like catfish. The filets I purchased were huge, so I’m assuming this fish grows to a hefty size. Swai is also known as tra, striped catfish, or iridescent shark, despite the lack of family relations. Pricing wise, it seems to rank around the similar range of tilapia so I’m assuming it’s the catfish reject - or it could be due to the congressional laws against imported fish. For some reason, there’s an issue in labeling the type of catfish, so they dubbed it a different name and usually what the consumers don’t know, they won’t explore. Adventurism and experimentation are two things I wish people would include in their personas and I bet if it is done, the rise in obesity would decline.
 The swai I served ‘Escovich’ style, which holds its roots in Spanish cuisine. The key to this dish is a simple vinegar sauce that is poured over the traditional deep fried whole fish. Of course, in my variation, I liehgten it up significantly. First, I don’t deep fry as a rule as I find it unnecessary and my body can’t take the large amounts of oil. Secondary, I hate deep frying because of all that wasted oil that isn’t cheap in today’s market. Third, I also had a thin filet and not a whole fish which would practically disintegrate in the oil if I did choose to deep fry it. My solution was to lightly coat the fish in a cornstarch dusting, bake, and broil it. That way it cooked interiorly and gained a crispy exterior crust. In other words, perfection with less fat. Along side the vinegared fish, I served traditional peas and rice and steamed cabbage. I added mushrooms just because I had them around. A great accompaniment with this delicate and refreshing meal would be a traditional Jamaican ginger beer, which a recipe I shall later post.
Escovich Swai, Jamacian Steamed Cabbage, and Peans and Rice
Escovich Swai
1 white fish filet (Doesn't have to be swai, just a good firm baking fish)
1 tbsp cornstarch
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the fish with water and vinegar, then pat dry. Combine the seasonings and cornstarch into a plastic bag. Add the fish, and shake until the fish is well coated.
Line a pan with nonstick cooking spray and bake the fish for 15 minutes then broil for 5 or until the fish is nice and crispy.
Sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 small carrot, thin julianned
¼ onion, thinly sliced
½ bell pepper, sliced thin
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the onions, carrot, and bell pepper until soft. Add the vinegar to deglaze and turn the heat to low, letting the vegetables simmer in the vinegar. Once the vegetables simmered for about 3 minutes, pour the vinegared vegetables over the fish after its plated.
Steamed Cabbage
¼ of a small head of cabbage
2 tbsp minced jalapeño peppers
A pinch of thyme
1 garlic clove, smashed
¼ cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
Salt
Pepper
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic, cabbage, salt and pepper and about ¼ cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and let that cook until the cabbage is fork tender. After the cabbage is soft, add the mushrooms, thyme, jalapeños, and more salt and pepper if needed.
Jamacian Peas and Rice
½ cup cooked kidney beans or pigeon peas
¾ cup cooked rice
A pinch of thyme
Garlic powder
2 tbsp coconut milk
Since I chose brown rice, I had precooked it in the oven for easier preparation but you can easily use regular rice and cook on the stove top per normal directions. Once you have the cooked rice, add the beans, seasonings and coconut milk. Let this simmer for a few minutes before turning off the heat and plating.
Of course, there are numerous ways to plate, but my method was nestling the lavish fish filet over a bed of rice and peas with the cabbage aside.
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Swai, for those of you unfamiliar to the name, is a variety of catfish imported from South Asia. I’ve seen ti numerous times in the local Kroger paper but it wasn’t until I recently saw it on sale that I finally decided to experiment. The fish is very delicate, almost like tilapia, yet buttery and mouth melting like catfish. The filets I purchased were huge, so I’m assuming this fish grows to a hefty size. Swai is also known as tra, striped catfish, or iridescent shark, despite the lack of family relations. Pricing wise, it seems to rank around the similar range of tilapia so I’m assuming it’s the catfish reject - or it could be due to the congressional laws against imported fish. For some reason, there’s an issue in labeling the type of catfish, so they dubbed it a different name and usually what the consumers don’t know, they won’t explore. Adventurism and experimentation are two things I wish people would include in their personas and I bet if it is done, the rise in obesity would decline.
Escovich Swai, Jamacian Steamed Cabbage, and Peans and Rice
Escovich Swai
1 white fish filet (Doesn't have to be swai, just a good firm baking fish)
1 tbsp cornstarch
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the fish with water and vinegar, then pat dry. Combine the seasonings and cornstarch into a plastic bag. Add the fish, and shake until the fish is well coated.
Line a pan with nonstick cooking spray and bake the fish for 15 minutes then broil for 5 or until the fish is nice and crispy.
Sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 small carrot, thin julianned
¼ onion, thinly sliced
½ bell pepper, sliced thin
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the onions, carrot, and bell pepper until soft. Add the vinegar to deglaze and turn the heat to low, letting the vegetables simmer in the vinegar. Once the vegetables simmered for about 3 minutes, pour the vinegared vegetables over the fish after its plated.
Steamed Cabbage
¼ of a small head of cabbage
2 tbsp minced jalapeño peppers
A pinch of thyme
1 garlic clove, smashed
¼ cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
Salt
Pepper
In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic, cabbage, salt and pepper and about ¼ cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and let that cook until the cabbage is fork tender. After the cabbage is soft, add the mushrooms, thyme, jalapeños, and more salt and pepper if needed.
Jamacian Peas and Rice
½ cup cooked kidney beans or pigeon peas
¾ cup cooked rice
A pinch of thyme
Garlic powder
2 tbsp coconut milk
Since I chose brown rice, I had precooked it in the oven for easier preparation but you can easily use regular rice and cook on the stove top per normal directions. Once you have the cooked rice, add the beans, seasonings and coconut milk. Let this simmer for a few minutes before turning off the heat and plating.
Of course, there are numerous ways to plate, but my method was nestling the lavish fish filet over a bed of rice and peas with the cabbage aside.