Opakapaka (Snapper) in Haitian Court-Bouillon: A Spicy-Sweet & Healthy Dish

Upon finding out this month's country for Regional Recipes (hosted by my wonderful friend Joanne at Eats Well With Others), I was a bit stuck for a dish. In the over 300 cookbooks in my collection you would think there would be some Haitian recipes, but no. Perusing the Internet didn't give me all that much inspiration either. Then, just when I was thinking I might skip this month's event, my May issue of Cooking Light arrived and I happened to flick through it and found a whole spread on Haitian inspired recipes. The Snapper in Haitian Court-Bouillon stood out immediately--poached fish and veggies in a spicy-sweet-savory broth sounded like the perfect healthy dinner, especially served over some brown rice.

The recipe can be found in the May 2010 Cooking Light and also on the web here.

Cooking Light says, "Part French technique, part personalized spin, this main-course fish dish is the essence of good family classics. In the Cadet family, it's always served over rice. For the prettiest results, slice the red bell pepper and onion with a mandoline, making paper-thin strips. Choose a sustainable snapper species, like black snapper, or go with black bass or striped bass."

Snapper in Haitian Court-Bouillon
Cooking Light, May 2010

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 1/3 cup sauce and vegetables)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless black snapper fillets
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup clam juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1/2 to 1 whole habanero pepper, seeded (I used 1 1/2 peppers--they were fairly small)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle fish evenly with thyme mixture.

Place broth and next 4 ingredients (through habanero) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Discard onion and habanero. Add fish; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Carefully remove fish from the pan; keep warm.

Add bell pepper and remaining ingredients to cooking liquid in pan; cover and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Top fish with sauce.

Nutritional Info: Calories 214 ; Fat 2.7g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.8g); Cholesterol 64mg; Calcium 70mg; Carbohydrate 9.8g; Sodium 587mg; Protein 36.3g; Fiber 1.5g; Iron 0.9mg

Notes/Results: Yum! There was a lot of flavor packed into this simple dish which is pretty quick and easy to prepare. I used a local opakapaka which is a pink snapper, and poaches really well. The fish was moist and tender, and the vegetables just right--not too mushy. The broth had just enough of a kick from the habanero and the sweetness of the honey was a nice compliment. Although white rice would have been more traditional, I used brown rice to up the nutritional profile a bit. With a half cup of the brown rice, the dish comes in at about 323 delicious calories. I would make this again.

Joanne will be rounding up Regional Recipes Haiti at the RR site here.

Happy Aloha Friday!