Ingredients
Broth
- 1.2 kgwhole grouper, gutted and scaled, cut across into thick steaks with the head kept in
- 2large onions, sliced into thick rings
- 500 gwaxy potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1green sweet pepper, sliced
- 1whole goat pepper (Scotch bonnet), left uncut
- 3 sprigsthyme
- 2allspice berries, lightly crushed
- juice of 3 limes, plus wedges to serve
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspblack pepper
- 1 litrewater
- 2 tbspbutter
To serve
- 200 gcoarse white grits
- 800 mlwater
- 1 tspsalt
- 20 gbutter
Directions
- Rub the steaks with the juice of one lime and a little salt and leave 10 minutes, then rinse — the Bahamian way of taking off any muddiness.
- Put the onions, potatoes, sweet pepper, thyme, allspice, salt and pepper in a wide pot with the litre of water and bring to a boil.
- Simmer 12–15 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender but still hold a sharp edge.
- Lay the steaks and the head on top of the vegetables in a single layer, drop in the whole goat pepper, cover and cook 8–10 minutes at a bare simmer — never a rolling boil, or the flesh shreds.
- It is done when the flesh pulls cleanly from the backbone and the eye in the head has gone opaque white.
- Lift the goat pepper out whole before it bursts, then stir in the butter and the juice of the remaining two limes off the heat. The broth should taste sharp, salty and thin, never thickened.
- Meanwhile rain the grits into boiling salted water, whisking, and cook 20–25 minutes on low, stirring often, until they fall thickly from the spoon; beat in the butter.
- Serve a steak and a ladle of the lime broth over a mound of grits, with extra lime wedges and hot pepper sauce on the side.
Technique
- This is breakfast in the Bahamas, eaten early and very often after a long night; the lime and the pepper are there to wake you up.
- Leave the goat pepper whole. Punctured, it turns the broth punishing rather than fragrant.
- Bone-in steaks with the head are essential — the gelatinous collagen from the bones is what gives a thin broth its body.
Substitutions
- No grouper: snapper, hogfish or any firm white reef fish works. Avoid oily species, which muddy the clean lime broth.
- Johnnycake, a dense baking-powder bread, replaces grits on many Family Islands.
Variations
- Many cooks add a small piece of salt pork with the onions at the start for depth.
- Stew fish is the close cousin: the same fish browned first and simmered in a dark tomato roux instead of clear broth.
History
Grouper simmered with lime, onion and allspice, eaten at breakfast with grits and johnnycake, especially on Sunday mornings.
Frequently asked questions
What is Boiled fish?
Boiled fish is a breakfast from Bahamas: grouper broth with lime, onion, potato; eaten with grits. Grouper simmered with lime, onion and allspice, eaten at breakfast with grits and johnnycake, especially on Sunday mornings.
How long does Boiled fish take to make?
Boiled fish takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Boiled fish?
Yes, within limits. No grouper: snapper, hogfish or any firm white reef fish works. Avoid oily species, which muddy the clean lime broth. Johnnycake, a dense baking-powder bread, replaces grits on many Family Islands.
What is the most important thing to get right in Boiled fish?
Lay the steaks and the head on top of the vegetables in a single layer, drop in the whole goat pepper, cover and cook 8–10 minutes at a bare simmer — never a rolling boil, or the flesh shreds.
