PLEASE NOTE THAT PICTURE TO BE UPLOADED SOON!
This is what I call my Haitian-American version of preparing a Haitian dish called "Poisson Gros Sel" which translated word for word means "Fish Coarse Salt." I believe that the original "Poisson Gros Sel" in Haiti is made with whole fish like red snapper, or any other white fish of firm flesh, that is deeply incised, and rubbed with lime juice and/or vinegar and seasoned to taste with "gros sel" (coarse sea or kosher salt), black pepper, and Habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper if desired. The dish is left to marinate overnight or for a couple of hours. Some butter or oil is then heated, onions and bell pepper are fried into the butter/oil, and then the fish along with the marinade is added. Once cooked, the fish and sauce are placed on a nice a serving dish. In another pan, several shallots, the small ones left whole, and the bigger ones cut in two or more (depending on size), are fried in some more butter, and then poured over the fish. It can be served with white rice or boiled green plantains.
The first time I had this dish was at the house of some friends of mine who were hosting a beautiful buffet dinner party. But their dish was made with morsels of halibut or orange roughy covered with a wonderful vinegary sauce topped with several shallots and green/red/yellow bell paper. I asked their cook how she made such a delicious dish; she told me she did not really have a recipe but gave me some brief instructions without necessarily knowing the quantity for each ingredient. Armed with my limited knowledge of how to make this dish, I tried it for the first time and it was surprisingly a success. So here is the recipe. I hope you too enjoy it; I myself, as the true Caribbean/Haitian person that I am, love this dish served with white rice, watercress & avocado salad, and fried ripe/sweet plantains. Enjoy! —Regine
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