Author Notes: This recipe is featured in the story, This Smoky, Citrusy Grilled Bass Is an Homage to My Great-Aunt’s Jerk Seasoning, sponsored by Bosch.
Jerk dishes take me back, way back. First to my great-aunt, whose cooking connects me to the West Indies every time I get a taste of pork or chicken that’s been dry rubbed with that island mix. The irony is that as a kid, growing up in a family that hailed from Barbados and Puerto Rico, I didn’t really like island food. I wanted to eat American food like meat loaf and spaghetti.
But once I became a chef, I fell in love with all the flavors I grew up with. This is basically my homage to my aunt’s recipe. All I’ve done here is add citrus to it to brighten up the flavors. —JJ Johnson
Food52 Review: Reprinted with permission from Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls, copyright © 2017. Published by Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan.
—The Editors
Serves: 4 to 6
Prep time: 2 hrs 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients
For the Citrus Jerk Bass:
-
1/4
cup soy sauce
-
1
tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
-
1
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
-
1
scallion, chopped
-
1
clove garlic, whole
-
1/4
Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped with seeds, or more to taste
-
1
teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
-
1/2
teaspoon ground allspice
-
1
teaspoon whole black peppercorns
-
2
tablespoons orange juice
-
1
tablespoon fresh lemon juice
-
1
teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
-
1
tablespoon finely grated lime zest
-
1/2
teaspoon kosher salt
-
1
teaspoon brown sugar
-
2
tablespoons vegetable oil
-
6
(4-ounce) bass fillets, skin on and descaled
-
Fonio
For the Fonio:
-
2
tablespoons olive oil
-
1
teaspoon minced ginger
-
1
teaspoon minced garlic
-
1/4
cup small-diced shallots
-
1/2
cup sliced okra
-
1/2
cup grape tomatoes
-
1
cup fonio, rinsed
-
1/4
cup torn Thai basil
Directions
For the Citrus Jerk Bass:
- Combine all the ingredients except the fish and fonio in a blender and puree until smooth and completely combined.
- Take the fish and lightly score the skin diagonally in four places with a sharp knife, making sure not to cut too deeply. Place the fish in a nonreactive container with a lid and cover with the jerk marinade. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and put a cast-iron grill pan in the oven to heat until it’s very hot (test by sprinkling a drop of water on the pan to see if it sizzles).
- Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry. Place in the hot pan skin side down and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for 5 more minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove from the pan and serve over fonio.
For the Fonio:
- In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sweat the ginger, garlic, and shallots and cook for 3 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Add the okra and tomatoes.
- When the tomatoes burst, add the fonio and stir with the vegetables to coat. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, bring to a simmer, cover tightly with the lid, and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and let it steam for 5 minutes. Stir in the torn Thai basil.