Time Stretcher Recipe™
Yo mon… dis from Jamaica. I had this at a resort in Negril called Couples Swept Away, food like this is one of the reasons my wife and I keep going back to Jamaica. While it sounds like a fussy thing to make it is surprisingly easy since it’s also very forgiving.
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1 six ounce grouper fillet per serving (you can also use Orange Roughy).
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10-12 small bay scallops per serving.
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¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream per serving.
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1 egg white per serving.
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1 tsp Chef Nick’s Jamaican Brown Stew Blend per serving.
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1 tbsp chopped cilantro per serving.
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Chef Nick’s Jerk Seasoning Blend for garnish.
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10-12 Green Beans per serving, washed.
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2 tbsp “trinity” per serving (diced celery, onion, bell pepper, lightly sautéd).
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Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Tear-off a few square sheets of aluminum foil, one for each serving, these need to be big enough to wrap the the fish fillets.
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Wash the fish fillet in cold water and pat dry. Give it a VERY light dusting with the Jerk Seasoning—but go really easy with it.
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Bring some lightly salted water to a boil and add the scallops, you’re only trying to blanch them, not fully cook them, 45 seconds to 1 minute is enough.
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Remove the scallops to ice water to stop the cooking and cool them to room temperature or slightly below room temperature.
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Chop the scallops very fine, or use a food processor to puree them.
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Add the egg white and heavy cream to an electric mixer and start whipping them into a mousse. When they’re about half whipped, add the brown stew blend. Yes… you will end-up with a medium brown mousse.
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Finish whipping the mousse and then GENTLY fold in the cilantro, scallops, and trinity—if the mousse falls now it will still taste OK but it will be, well, ugly.
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Carefully cut a slot in each fish fillet and spread it out into a “V” shaped groove. Fill this “V” groove with scallop mousse in a heaping pile.
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Lightly coat the foil with olive oil. The put 10-12 green beans on the center of the foil to make a “bed” for the fish. Put the fish fillet on top of the beans. Wrap up the foil to make a pouch for the fish but try to minimize how much the foil touches the fish and really stay away from the mousse.
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Put the pouches on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
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Carefully remove the fish from the pouch to the plate. Place the green beans next to the fish. Use your favorite kitchen torch to lightly brown the mousse.
This dish is very good when accompanied by Jamaican Pink Rice & Peas (red beans). We also like to serve it with some cucumber slices and raw slivers of carrot to add some crunch.