THE LATEST edition of Caribbean Cookbook heads to Jamaica and the kitchen of Chef Gian Stewart, Chef de Partie at the Sandals Royal Plantation hotel in Jamaica, a certified Executive Chef who will be competing with the Jamaican team at this year’s Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition in Miami.

Stewart offers his recipe for tamarind glazed salmon with crispy skin, ripe plantain sauce, rice and peas cake, roasted pineapple salsa, garlic sauteed string beans and tomato oil.

Here’s the recipe:

Tamarind glaze

2 tbsp Honey

1cup Tamarind juice

Method

Combine honey and tamarind juice in a pot and reduce until thickened over low flame

Tamarind glazed salmon

6oz salmon filet

½ cup Tamarind glaze

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp Lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chopped thyme

Method

1. 1.Wash and season salmon with garlic, thyme, lime juice, salt and pepper.
2. 2.Heat oil in a nun stick sauté pan add salmon and sear on both side remove from flame brush with tamarind glaze  and put in the oven. Cook to your degree of doneness.

Roasted pineapple salsa

1 cup dice roasted pineapple

1tbsp dice bell pepper

1 tsp dice onion

1tsp chopped cilantro

Scotch bonnet to taste

1 tsp olive

1tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp pineapple juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with wooden spoon

Tomato oil

1 tomato peel and deed seeded

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend strain and keep refrigerated until ready to use

Ripe plantain sauce

½ cup cooked ripe plantain

1tsp butter

1 prig thyme

1 tbsp dice onion

2 tbsp coconut cream

1cup fish stock

1tsp dice celery

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat butter in a sauce pot, add celery, garlic and onion cook for 2 minutes. Add plantain and cook for 5 more minutes over low flame.

Add the stock and continue to cook for 10 minutes over low flame. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.

Return to flame add the coconut milk and thyme season to taste with salt and pepper simmer for 3 minute remove from flame and strain

Crispy salmon skin

Salmon skin

Salt and pepper taste

1 tsp Olive oil

Method

Heat nun stick sauté pan add olive oil and salmon skin place another pan on top of salmon skin cook until crispy over low flame season to taste with salt and pepper

Garlic sautéed string beans

6 string beans blanched

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1tsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat butter in sauté pan add garlic cook for 1 minute over low flame add string bean season with salt and pepper.

Rice and peas cake

1 cup cooked sticky rice

½ cup cooked red peas

1 tsp butter

1tbsp chopped escallion

1 tsp Chopped parsley

1tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped onion

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup flour

Scotch bonnet to taste

I cup egg wash (egg and milk whisk together)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. 1.Heat butter in a sauté pan add onion garlic and escallion sauté for one minute remove from flame combine with the rice, red peas, parsley, scotch bonnet and salt and pepper to taste. Use a ring mould to shape rice cake. Set aside
2. 2.Season bread crumbs and flour in two separate container with salt and pepper dust rice cake with flour then egg wash then bread crumbs deep fry until golden brown

Bon appetit!

Above: Chef Gian Stewart

— CJ