Pwason nan Sos

"Pwason nan Sos"
Haitian Fish in Sauce

My mom is a true fish lover. I've mentioned before how she can eat fish and easily separate and discard the bones in her mouth. She does it so effortlessly and makes it look easy. I, on the other hand, struggle. However, that doesn't keep me from enjoying a good fish. My mother's favorite fish is red snapper. Red snapper is a great fish and can be prepared in various ways.

This fish is prepared in a traditional tomato paste based sauce. There is another excellent variation called "Pwason Gwo Sel" which does not use tomato paste. When that recipe becomes available, you can find it here.

You will find that the seasoning and preparation is extremely similar to the "Pwason Fri" recipe that has been previously posted. The main difference is that this one isn't fried. I hope you give this one a try as it's full of flavor and very delicious!

for summarized PDF, click here

Ingredients:

2 Red Snappers
2 – 3 tbsps. Epis
4 tbsps. Lemon or Lime Juice
5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Cloves (jirof)
2 – 3 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Maggie Chicken Bouillon Cube
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Pepper
2 tbsps. Tomato Paste
2 tbsps. Butter
3 - 4 tbsps. Vegetable Oil
2 cups Water
1/8 tsp. Accent (optional)

Directions:

1. Refer to the "Cleaning Fish" page to have your fish prepped before seasoning it. Cut slits on the surface of the fish (both sides) in order for the marinade to go through. If you prefer, you can cut the fish in half. For demonstration purposes, I will provide pictures of both the fish whole and when it is cut in half.

2. Finely mince 1 hot pepper (scotch bonnet or habanero) and add it to a small bowl with 2 – 3 tbsps. of epis.

3. Add in the following to the bowl with epis: 4 tbsps. lemon juice, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 crushed Maggie, 1 tsp. seasoned salt, 5 minced garlic cloves, the leaves removed from 3 – 4 sprigs of thyme (you can also leave them whole and add it in later), and 1/8 tsp. of accent (optional). Mix the spices thoroughly with a spoon to combine.

4. Baste this marinade all over the fish (inside and out), especially through the slits that were made. This is what will pack the fish full of flavor. Cover the fish and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight. As always, the longer it marinates, the better. (If keeping the thyme sprigs whole, you can add it in after marinating the fish.)

5. In a large sauce pan on medium heat, add about 3 – 4 tbsps. of vegetable oil and 2 tbsps. of tomato paste. Sauté for about 2 – 4 minutes stirring frequently. Take care for the tomato paste not to burn. You want it to darken a little in color, but not burn.

6. Add in 1 cup of water a little at a time to the pan, stirring frequently so that the tomato paste will dissolve and develop a smooth sauce. At this point, you can increase the temperature to high or medium high.

7. Once the sauce is smooth in consistency, place in the fish gently into the pan.

8. Add an additional cup of water to the container that the fish was marinating in to gather the rest of the seasoning. Pour it into the pan with the fish.

9. The next 10 - 15 minutes as the fish cooks, you will basically “baby” the fish. You have to be careful when stirring the sauce so that the fish doesn't break. In addition, you won’t be turning the fish at all. So how does the top side get cooked? Well, as the sauce boils, you will have to frequently baste the top of the fish with the sauce. I switched spoons so that I will be able to gather sauce much more easily. Frequently scoop the sauce and pour it on top of the fish.

10. Depending on the size of the fish, the cooking and basting process will take anywhere from 10 – 15 minutes. Then, add about 2 tbsps. of butter and gently stir until it melts and fully incorporates. At this point, you can sample the liquid. Add more water and/or salt if desired to reach your desired flavor and sauce consistency. I personally like the thickness of the sauce and usually the original 2 cups is enough and there is no need to add additional salt.