Snapper Caribbean Style

Recipe for fragrant, grilled small fish

Grilled fish is a main food in the Caribbean. There, fish is usually grilled over a smoking charcoal fire, typical spices are hot chillies, fragrant thyme sprigs and sweet-smelling allspice.
Snapper species are very popular in America and the Caribbean. However, any kind of smaller fish can be prepared in this way, with this marinade. Sea bream, redfish, sea bass or mullet are also suitable.

Preparation time approx. 30 min. (without marinating time)

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 small snappers, cleaned and trimmed (500-700 g)
4 cloves garlic
½ to 1 Scotch bonnet chile pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
200 ml lime juice
1 bunch chives or 4 scallions
2 shallots
1 small onion
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
Lime wedges, for serving

Fish basket or fish grate, if desired

Directions:

Rinse the fish, inside and out, under cold running water and then blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Trim the fish and make diagonal slashes in both sides. Place the fish in a suitable baking dish.
Mince the garlic cloves. Remove stalks and seeds from the chilli peppers and chop finely (be careful, use gloves). Cut the chives or spring onions into fine rolls. Thinly slice the shallots and onion. Finely chop the parsley.

Marinade: Place the garlic, Scotch bonnet, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a spoon. Add the lime juice and stir until the salt is dissolved. Stir in the chives, shallots, onion, parsley, and oil. Stuff some of this mixture into each of the fish cavities and some into the slits in the sides of the fish. Place a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, and an allspice berry in each cavity. Pour the remaining marinade over the fish leave to marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Turn once or twice during this time.

Preheat the grill to high temperature. Place the fish in the fish grid/grill basket and grill for 6-10 minutes per side. If you are grilling without a fish basket, carefully turn the fish over with a spatula.
The fish are cooked when their flesh will break into clean flakes and comes away cleanly from the bones.
Serve immediately.

Serve with grilled potatoes or baguette and a mixed salad.

Tip: If Scotch Bonnet chillies are too hot for you, you can also use milder varieties, such as Lemon Drop, Aji Cristal or other Aji varieties.