Fish Courtbouillon
**********Join me making this dish on Instagram Live on June 23 at 5 pm CT. FInd me on Habuyta’s Instagram page.
It’s spicy and soul-warming yet light with fish and bright with lemon juice. Fish courtbouillon (coo-be-yoh) is a Cajun dish that is often not found in restaurants and mostly unknown to people outside of South Louisiana.
Some people may confuse it with court bouillon which is a French poaching liquid made from vegetables and wine. While the Cajun version does have vegetables and wine in the broth, it’s more of a gravy with the addition of a brown roux and eaten over rice.
There are a couple of ingredients in this recipe that are written in the local lingo. Shallots and green onions are technically not the same plant. However, in my corner of the world, green onions are called shallots. If you see red pepper in a Cajun recipe, it means cayenne. It feels weird to me to only use the “proper” name when it’s such a cultural food.
Fish Courtbouillon Ingredients
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped green bell pepper
½ c chopped celery
⅓ c peanut butter-colored roux
2 Tbl tomato paste
3 c fish stock
3 oz dry red wine
4 bay leaves
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1.5 tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried marjoram
⅛ tsp allspice
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne)
½ tsp salt
¼ c minced garlic
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 lb fish filets (redfish or catfish)
½ c thinly sliced shallots (green onions)
Chopped parsley or sliced shallots (green onions) for garnish
Cooked rice
Fish Courtbouillon Directions
Heat a pan on medium-low heat and put 1 c chopped onion, ½ c chopped bell pepper, ½ c chopped celery into a saute pan. Make sure the trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) are finely chopped. Otherwise you’ll have chunky gravy. You should hear a gentle sizzle when the trinity hits the pan that will quickly die down.
When the onions are clear, add ⅓ c roux, 2 Tbl tomato paste, 3 c fish stock, 3 oz dry red wine, 4 bay leaves, 1.5 tsp dried thyme, 1.5 tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp dried marjoram, ⅛ tsp allspice, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne), and ½ tsp salt. Stir and taste. It should taste flat and rouxy, and have a grainy texture..
Bring the pot to a simmer, cover and let it simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Stir the pot every 20 minutes.
The liquid should be thicker than when you started. Taste. Adjust salt or pepper if needed. Add ¼ c minced garlic and 2 Tbl lemon juice to the pot. Stir. Taste. You should taste the pungent raw garlic. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste. The rawness of the garlic should be gone. If it’s still there, simmer for another 15 minutes. The gravy should be medium in thickness and smooth with almost no vegetables visible.
Taste and adjust any spices. It should be a tad too peppery because the rice will mute the flavor. Add the fish filets, and ½ c of shallots (green onion). Leave the pot uncovered and cook until the fish becomes opaque. The fish should release a little liquid into the pot. If the gravy becomes too thick, add a little water. It shouldn’t be too thin.
Serve the fish and gravy over rice and garnish with sliced shallots (green onions) or chopped parsley.
Notes
Homemade fish stock is far superior to anything you can buy. Take 1 lb of fish heads and bones (rinse them when you get home), add a few aromatics and 3 c of water, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Pour the contents into another pot or pitcher through a fine mesh strainer.
