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Bahamas · Grouper

Bahamian Steamed Grouper

Steamed Grouper

The Saturday-morning breakfast of Nassau: grouper simmered under a lid in a peppery tomato and onion gravy, spooned over a bowl of hot grits.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: whologwhy · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Bahamian Buttered Grits ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the gravy

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Souse the fish. Toss the grouper with the lime juice, salt and hot pepper. Let it sit 15 minutes while you start the gravy.
  2. Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, bell pepper and celery 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
  3. Make the gravy. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens. Add the tomatoes, water and thyme and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Steam the fish. Lift the grouper out of the lime (keep the juice) and nestle it in the gravy. Spoon some sauce over, cover tight and cook on low 8–10 minutes until the fish flakes.
  5. Serve. Add a splash of the lime juice to taste and serve the fish and plenty of gravy over grits.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

The Bahamas

Bahamian Buttered Grits

Grits

Creamy white grits cooked slow with butter and a little onion. In Nassau they are the bed for boil fish, stew fish and fried grunts at breakfast.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup white grits (not instant)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ½ small onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp milk (optional, for extra creaminess)

How to make it

  1. Soften the onion. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a pot and cook the onion 3 minutes until soft. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the grits. Pour in the grits slowly, whisking so no lumps form. Lower the heat to a gentle bubble.
  3. Cook slow. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until thick and creamy. Add a splash of water if they get too stiff.
  4. Finish. Stir in the rest of the butter, the milk and pepper. Serve hot with fish and its sauce spooned over the top.

Photo: Ernesto Andrade · CC BY 2.0

More ways to cook Grouper

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Basque Country, SpainBasque Grouper in Green Sauce
Greek IslandsGreek Island Baked Grouper
Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicGrouper in Creole Sauce
Clearwater, FloridaFlorida Fried Grouper Sandwich