Jamaican Coconut-baked Fish Parcels

Serves 4

Easy. You don’t have to do any basting or turning, just make the parcels up and leave them to become delicious.

• 1 tbsp ground nut oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper, halved, seeded and sliced
• 2 red chillis, halved, seeded and finely sliced
• 1.5cm cube of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 x 160ml tins coconut cream
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 4 fish fillets, about 180g each, such as salmon, sea bass, haddock or cod
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
• salt and pepper

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and peppers until just softening. Add the chilli and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream and heat until warmed through, but don’t boil. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and salt and pepper. Taste to check the balance of sweet and tart.

Make 4 double-layer foil packages by cutting out 8 squares of foil big enough to hold 1 fish fillet. Pull the sides of each square up so you are half way to making a parcel and divide the pan mixture between the packages. Set a fish fillet on top and season well. Scrunch the edges of the foil together to make a well-sealed parcel but don’t wrap too tightly – the fish needs room to steam. 

Set the parcels on the barbecue and cook for about 12 minutes, depending on the type and thickness of the fish. Check for doneness by carefully unwrapping one of the parcels – the fish should be cooked through and no longer look ‘glassy’. Serve the fish in their parcels, opening them up to reveal the contents. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve immediately with lime wedges. Rice is particularly good with this dish too.