Poisson en Blaff

Name: Poisson en Blaff (Poached Fish)
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Guadeloupe
Ingredients: ¾ pint cold water, about; 1 tablespoon salt; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 fresh hot red pepper, pounded; 7 tablespoons lime juice; 2 1-lb. white-fleshed fish, 1 of them a bream, if possible, cleaned and scaled, with heads and tails left on; 1 medium onion, finely chopped, or 2 to 3 spring onions, sliced, using the green and white parts; ½ pint dry white wine; 2 melegueta peppercorns or use 2 allspice berries; 2 melegueta leaves, or use bay leaves; 2 whole cloves; 1 fresh hot red pepper, left whole; 1 clove garlic, crushed

Poached Fish

Preparation info

Serves
2

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Complete Book of Caribbean Cooking

By Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz

Published 1973

About

One theory of the term blaff is that when a freshly caught fish is thrown into the poaching liquid it makes the sound ‘blaff’. Unprovable as a linguistic theory, but very plausible. This is one of the most characteristic dishes of the French islands.

Ingredients

7 tablespoons lime juice
1 fresh hot red pepper, pounded
3 cloves

Americas
Guadeloupe
Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free
Caribbean

Method

In a large, shallow dish combine 6 tablespoons of the lime juice, the pounded pepper, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, salt, and water. Add the fish and a little more water, if necessary, to cover. Marinate fo