EASTER AT HOME WITH Peppatree
The catch of the ‘season-ings’
EVERYONE LOVES a trip to the beach to catch the fresh air and, of course, the fresh fish. However, this Easter, with many of us finding ourselves inside, we will have to recreate those signature seaside dishes at home. No fish recipe is more Jamaican than a spicy roasted snapper. This week, Peppatree’s Nathan Haddad invited us into his backyard to show us that flavour is in our roots, and why “preparing fish for any occasion should not be as hard as catching them at sea”.
“I love fish – whole snappers done a variety of ways, escoveitched kingfish steaks, fried lionfish – all types. Lionfish is particularly good, especially for us to eat them, as it is a predator in our environment. On the other side, I know consciously eating fish is good for your health, and this is one season that Jamaicans consume fish,” Haddad told Food.
The company CEO explained that as people prepare to lock down, whether alone or with their families, it is important to plan activities to do in the home. “Since we are inside more than usual, whereas we would find time to go out to our regular destinations, there are ways we can travel inside our own homes by creating different experiences so that our imaginations can take us to those places as we look forward to re-engaging in the future – and cooking is one way,” he said. “There is strength in togetherness, and it could just be a couple or a parent and child but as the saying goes, ‘give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime’, same as teaching a man to cook. And there are countless ways fish can be prepared while sticking to some of our traditional flavours.”
The steps involved in cooking fish are simple, and it does not take much effort to prepare a satisfying meal. “When preparing fish, it is always predominantly about keeping the taste of the fish as part of the profile. Also, food should transport you to different places and spaces, as well as memories through the blend of seasonings and aromas, and our line of products make it easier,” Haddad said, as he pulled together a few seasonings for the main course and sides, and a bonus, all of which were done on an outdoor grill over coals, making them all the more wholesome and strongly flavoured.
See if you can catch on by trying out these recipes from Peppatree.