Yellow Curry Snapper & Hoppin' John
This soul-warming yellow curry snapper dish with Hoppin’ john was inspired by a recent visit to Negril, Jamaica. Jamaican food’s eccentricity is due to the multitude of regions that attempted to colonize the beautiful island. It was during this period that world influences were infused into Jamaica’s culinary culture for good. I absolutely love how this dish ties Jamaica’s Indian influences with Low-Country ingredients!
Yellow Curry Snapper & Hoppin’ John
While we might have lost most of our crop variety since the commercial adoption of monoculture, there are still some people out there trying to preserve America’s great heirloom varieties. Marsh Hen Mill, a family-owned farm on Edisto Island, SC is one of them, growing and milling their own heirloom grains like Sea Island red peas, Carolina gold rice, black eyed peas, and Blue Corn.
The Sea Island red pea is a nutrient dense southern field pea with quite the reputation. The Gullah people of South Carolina would eat fresh red beans with rice in a dish called “reezy peezy”, which was the inspiration for what we now know as Hoppin’ John. Today, We’re going to make a Caribbean inspired version with local Snapper from Abundant Seafood.
Yellow curry snapper, Carolina gold rice, and red peas is a dish inspired by my time spent in the Caribbean (which is a rich “fusion culture” already!) mixed with the rich history of South Carolina agriculture. If you don’t have access to Snapper, you can substitute with any flaky white fish.
Note: Soaking red peas in water overnight will drastically reduce cooking time. Once soaked, rinse & cook slowly in salted vegetable broth.
Ingredients:
2 Snapper Filets
2 Tbsp Yellow curry powder
1 can full fat coconut milk
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
½ each green & red bell peppers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
½ cup long grain white rice, cooked
½ cup sea island red peas, cooked
Directions:
Cook your rice & beans in separate pots, seasoning each thoroughly.
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat
Add onion and cook until translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
Add ginger, curry powder, garlic, and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
Once heated through, Add a whole can of coconut milk.
Let your mixture come to a simmer and add your fish.
Cover with lid and let fish heat through. About 5-7 minutes.
Garnish with lime juice & cilantro. Enjoy!