Grilled Red Snapper With Citrus Souscaille - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the spice paste
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small spring onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
1/2 scotch bonnet chile, seeds and stems removed
2 teaspoons thyme, leaves only
2 teaspoons marjoram leaves
2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small pinch ground cloves
1 pinch coarsely ground black peppercorns
For the citrus souscaille
1 tablespoon spices, paste (see above)
1 -2 lime, juice only
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or 1 tablespoon caribbean celery leaves
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the fish
2 limes, grated zest and juice, plus an extra squeeze of juice
2 garlic cloves
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped coriander or 1 tablespoon caribbean celery leaves
4 (175 g) red snapper, sea bream fillets or 400 g king prawns, shelled, deveined
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon butter

Preparation

For the seasoning paste: Tip all the ingredients into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. This paste tastes best if left for a few days to mature before using.
For the souscaille: combine one rounded tablespoon of the seasoning paste with the lime juice, sugar, celery leaves, coriander, red pepper and olive oil. Taste for seasoning - adding more sugar or lime juice if needed. Aim for a tart, tangy flavour.
For the fish or prawns: combine the lime rind and juice with the garlic, red pepper, spring onion and coriander and spoon over the fish or prawns and leave on one side for 5 minutes. Remove from its marinade and sprinkle with curry powder just before frying.
Heat the oil in a sturdy frying pan set over a medium heat and fry the fish for 3 minutes, skin side facing downwards. Flip the fillets over and cook for a further minute until it flakes easily. If you are using prawns, fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring all the time, over a moderate heat, until they have turned pink. Remove and set aside.
Tip the tomatoes into the same pan while still on the heat. Add the butter and sharpen with a squeeze of lime.
Spoon a dollop of souscaille sauce over the fish and serve any extra on the side. Accompany with the warmed tomatoes.