Filets de rouget à l'antillaise (Antilles red mullet)

For ➍
6 fillets of fresh mullet/ redfish
1 small chilli (dried or fresh hot 'piment oiseau', 'bird's eye' , or Spanish chilli)
2 cloves of garlic
4 onion
½ can pineapple (no syrup), or a small pineapple, slices drained & chopped
1 lime
1 tbs grated coconut
4 tbs oil
salt

Heat 2 tbs oil in a skillet. Add the onions and chopped garlic, 3-4 m on low heat. Add pineapple slices. Sprinkle crumbled chilli over it and cook 5 m over medium heat.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Grill fillets 2 ms on each side. Salt and place them on the pineapple mix. Cover and cook for 2 m.
Off the heat, add the lime juice and the grated coconut.
Serve with riz créole.

'Piment oiseau' (birds' pepper) is called after the small birds who like to pick the small red peppers in Cameroun. It is one of the strongest chillies available (9 on the Scoville scale). One of the most common mistakes is to cut the peppers into 2 and put only half to make it less strong: the "spice" is in the seeds, it will have the opposite effect.
Attach a chilli to a string, soak in your dish, and remove it after a few minutes.

Riz créole (Creole rice)

For ➍
300 g long grain white rice
1 ts salt
1 onion, peeled*
1 branch parsley*
1 branch thyme*
1 carrot, peeled*
1 l water (or twice the quantity of rice)

(Soak the rice in cold water for 15 m and drain.)*
In a large saucepan, bring 1 l (or twice the quantity of rice) of water to a boil. Add salt, onion, parsley, thyme, and carrot. Add the rice and simmer over medium heat for 20 m.
Remove the onion, parsley, thyme, and carrot.
Drain the rice in a colander. Rinse under cold running water.
Drain again and turn into the saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for 5 m until the rice grains are completely dry.
Serve as a side dish. You might add the rice to the sauce of the dish.

.

Tatin à la banane (Martinique reversed banana tart)

For ➑
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 tbs butter
10 cl rum sauce or caramel sauce*, spiced with cinnamon
3 bananas, cut crosswise into 1 cm slices

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Working on a clean surface, roll the pastry dough into an 28 cm circle and chill.
Melt the butter in a 25 cm ovenproof skillet. Add the rum sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and arrange the banana slices in a single layer in the hot rum sauce. Drape the pastry over the bananas, fitting the overhang up the sides of the skillet. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 m, until the pastry turns golden brown.
Cool the tarte tatin in the skillet for 30 m before inverting it onto a serving platter.**
Serve with dots of fresh (double) cream.

*Make a quick caramel sauce by mixing 150 g of sugar with 5 cl of water. Bring to the boil. Add the juice of 1 lemon. Cook until golden brown.
**When serving warm, wait 3 m.

Creamy Caribbean chicken

For ➍
800 g chicken pieces
1½ ts Caribbean seasoning*
2 tbs oil
70 cl water
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
10 cl double cream

Heat oil in a pot. Add onions. Fry till onions turn golden. Place chicken in pot. Brown.
(Alternatively, put all ingredients in at the same time, and cook until onions turn golden.)
Add water and Caribbean seasoning. Cook covered till chicken is soft and only enough water remains to make a gravy. (about 60m).
Remove from fire, stir in cream.
Serve chicken with rice and some salad.

*A mix of coriander powder, cumin powder, ground cinnamon, garlic powder, ground ginger, black pepper and salt. The ingredients can be stored in an airtight container.
**Alternatively, brown the onion, add to the chicken, rubbed with spices (or push spices in cuts), with a little bit of water, and cook in the microwave.
See tip for timing.
***Or rub the chicken with spices (or push spices in cuts). Add to the fried onions and put in a 220°C preheated oven for 45 m. This recipe comes close to a quick version of a Jamaican jerk.

Peppered chocolate mousse

For ➑
6 egg whites
20 cl cold cream
200 g top quality dark chocolate*
80 g confectioners' sugar
2 ts freshly grounded Balinese (long) pepper**

Melt the chocolate in bain-marie without stirring or in the microwave oven. Let cool a bit.
Beat the egg whites and slowly add the sugar. Beat the cream in an ice-cold bowl.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate. Fold the cream into the mixture. Gently mix the pepper through the mixture.
Pour into glasses or cups and put in the refrigerator.

*With at least 60% percentage of cocoa.
**Or a mixture of white pepper and mace. Jamaican spice is an excellent substitute.

Cuban bean soup

For ➏
500 g dry red kidney beans, soaked overnight, rinsed & drained
2 medium onions, cubed
1 whole medium garlic, crushed & peeled
2 tbs grape seed oil
2 l hot water
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 medium sweet red bell peppers, cubed
2 ts smoked paprika
3 large bay leaves
1 pinch Cayenne pepper or other chili powder
1 ts dried oregano
sea salt to taste
2 handfuls of freshly chopped coriander
lemon/lime wedges to serve
fresh bread to serve

Fry onions and garlic in oil until translucent on the bottom of large pot.

Add chopped peppers and fry some more.

Add water, then add beans, vinegar, hot water, smoked paprika, chili powder, bay leaves and oregano.

Bring the soup to boil over large fire, let it bubble for a while, then reduce the fire, cover and simmer for about 2,5 h.

Mash beans in the soup with potato masher, season with salt and cook 10 m longer.

Remove from fire, stir in coriander.

Serve with lemon/lime wedges on the side and some fresh, crunchy bread.