Fish is typically fried and piled high on bread during the summer time, but Daamian Simmons, the Demi-Sous Chef at Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, wanted to mix things up a bit. He took a piece of fresh red hind and started testing out which flavours best complimented it. In the end, he paired it with a banana chutney, which he feels will appeal to both sweet and savoury fans. “You have the sweetness from the bananas and raisins, but there’s a little bit of vinegar in the chutney as well to add some tanginess to it.”
When Chef Daamian thinks about his flavour profiles with food, he wants the end result to be something unique. That’s why he added a sprinkling of almonds to his fish dish and topped it with a saffron lemon sauce. “These three additional elements along with the fish, it’s just amazing,” he said. “The saffron is a bit more exotic, but the other ingredients are everyday items I use not just in the restaurant, but at home as well. It’s something different to do with the fish, and you don’t have to be a professional to recreate this recipe at home.”
Ingredients
2 Red hind fillets ( cut into 2-3 oz portions )
1 Tsp Salt fusion (Chiko’s Smokey Rub)
1 Tsp Lemon pepper seasoning
1 Tsp Spicy fusion seasoning (Chiko’s Smokey Rub )
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 cup Flour
1 Banana
½ Onion (chopped)
2 Tsp Chopped garlic
¼ cup White wine vinegar
1 tsp Dried thyme
1 cup Water
2 tbsp Brown sugar
¼ cup Raisins
1 Red pepper (small diced)
¼ cup Almonds
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
¼ cup White wine
1 Tsp Saffron
¼ cup Heavy cream
4 tbsp Butter
Zest of 2 lemons
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Directions 
• Season fillets with salt fusion, lemon pepper, spicy fusion seasoning & lemon juice. Dredge the fillets in flour.
• Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Place fish in pan and sear on both sides about 20 seconds, remove from pan and onto a tray and bake about 4 mins until done.
• For the chutney, heat a small pot with oil and sauté onion, garlic, red peppers and thyme until translucent about 2 minutes. Add bananas and cook another 1 minute. Add vinegar, sugar, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add raisins and remove from heat
• For Cajun almonds, toss almonds with salt, pepper, Cajun season and olive oil. Place on a flat tray and toast for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
• For sauce place chopped garlic, white wine and saffron in a small pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the liquid halfway; about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and heavy cream and reduce another 10-15 minutes. Whisk in butter and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• To assemble spoon sauce on bottom of the plate. Place fish on top of the sauce. Spoon a tablespoon of the chutney on the fish. Sprinkle Cajun almonds on top and finish with lemon zest.
This article was originally published in the Summer 2018 edition of RG Magazine.
