Cocoa-Orange Fish - a new Most Favorite recipe

When I was given the gift of all the books the fabulous Edna Lewis had published, I was also given Black Food, edited by Bryant Terry.

ISBN 978-1-9848-5972-3

This is a modern book, created during the Covid years.  It defines itself as "a communal shrine to the shared culinary histories of the African diaspora."  Many chefs contributed to the recipe collection, but it also contains "moving visual art, thought-provoking essays, and imaginative poetry that will encourage spiritual and intellectual exploration, renewal, and growth." (pg 1)

It's fun to explore, to see recipes using familiar ingredients used in ways that I, not a person with African heritage, have not seen before - and I appreciate how the book puts the recipes in context within cultures I do not know. I also see new-to-me ingredients that I find intriguing.

There are a variety of recipes that call to me, such as Pickled Persimmon Spears (pg 109), Buttermilk Fried Chicken (pg 108), Lace Hoecakes (pg 159), and Jocelyn's Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake (pg 111).  

The first one I tried was on page 195, Cocoa-Orange Fish, submitted by Nicole Taylor.  True confessions:  I have made this several times already, and it was such a winner that it has been copied down into my little hand-written "Favorite Recipes" book.  Now I am sharing it with you.  I'm giving you the book's version of the recipe and I will add notes to explain the few changes I made.

Cocoa-Orange Fish 

Cocoa Rub

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons benne seeds

1/4 teaspoon dried bird's eye chile flakes

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons maple sugar

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds 

Fish

1 pound oranges (about 2 medium)

2 pounds US-raised catfish fillets

5 tablespoons olive oil

That is not two pounds of fish.

To make the rub: In a large bowl, combine all of the rub ingredients and mix well. This seasoning can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container.

To prepare the fish: Slice the oranges into 12 slices and set aside.

Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Carefully rinse the fish and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place the fish on a large sheet pan and liberally sprinkle both sides with the rub.  Drizzle with the oil, then place the orange slices on top of the catfish fillets.

Place the sheet pan on the top rack and roast until the catfish is moist and gently flakes, about 8 minutes. (If using a thicker variety of fish such as salmon, the cooking time will be about 12 minutes.)

The recipe also notes that you can replace the benne seeds with sesame seeds, the maple sugar with light brown sugar, and any variety of hot chile flakes will do.  Instead of catfish, try salmon or snapper.

My Notes

I use salmon because that is what I have on hand and that is what we like.  While I enjoy catfish at times, my primary guest taster is not really a fan of it.

I use sesame seeds and light brown sugar, as suggested.  I have some red chile flakes of an unknown chile variety that works well for us.  And my salt isn't always kosher, so I use 2 teaspoons of regular salt.  This keeps it from being too salty for my tastes.

I change up the preparation of the fish a little bit.  First, I squeeze some of the oranges so that their juice goes right into the salmon fillet. Then I drizzle on the oil, then I sprinkle the rub onto the fillets - liberally! -  then place the orange slices on top and let the fish sit for a little while.  This appears to let the rub hydrate.  I only put the rub on one side since the other side is skin.

Twelve minutes cooking time is just about right unless my salmon fillets are thinner than usual.

Squeeze some juice onto the meat.

Drizzle on that oil.

Okay, maybe not THAT liberally! Spread it around a bit.

Pretty!

The Verdict

Yes!  It's good!  The cocoa-orange-caraway seed flavors blend so nicely together and complement the salmon.  I don't often taste the sesame seeds, but I like having them there. My guest taster appreciates the very light heat of the chile flakes without having to worry about his mouth burning.  

I really like the extra step of adding the orange juice to the fillets.  It just bumps the orange flavor up in a way that enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder.  And I love caraway seed, so I knew that would be a bonus flavor for me.

Eating the roasted oranges is a treat, too.  I eat the rind and the fruit as bites together with the salmon.

That fish is moist.  Lovely.

Success!  

I have served it with a rice side dish, the flavors depending on what I have on hand and what my taste buds are craving.  If you include a tossed green salad, you have a lovely meal. This time I also included a peach half that I sprinkled with some of the rub and baked.

Caution:  It is possible to be too liberal with the rub on the fish.  When it is very thick, you end up not being able to taste the fish, just the rub.  You can see in the picture that shows the rub on the fish (before the orange peels picture) that there are some spots where the rub is very thick. Don't do that!  I should have spread the rub around more.  I had made enough rub for two pounds of fish but had a lot less.  Don't go crazy like I did...