Today we share not only Hilton Kingston’s executive chef Vijay Tihura’s recipe for ackee-stuffed sea bass with J Moreau & Fils Chablis Beurre Blanc, winner of the J Moreau & Fils Fish Dish Award, but those of the other three Jamaican chefs who made the competition a fiercely contested one.

The event, coordinated by Lascelles’ brand manager for imported wines and spirits, Debra Taylor, proved a perfect platform to showcase Jamaican cuisine and will hopefully cajole us into consuming more wines.

Last Monday, the team at Moreau, represented by Pascale Bres, managing director of J Moreau & Fils, awarded Jamaica its own competition in only its fifth year of existence. Other finals will take place in the UK, Mexico, Curaçao and the ‘combined territory’ of Trinidad, St Lucia and Barbados.

Bres pointed out that the “objective of the competition is to encourage more involved and formal consultations between chefs and sommeliers (or the persons responsible for wines) in pairing wines with meals”. Since Moreau targets the ‘on trade’ sector, the competition marks a natural strategic plank as it reaches out to restaurateurs and hoteliers.

Given that the bulk of our fine wines consumption is still in this sector, the Fish Dish should become a calendar staple to benefit

all sectors.

Ackee-Stuffed Seabass with

J Moreau & Fils Chablis Beurre Blanc

Ingredients

Marinade

1 clove of garlic

15ml of olive oil

1/2 tsp of chopped cilantro

5ml of lime juice

15ml of Chablis wine

Stuffing

40g of ackee

1 clove of garlic

1tsp of chopped shallots

1tsp of diced green pepper

10ml of Chablis wine, salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

15ml of J Moreau & Fils Chablis Wine

10g of minced shallots

few drops of lime juice

30ml of heavy cream

20g of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp of lime zest

Method

Portion sea bass into 5oz fillet.

Slit 3/4 into centre with a sharp knife

Marinate with salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice and Chablis wine and leave in the refrigerator for two hours.

Sauté cooked ackee with shallots, garlic, green pepper and infuse with Chablis wine – seasoned with salt and pepper. Stuff ackee mixture in sea bass fillet.

Panfry the sea bass in oil until light brown and finish in preheated oven at 325ºF.

Reduce cream by half. Combine shallots, Chablis, lime juice and reduce until nearly dry.

Add the reduced heavy cream to the shallots mixture and continue to reduce slightly.

Gradually whisk in the clarified butter and season with salt and pepper.

Pool the sauce on a hot plate. Put sea bass on the sauce and serve.

Poached Tilapia with Oyster

presented by Richard Pinnock

of the Jamaica Pegasus

Ingredients

5-6 ounces fillet of tilapia

2 cups of court bouillon

1 cup of fish stock

1 cup of J Moreau & Fils white wine

4oz of sliced onions

1oz of sliced celery

1 tsp of mixed peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 parsley stems

1 stem of thyme

White pepper and salt

Method

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan including 3/4 cup of

J Moreau & Fils white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add white pepper and salt, pour court bouillon over fish, then simmer. Place in hot oven and cook for five minutes. Drain liquid into a saucepan.

Sauce preparation

Reduce the poaching liquid over

high heat to one-third its volume. Add 1/4 cup of J Moreau & Fils white wine, heavy cream, garnish with mixed peppercorns, parsley, saffron and lemon.

Oysters

30 oysters

1/4 cup of J Moreau & Fils white wine

4 tbsp of olive oil

2oz of butter

1 medium onion (chopped)

4 cloves of garlic (chopped)

Method

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan, add garlic and onions, sauté lightly while adding the remaining 1/4 cup of

J Moreau & Fils for a few minutes.

Add oysters and sauté. Reduce heat then remove oysters from the pan. Plate and garnish. Serves 5.

Smoked Marlin with Roasted Golden Beets & Artichokes

presented by Gary Ferguson

of the Rib Kage

Menu description:

An artichoke base layered with smoked marlin, roasted peppers, herbed goat cheese and roasted golden beets with fresh lime dressing. This dish can be scaled up or down to be served as a starter or a main course.

Special tools needed: a ring mould.

Serves one

Ingredients

4oz thinly sliced smoked marlin

1/4 cup of marinated artichokes (chopped)

2 pcs of roasted whole red peppers

2oz mascarpone/cream cheese

2oz herbed goat cheese

1 golden beetroot (julienne)

2 limes

Method

Set oven to 350ºF. Rub golden beet with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast beet until tender (15-20) minutes.

Whisk mascarpone and goat cheese together and reserve at room temperature or spreadable temperature. Chop artichokes to a medium dice and reserve.

Estimate mould size and cut peppers to fit mould. When beets have cooled slightly, cut them up in medium dice sizes and reserve.

To assemble:

Set ring mould on serving plate. Fill with chopped artichoke, then spoon a thin layer of goat cheese on top, followed by a slice of marlin then slices of red pepper.

Spoon on more goat cheese then top with beets. Repeat layers, finishing with beets on top.

Use a flat-bottomed cup to press ingredients in ring mould slightly to ensure proper structure when unmolded. Garnish with baby lettuce or fresh herb.

Drizzle with fresh lime juice just before serving.

Mixed seafood in a light coconut curry broth

by Darren Lee, executive chef, Strawberry Hill Hotel & Spa

Description: “Jamaicanized Bouillabaisse”

Ingredients

2 shrimps

3 mussels

I oz of squid (rough cut)

1 oz of octopus (cut 1/4 thick)

4 oz of fish cut into 1-inch cubes

5 oz of curry sauce (see recipe below)

3oz of coconut cream

5oz of white Moreau wine

3oz of olive oil

1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

2 slices of hardough bread

Method

Heat olive oil and add the shrimp, garlic, mussels and fish.

Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the squid and octopus.

Sauté for 30 seconds and add the white wine.

Add the curry sauce and coconut cream. Simmer for 3 minutes. Plate up in a bowl and serve with the two slices of hardough bread.

Coconut curry sauce

Ingredients

1 tsp of onion (julienne)

1 tsp of bell pepper (julienne)

1/4 Scotch bonnet pepper cut in strips

1 tsp of curry powder

1 tsp of cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

5oz of coconut milk

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Method

Heat oil and add the garlic, Scotch bonnet, onion, bell peppers and add the curry.

Add coconut milk and a little salt and pepper.

Cook for approximately three minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.