MONICA (FISH AND PLANTAIN) SKEWERS WITH A SPICY PEPPER SAUCE

3 days to Christmas guys, are you excited? I really am but I am even more excited about this recipe. It is an appetiser version of one of my favourite Nigerian meals ‘Monica’. For those that don’t know it is whole grilled tilapia fish served on a bed of dodo (fried plantain) with a very spicy scotch bonnet sauce.

I think I might actually like this version more than the actual Monica as it is easier to eat because you don’t  need to worry about bones and you don’t have to get your hands dirty (believe me to really enjoy Monica you need to eat with your hands) making it great for Christmas or any party.

I have done in two parts, first the skewers and then the pepper sauce. The pepper sauce is spicy but not as spicy as the one you would get with Monica as I wanted to brush it on the fish and plantain and not have people heads blowing off but if you love VERY spicy food just add more scotch bonnets and in the same vein if spice isn't your thing leave out the scotch bonnets.

The sauce is just like ata din din (fried pepper sauce) and if you have some left over you can stir it into some fried chicken or meat or use it as the sauce for dodo gizzard or just simply enjoy with rice.

MONICA (FISH AND PLANTAIN) SKEWERS WITH A SPICY PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients

Approx 300g of white fish fillets (e.g tilapia, catfish, haddock etc)

4 tbsp of olive oil

1 knorr cube

1 tsp aromat

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion granules

¼ tsp curry powder

½  tsp cayenne pepper

2 ripe medium plantains

1 tsp salt

12 wooden skewers

2 tbsp of melted  butter

Directions

Cut your fish into about 1.5 inch chunks, drizzle on 2 tbsp of olive oil and add in the knorr cube, garlic powder, aromat, onion granules, curry powder and cayenne pepper; mix to properly coat the fish pieces. Cover and place in the fridge to marinade for 30 minutes.

Next, soak your wooden skewers in water for at least 15 minutes to prevent them from burning in the oven.

About 5 minutes before you take out your fish preheat your oven to 200C. Peel your plantain and slice into about half inch slices, drizzle one 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt and mix to coat.

Assemble your skewers by threading alternate pieces of plantain and fish putting two pieces of each on every skewer. If you have some smaller pieces of fish, you can thread a few pieces together to make it more substantial. 

 

Line an oven tray with foil, brush with half a tbsp of olive oil and place on the skewers. 

Bake skewers for 18 - 20 minutes turning at least once. Brush on some melted butter and place under a medium hot grill for 2 minutes on each side to brown them. Once they are out of the oven spoon some pepper sauce over each skewer (recipe below). Serve with extra pepper sauce.

SPICY PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients

1 scotch bonnet pepper

½ red bell pepper

½ tin of plum tomatoes or 2 fresh ones

3 cloves of garlic

½ medium sized onion

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 knorr cubes

1 tsp aromat

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Put the peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion into a blender or food processor and blend until everything is almost smooth but still has a bit of texture (very articulate instruction right?).

    

Pour the vegetable oil in a small saucepan and add in the pepper mixture and the seasoning and put a lid on it (I like to add in my pepper mixture and put the lead on before the oil gets hot to avoid the fumes when the scotch bonnet hits the hot oil).

Cook over a medium high heat for about 12 - 15 minutes or until the oil rises to the top  stirring occasionally to prevent burning (If it is getting too dry add water a little bit at a time as you don’t want the mixture to be watery)

Skim some of the excess oil off the top of the sauce, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.