Steam Fish Head

Just like the Jamaican Peanut Punch, Steam fish head has been one of the go to meal for stamina.

Eating whole fish in general is a bit eventful because of the pin bones but fish head has thicker bones that are easier to see.

The fish head has a great flavor but the slime from the okra is what ties the dish together. This can be a one pot meal with the addition of a few more desired vegetables or ground provisions. However, this dish is normally served with white rice, green bananas, breadfruit or any starchy food.

How Do You Make Steam Fish Heads?

Each Jamaican's recipe is different, even within the same family. Some recipes are never written down because we tend to cook with the ingredients we have on hand. The ingredients on hand is what usually determine the nature of the dish. However, once there is fish and okra, there can be on of three options; Jamaican steam fish, Jamaican fish soup or Jamaican roast fish.

Fish Dish Ingredients

Above are the vegetables that were added to the steam fish head recipe. These ingredients are most common for the recipe, although some people tend to add pumpkin and other ground provisions such as yellow yam.

Here are a list if the ingredients used in this steam fish recipe and Amazon links to purchase.

1. Fresh Okra
2. Garlic
3. White Onion
4. Carrot
5. Thyme
6. Scotch Bonnet Pepper
7. Jamaican Cock Soup

How Long Does it Take to Make Steam Fish?

Steaming is one of the easiest and fastest ways to cook fish. The cooking time depends on the size of the fish which may vary because some fish are big and some are small. I would recommend steaming each pound of fish for at least 7 minutes, (or to 145 degrees fahrenheit), with a lid on. This will allow the steam to be trapped in the pot and allow the fish to cook evenly.

When it comes to whole fish, I would recommend steaming for at least 10 minutes.

How Do You Clean a Fish Head?

Just like any other animal, fish have guts. The only difference is that the fish guts are located directly under the head, where the stomach is located. You can surely ask your butcher to clean the insides but they will not always clean it entirely.

In order to properly clean the fish head, you will need a small knife, clean water and a bowl. Using the tip of the small knife, scrape any remaining guts from the fish head and use the clean water to rinse. There may also be some scales on the fish head which can be removed  by scraping the knife along the surface of the fish. 

Here is a video that I made over a year ago, with cleaning whole snapper fish in the kitchen sink.