There is one dish that, more than any other, tells the story of Guadeloupe in a single bite: fish court-bouillon. Not the clear cooking broth that mainland French cooks know, but a fish stew simmered in a tomato-rich, lemony and well-seasoned sauce, where the fish almost melts into the rice. At Hostel Toucan, several of our hosts prepare it for travellers on the evening they arrive. One of them, Maryse, who runs a traditional case in Sainte-Rose on the north coast of Basse-Terre, gave us her version. Here it is, faithful to her every gesture, market trip included.
What exactly is Creole court-bouillon?
In Guadeloupe, a butterfly-shaped French archipelago in the Caribbean (around 380,000 inhabitants, two wings: limestone Grande-Terre and volcanic Basse-Terre), court-bouillon refers to fish cooked in a short, fragrant and tangy sauce. Nothing to do with a clear broth. The word is misleading, the dish is generous.
Its backbone rests on three elements:
- A whole local fish or fish steaks: snapper (« sorf »), mahi-mahi (« dorade créole »), tuna, marlin or balaou depending on the catch.
- A lemon soak with lime, which “cleans” and firms up the flesh.
- A short sauce based on tomato, oignon-pays, garlic, thyme, chilli and roucou for colour.
Maryse sums it up like this: “A good court-bouillon is a fish that was pampered before it even touched the pot.” Everything is decided at the purchase and the marinade.
The market: where and how to buy the fish
The soul of this recipe is the fresh fish of the day. On the coast, you buy it directly at the fishermen’s landing point.
The best spots by town
- Sainte-Rose and Deshaies (leeward coast): fishermen’s stalls in late morning, snapper and mahi-mahi around 12 to 16 € per kilo.
- Pointe-à-Pitre, the covered market and the Carénage market: the widest choice, atmosphere and bargaining.
- Sainte-Anne and Le Moule (Grande-Terre): small morning markets, trap-caught and line-caught fish.
A few freshness cues Maryse gives us: a bulging, shiny eye, bright red gills, firm flesh that springs back under the finger, and a smell of iodine, never of ammonia. For 4 people, count on 1 kg to 1.2 kg of cleaned fish.
Local tip: ask the fisherman to scale and gut on the spot, and to cut into 3 cm steaks. You save twenty minutes in the kitchen and you leave with a fish head, ideal for enriching the sauce.
Maryse’s Creole court-bouillon recipe
For 4 people — preparation 25 min, marinade 30 min, cooking 30 min.
The market ingredients
- 1.2 kg fish steaks (snapper or mahi-mahi)
- 3 limes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 onions + 1 bunch of oignon-pays (chives)
- 4 ripe tomatoes (or 1 tin of crushed tomatoes if needed)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 sprig of thym-pays, 2 bois d’Inde (bay rum) leaves
- 1 seasoning pepper (for aroma) + ½ Caribbean chilli for the brave
- 1 tablespoon roucou oil (or roucou seeds)
- 1 glass of dry white wine, salt, pepper
Step 1 — The “lavé” (washing the fish)
Squeeze 2 limes into a large bowl of water, add a pinch of coarse salt. Rub the steaks, rinse, drain. This essential gesture removes the mucus and firms up the flesh.
Step 2 — The “tranpé” (the marinade)
Prepare a crushed seasoning paste: garlic, a little oignon-pays, salt, pepper, the juice of the 3rd lime and a touch of chilli. Massage the steaks, slip a little of this paste into the slits, cover and leave 30 minutes in the cool. This is where the fish takes on its character.
Step 3 — The “roussi” (the sauce base)
Heat the roucou oil in a pot. Sweat the onions, garlic and oignon-pays for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, paste, thyme, bois d’Inde and the whole seasoning pepper (unpierced, for aroma without the heat). Let it cook down for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 4 — The simmer
Deglaze with the white wine, moisten with a large glass of water (or the water from the fish head). Salt. Gently lay the steaks in a single layer, lower the heat. Cover and let it gently simmer for 12 to 15 minutes without stirring too much: you shake the pot rather than stir, so as not to break the fish. The sauce should stay short and coating.
Step 5 — The finishing touch
Turn off the heat. Add a splash of lime, a little raw chopped oignon-pays, adjust the salt. Let it rest 5 minutes covered. The dish will only be better for it.
