Brown Stew Fish

Slash the fish twice on each side, season with the salt and pepper and leave for 10 minutes.

Pat dry and dust lightly with the flour.

Heat the oil in a wide pan until it shimmers and fry the fish two at a time, 4-5 minutes a side, until golden and crisp.

Lift them out onto a plate.

Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the oil.

Add the sugar to the hot pan and let it melt and darken, 60-90 seconds, until it is deep mahogany and smells almost burnt.

Add the onion and red pepper straight away, which stops the sugar going further, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, spring onions, thyme and the whole scotch bonnet and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the ketchup, soy sauce and water and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for 5 minutes, until the gravy has thickened a little and tastes savoury rather than raw.

Slide the fish back in, spoon the sauce over, and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Lift out the scotch bonnet, add the lime juice, and serve with the gravy spooned over.