In brief
- Grilled sea bream with sauce chien pairs a whole grilled fish with a cold, lemony Caribbean sauce.
- Origin: Martinique and Guadeloupe.
- Key ingredients: sea bream, garlic, lime, spring onions, Caribbean chilli.
- Served at family barbecues and seaside meals.
Origins and cultural history of grilled sea bream with sauce chien
Sauce chien is an essential cold preparation of the Creole cuisines of Martinique and Guadeloupe, served with fish, grilled shellfish and barbecued meats. Its name is said to come from the Chien brand knife, with a black handle, long used in Creole kitchens to finely chop the sauce's herbs: this is the most common explanation, even though it is not documented with certainty.
Sea bream, a common fish on Caribbean market stalls, lends itself well to whole cooking in the oven or on the barbecue, the flesh staying tender under a crisp skin. Served with sauce chien on the side, it makes a simple, quick dish, typical of seaside meals in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
What are the key ingredients of grilled sea bream with sauce chien
The fish is simply marinated, while the sauce brings together herbs and aromatics finely chopped in an oily, lemony base.
- sea bream
- garlic
- lime
- spring onions
- shallot
- Caribbean chilli
- parsley
Nutritional benefits of grilled sea bream with sauce chien
Raw farmed gilthead sea bream provides 130 kcal and 20.9 g of protein per 100 g, with 5.1 g of fat, mostly polyunsaturated. It also provides small amounts of long-chain omega-3, DHA and EPA (Ciqual, Anses). The garlic, lime and herbs in the sauce chien are used in small amounts and provide only traces of nutrients at the scale of a portion.
Frequently asked questions about grilled sea bream with sauce chien
Where does the name sauce chien come from?
The most common explanation attributes it to the Chien brand knife, used to finely chop the sauce's herbs in the Creole kitchens of Martinique and Guadeloupe. This origin is not documented with certainty, but it is the explanation repeated by most cooks and Creole cooking sites.
Can sauce chien be prepared ahead of time?
Yes. Sauce chien keeps for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It even gains in flavour after a few hours of resting, as the aromas infuse.
Where to find the ingredients for grilled sea bream with sauce chien in France?
NKOSI offers the garlic paste, lime juice and chilli paste for the sauce chien, and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
