bajan fantastically finger-lickin’ fried fish: weekend in barbados

Welcome to Barbados Part 2: The Fishening.

thanks, barbados.org!

Today’s special guest is one I’m particularly excited about, mostly because of its extreme level of deliciousness. Please welcome to the show… Bajan fried fish!

*wild applause*

Ok, but seriously, folks: this is a great, simple recipe. It’s based on traditional recipes for weekend cooking, using flying fish, which YES, is a real thing, and the national fish of Barbados, but also one that’s not in the greatest shape environmentally-speaking. So, we turned to our trusty friend, mahi mahi, for an assist. This is usually served with coo coo. I would leave out the coo coo. [shudder. to be featured in Barbados Part 3: Goop Riddance.]

 the stuff

12 pieces of mahi mahi, deboned and clean and stuff
juice of 2 limes, all squeezed out
2 tbsp of salt
3 tbsp (or more) Bajan season (check us out here for a recipe)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour & 1 cup bread crumbs, mixed together
oil, for frying (fry me up! unnecessary aside!)

the moves

1. Soak the fish, just barely covered in water, with the lime juice & salt, for like 5 minutes. Remove & pat the fish all dry like a baby bottom (ew?).
2. Season liberally with the Bajan blend—make sure you rub it all over, getting into any crevices and such.
3. Dip each piece into the beaten eggs, dredge lightly in the flour & breadcrumb blend.
4. Heat your oil in a fry-suitable pan, and fry the fish for about 3-4 min each side. You want goldeny brown deliciousness and mouthwatering aroma.

mmm, frying “flying” fish!

PRO TIP: Don’t splatter yourself with hot oil. Just… don’t.

Serve with coo coo [shudder again], I guess. If you insist. But truly—this is some yummy, simple, delicious fried fish, so that’s pretty awesome.

thanks, naturalhistoryonthenet.com!

sorry, we barbados up in here. you’ll have to leave your bados outside, please.

Rihanna would have laughed at my joke.

thanks, wikipedia.com!

Interesting thing (well, to me) about Barbados (and unrelated to Rihanna): apparently, when the Portuguese cruised through in the 16^th century, after the Spanish had already “discovered” it and been like, “yo, we got this!”, they didn’t try to snatch it from Spain or anything. They just… left a bunch of pigs.

“Oh, no, no thanks—we don’t want to actually STAY here. We just needed a place to store our pigs ‘til we’re good and ready to eat ‘em.”

So it goes. Nowadays, the island still has pigs. And fish. And Rihanna. Two out of three of those are often there and eaten, and almost always after being seasoned with a Bajan spice blend that is seriously UH-mazing. Since it’s just a staple in Bajan cuisine, we’re gonna start with that before we move on to Part 2: The Fishening.

the stuff

This recipe makes a lot. Which is cool, because it’s supposed to stay for months in the fridge if store properly! And it’s delicious! On everything! Like EGGS! Or FISH! Or whatever!

1 lb onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
handful of green onion, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 habaneros, stems & seeds removed
A fair amount—like 2-3oz—of each:
*fresh thyme leaves
*fresh basil leaves
*fresh parsley leaves
*fresh marjoram leaves
1 cup vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground clove
3 tbsp salt

 the moves

note: THIS IS EXCITING. I received a food processor over the holidays, and even though it’s now several months later this is the first time I get to write about using a food processor! For real![this also doesn’t impact anything. at all.]

1. Combine onion, green onion, garlic, & habaneros & process into a pastey-like substance.
2. Add the fresh herbs & vinegar—process away.
3. Combine that bunch of deliciousness with the rest of the ingredients, and VOILA: YOU HAVE LOTS OF YUM.
4. Oh yeah—you’re supposed to let it sit for a couple days in the fridge, covered, before using so it gets extra delicious. Try to wait.

You can keep this stuff hanging in the fridge for a few months and it should stay yummy. And potent. Yumpotent? WHATEVER.

#1 recommendation, of course, would be to check out Barbados Part 2: The Fishening for a super tasty use.

thanks, naturalhistoryonthenet.com!