PreviousThe freshest fish is closest to the sea
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE - JULY 2003
The freshest fish is closest to the sea
The fresher the fish, the better the taste.
The fresher the fish, the better the taste. That's why fishermen return to Nassau at various times of the day; some at mid-morning, perhaps with red snappers or yellowtails for the noon meal; others in the afternoon, perhaps with fresh grouper, mahi-mahi or hogfish for dinner.
The result is that seafood lovers in Nassau, Cable Beach and Paradise Island can dine virtually around the clock on scrumptious, caught-that-day fish.
The three most ordered fish in Nassau restaurants are grouper, various species of snapper, including red, yellowtail and lane, and mahi-mahi (known locally as dolphin).
Not included in that list are the two top favourite seafoods; conch - a mollusc that is more of a national addiction than a food - and the white fluffy meat from the tail of a crawfish, or Bahamian lobster.
In the finny world, however, grouper probably takes top prize for popularity. It is a firm, meaty, mild tasting fish that is excellent poached, steamed, sautéed or broiled (see recipe). Grouper is the common name for many species of the sea bass family, so named because it ?groups? together during full moons in December and January to spawn. The Nassau grouper has four or five irregular dark stripes on a gray body with black dots around the eyes and a wide tuning-fork pattern on its forehead. They?re ambush predators, lunging out at passing fish and swallowing them whole.
Snapper is often served grilled with a dressing of diced onions and tomatoes or dredged in flour and pan fried so that it has a delicious crispy skin. It?s served all over town, especially in the restaurants up and down Arawak Cay. Your lunch may have been pulled up out of about 60 feet of water earlier that day.
Mahi-mahi is one of the most colourful fish in Bahamian waters, a sport fish of up to 80 pounds with a dark blue back shading to green, gold and yellow along its sides and belly. Males, ?bulls,? have a high flat forehead. Mahi-mahi has a firm, fatty texture that is superb grilled, sautéed. broiled or baked.
Another local favourite is goggle-eye jacks, which are found in schools around docks and piers. While goggle-eyes can grow up to 18 inches, most are only six or eight inches long. They are often scored, seasoned with salt, hot peppers and sour orange juice, dredged in flour and fried in hot oil.
Upscale eateries such as Ristorante Villaggio, at the new Caves Village development on West Bay St, serve Bahamian crawfish in non-traditional ways, such as with veal, spinach crushed potatoes and macadamia nut pesto.
Freshness assured
Some of the city?s top restaurateurs, including Dave McCorquodale of Crocodile?s Waterfront Bar & Grill on East Bay St, buy their fish directly from one or two trusted local fishermen.
But at high-volume seafood restaurants, such as The Poop Deck, or speciality restaurants, such as Seafront Sushi and Ichiban Sushi Steak & Seafood Restaurant, getting fresh fish is a complex business involving not only fishermen but professional buyers, wholesalers in Nassau and big fish brokers in the US.
A broker in Florida, for example, provides milkfish, or ?bangus,? which is rushed in from the Philippines for a tasty dish served at Mabuhay Gardens, a Filipino and Oriental restaurant on East St.
Brain food
Fish is one of the world?s most nutritious foods and dietitians urge us to make a meal of it twice a week.
According to a release issued by the United Nations? Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): ?Fish is a food of excellent nutritional value, providing high quality protein and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals??
The suite of nutrients in a grilled snapper, for example, includes vitamins A and D, phosphorus (for strong bones and teeth), magnesium (muscle and nerve function), selenium (an antioxidant) and iodine (thyroid regulation).
Furthermore, many fish have oils and fat needed for healthy brain function, say the experts. One such is tuna, which is also high in Omega 3 oils, reputedly beneficial in lowering cholesterol, preventing heart attack and promoting good skin tone.
Super fresh sushi
Since sushi is consumed raw, it has to be very fresh says Angel Wong of Ichiban Sushi Steak & Seafood Restaurant on East Bay St, opposite the Harbour Bay shopping plaza. ?Ichiban,? incidentally, translates roughly as ?number one? or ?the best.?
?We get about half our fish from local fishermen, including tuna, grouper, wahoo, dolphin and, of course, conch,? says Wong. The rest is ordered through a specialized broker in the US and flown in on charter aircraft. These orders may include smoked eel, seasoned jellyfish and toro ? the highly prized belly flesh from large tuna.
Running a first-class sushi bar is thus a juggling act that involves estimating demand, buying the best that local fishermen have to offer on any particular day, airlifting fresh fish from a broker, and sometimes buying from a Nassau wholesaler.
None of that wheeler-dealing is obvious when you take a seat at the relaxed sushi bar at Ichiban and tuck into a spider roll (soft-shell crab, asparagus, avocado, scallions and masago) or sushi, a ball of sticky rice topped, perhaps, with raw yellowtail (hamachi), tuna (maguro) or salmon (sake).
What?s running today?
The popular Poop Deck restaurant on East Bay St specializes in seafood and draws hordes of visitors and Bahamian seafood lovers. Fresh fish is brought in daily and exhibited on ice. You can choose the fish of your choice and have it prepared to order. A second restaurant, The Poop Deck at Sandyport, is located on West Bay St.
Donna-Maria Carrer, part owner of The Poop Deck restaurants, says grouper is probably the most popular fish, grilled, fried or broiled, ?but hogfish on the grill, or any fish on the grill ? that?s very popular just now.?
The Poop Deck buys fish from individual fishermen who have superior fish-handling techniques, says Carrer, and from a professional buyer who deals directly with fishermen at landing areas such as Montagu Bay on Eastern Rd. In a pinch, they?ll buy from a wholesaler.
?Sometimes you get mahi-mahi, sometimes wahoo, yellowtail, lane snapper or hogfish? it just depends on what is running,? says Carrer. ?But we have a supply of fresh fish coming in all the time.?
Another high-volume restaurant is Café Johnny Canoe, in the Nassau Beach Hotel on Cable Beach, specializing in Bahamian and American cuisine.
Johnny Canoe often offers steam? or fried snapper for lunch and dinner and serves boil? fish, a traditional dish, for breakfast and one of the healthiest ways to enjoy fresh Bahamian seafood.
For truly fresh fish, cooked Bahamian-style in a down-home atmosphere, a trip to Arawak Cay is in order. Twin Brothers and Seafood Haven are two the of many restaurants on the Cay serving fresh fish and conch, made to order, sometimes before your eyes.
Other restaurants offering notable fresh fish dishes include Travellers? Rest, The Republic, Cappuccino Café, Pink Pearl Café, Buena Vista, Sun and, Green Shutters, Chez Willie, The Shoal and Columbus Tavern.
Mama Mary?s steamed grouper
courtesy The Poop Deck
(serves 4)
21?2 lbs grouper fillet
1 med onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup water
Dash of thyme
2 hot peppers
1 lime
Salt and black pepper
Wash grouper and cut into four servings.
Crush hot peppers and salt together and rub fish portions. Drench in lime juice and let stand for about 30 mins.
In a heavy pan, sauté onion, sweet pepper, celery and tomatoes in oil. Add tomato paste and water. Simmer for about 10 mins. Add thyme, black pepper and salt to taste.
Pan fry grouper to a golden brown. Transfer grouper into the sauce and simmer for about 15 mins.
Boil? fish
courtesy Café Johnny Canoe
(serves 2)
2 8-oz pieces of fish,
1 med onion, diced
2 med potatoes, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 limes, juiced
1 litre water
Finger peppers, salt and pepper
Wash fish and rub it with lime juice, salt and pepper and set aside.
Place onion, potato and celery into boiling water. Add salt and cook until the potatoes are done. Add fish to stock and simmer until done, about 5 min. Do not overcook.
Serve fish and stock in a bowl with a wedge of lemon and hot pepper on the side.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-Mail: Click here
Internet: https://
Disclaimer:
Information in editorial and listings is subject to change at any time.