Fish Tea (The CoastWatcher: Caribbean West)
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
16 June 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

Honest, I'm not making this up. Today, my housekeeper Nessy, is going to make "Fish Tea". She will first go to the market in Coxen Hole, on Calle Ocho (8th Street) for some of the ingredients, which are necessary to the perfection of this delicacy.

Before I attempt to temp any of you to prepare this wonderful tradition of the Caribbean, let me once again express my non-preference for the Tipico foods. I am not a tortilla and beans person, so most of the local dishes referred to as "Tipico" which are mainly of Hispanic origin and strongly favor mashed beans and tortillas are not favored by my fussy pallet or delicate stomach.

However, there is another kind of local cookery that I have never really understood, until Nessy who is a black islander, began to make us samplers of some of the ingenious innovations of the original settlers of Roatan and other Caribbean islands. This is my kind of "local" food. I find this type of "Tipico" more imaginative and creative than beans and rice and tortillas.

Fish tea is really a kind of fish chowder, soup, or bisque, as you have probably guessed, and I have enjoyed many versions of this delicious repast by many accomplished cooks, each following their own age old family recipes.

When Nessy was preparing a wonderful fish fry the other night, she asked me what I wanted done with the fish heads. It was then that I remembered that the islanders really consider fish heads a delicacy, though I do not share their enthusiasm for such traditions. I must consider that there just might be something to it. "But Not for Me."

Here is the menu for a fantastic Friday night supper.

*Fish Tea Served with piping hot Homemade Whole Wheat Rolls

Mantiquella Amarillo (yellow butter) --- Queso Blanco (white cheese, the kind without all the salt)

*Bush Cake -- Ice Cold Cerveza (beer) --- Iced Tea
Cappuccino with the bush cake.

Here's how she makes it:

Nessy's Fish Tea.

8 or 10 fish heads, any kind you happen to have handy
or you can substitute
4 medium size whole fish cleaned and scaled (snapper is good)
2 quarts of water
4 cups of coconut milk (extraction process follows)
1 pound of carrots peeled and diced
1 cup chopped celery if available. (Or 1 tsp. whole celery seed)
3 large onions chopped fine
2 large yams, chopped into ½"x ½" cubes
3 medium potatoes cubed same as yams
1 medium size green bell pepper finely chopped
1 can cream style sweet corn. You can also use hominy if preferred
1 can of sweet peas without liquid
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2- ¼ lb. sticks of unsalted butter (1/2 lb.)
a good pinch of sugar
a good pinch of salt
a good pinch of saffron
a good pinch of ground ginger
This dish is very much like a bisque and can be served over toast points if thickened slightly, something on the order of Seafood Newburg. Your favorite flavored croutons or oyster crackers can be used in lieu of toast points.

** To make coconut milk: Shred two whole coconuts into a large bowl, (you do not have to remove the brown rind) add 4 cups water, stir thoroughly. Let stand for two hours, stirring occasionally. Squeeze through a sieve until you have at least four cups of liquid. You can add the natural coconut water that is inside the nut to the coconut milk. You can also use the canned variety of coconut milk that is used for pina colidas but remember that it is much more concentrated and sweeter than the homemade kind. So mix it with water it in a ratio of 1:1

You may add any left over vegetables you have stored in your refrigerator. Greens should be finely chopped if used.

Combine ingredients in a large kettle, simmer on low heat for one hour or until liquid is reduced by one quarter. Flake all cooked fish into broth, and remove skin and bones before serving. Serves many. Make sure to cook a very large quantity because everybody will be back for seconds.

Roatan Bush Cake
(Pudding)

3 large yams, peeled and finely grated
2 cups sugar
1 tbs. ground nutmeg
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
2 cups coconut milk
2 tbs. pure vanilla
2 cups white flower
2 oz. dark rum (optional)

Note: Islanders use a wild root that looks like a large brown skinned carrot which is white inside with traces of lavender color. You cannot get it in the U.S. and I have never been able to find out the English word for it anyway. You will do better with yams or sweet potatoes.

Combine yams and flower, add sugar, then add balance of ingredients into a large bowl. Blend until it looks like a batter. Empty into greased cake pan. Place in medium hot oven 350 degrees for
45 + or - a few minutes. You can drizzle some caramelized sugar over the top of the pudding five minutes before it is finished baking.
Serve hot.

While we were talking about the differing recipes used all over the island, the word bolduzzer came up. I wasn't sure if it was some ingredient I forgot to mention, but Nessy was making a reference to the place where one of her friends lives and who is a fish tea specialista, who's house is right by where they are bolduzzing a new road.

I suppose if you were making a very large batch of fish tea you could mix it up with a bolduzzer.

Remember to address comments and questions to me at: elouis@globalnet.hn

and check out my book site for interesting facts and stories about the Bay Islands: http://www.eroatan.com/cgi-bin/pierre.cgi?books

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more exciting news.

Ciao
Pierre

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.