The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (6 page)

 

Put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Serve immediately.

 

Makes 2 servings

Conch Fritters
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Caribbean Coconut Chicken Bites
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Vegetable Fritters
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Fire Coral Hot Sauce
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Mussels with Creamed Dill Sauce
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Papaya and Tamarind–Glazed Baby Ribs
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Flying Fish with Lime and Caper Aïoli
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Plantains with Caviar
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Lobster Cornucopia with Banana Chutney
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Stamp and Go
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Curried Vegetable and Cashew-nut Patties
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Curried Lobster Patties
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Prosciutto and Mango with Pepper–Mango Coulis
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Oysters Caribe
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Allison's Marinated Conch
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Crab Cakes with Shrimp Sauce
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Garden Vegetable Strudel
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Sweetbreads Sofrito in Puff Pastry
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Escargots Calypso
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Spinach Crepes with Sunset Cream and Caribbean Black Beans
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Caribbean Spicy Sausage with Creole Sauce
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Smoked Scallops with Salsa and Dijon Cream
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Rum-Glazed Chicken Wings
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Smoked Salmon–Wrapped Salmon Mousseline
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Green Herb Sauce
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Conch Ceviche
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Caribbean Guacamole
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Tannia Chips
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Plantain Chips
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Stone Crab Claws with Key Lime Mayonnaise
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Deep-sea Avocado and Shrimp Spread
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Bambooshay Nuts
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Every cook in the islands has a recipe for this island snack. Now one of the most popular of our gifts from the sea, conch was also much appreciated by Columbus and his crew. In the journal of his second voyage on the Niña, in 1494, Columbus records seeing conches "as large as a calf's head" on the ocean floor off the south coast of Cuba.

In its natural state conch can be tough and chewy. Some conch is sold already tenderized, but if yours isn't you can beat it into submission by placing it between two pieces of waxed paper on a flat surface and pounding it with a mallet, the flat side of a cleaver, or a rolling pin.

For these fritters, mince the conch and carrots in the food processor, run them through a meat grinder, or mince them by hand.

 

In a bowl, combine the conch, carrots, onions, garlic, and butter. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Begin heating the oil. When the oil has reached 375°, stir the flour mixture into the conch mixture. Season with the basil, ginger, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce, and stir in just enough milk to give the batter a good consistency.

Drop the batter by the heaping tablespoonful into the hot oil, and cook the fritters until they are golden brown on all sides. Serve them with your favorite hot sauce.

 

Makes 6 servings

These tropical tidbits are blissfully simple to prepare. You can make them early in the day, then later reheat them or serve them at room temperature.

You can use unsweetened coconut cream instead of the sweetened kind, but we like the contrast of the nippy mustard and sweet cream of coconut.

 

Spread each piece of chicken with Dijon mustard. Dip the pieces into the cream of coconut and then into the seasoned bread crumbs. Place the chicken pieces on buttered baking sheets, and drizzle the chicken with melted butter. Preheat the oven to 400°.

Bake the chicken pieces for 10 to 12 minutes, turning them once. Serve them hot or at room temperature.

You can use whatever vegetables you like for these tasty fritters. In the Caribbean we might use pumpkin, sweet banana peppers, sweet potato, or okra.

 

Combine the flour, dry mustard, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, Dijon mustard, and beer. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, and whisk until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours.

Stir the chopped basil (or basil and parsley) into the batter. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Fold the whites into the batter. Heat the oil to 375°.

Dip your choice of vegetables into the batter, allowing the excess to run off. Fry the vegetables, a few at a time, until they are golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the vegetables on paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt, and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the remainder.

Serve the fritters with Fire Coral Hot Sauce (recipe follows) for dipping.

 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Fire coral is the seductive scourge of divers and snorkelers near tropical reefs. A scrape from fire coral stings like crazy, but a little lime juice cools the pain. The peppers in this sauce have a sting of their own, so use care (and rubber gloves).

 

Combine the tomato purée, lime juice, onions, celery, hot peppers, and salt and pepper in a bowl, and stir until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Stir in the minced olives. Serve the sauce immediately, or store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 5 to 7 days.

 

Makes about 4¾ cups

We often make this dish with local whelks, but the simple but sumptuous sauce is equally good with mussels.

 

In a saucepan, simmer the cream until it is thickened. Season it with dill, salt, and white pepper. Preheat the oven to 300°.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet, and arrange the mussels on top (the salt will hold them in place). Spoon the sauce under and over the mussels in their shells. Bake the mussels for 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve the mussels on leaves, garnished with dill and orange slices.

 

Makes 6 servings

Papaya, garlic, tamarind, and hot chiles combine in this piquant barbecue sauce to showcase a medley of island flavors.

 

Put all of the barbecue sauce ingredients into a large saucepan, and simmer them over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the sauce cool.

Remove and discard the hot pepper (unless you are not afraid of internal combustion). Purée the sauce in a food processor or blender.

When you are ready to cook the ribs, preheat the oven to 300°, and line a baking sheet with foil (the dishwasher will be very grateful). Arrange the ribs in a single layer, and spoon some of the barbecue sauce on each rib. Bake the ribs for 30 minutes.

Turn the ribs over, and spoon theremainder of the sauce on the other side of the meat. Continue baking for another 30 minutes.

Serve the ribs at once.

 

Makes 10 to 12 servings