Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
80
Tips
The High Price of Imported Ingredients
Because many ingredients must be shipped in to the Cayman
Islands, restaurants here are among the most expensive in the
Caribbean. Even so-called moderate restaurants can become
expensive if you order steak or lobster. For the best value, opt
for West Indian fare at local restaurants.
Conch has a chewy consistency, which means that it has to be tender-
ized. It's often ser ved at happy hour in tav erns and bars, as a main
dish, in salads, and as hors d 'oeuvres.
Every cook has a different recipe for making conch chowder, but a
popular version includes tomatoes, potatoes, sw eet peppers, onions,
carrots, salt or pork bacon, bay leaves, thyme, and (of course) salt and
pepper. Conch fritters ar e served with hot sauce and ar e made with
finely minced peppers, onions, and tomato paste, among other ingre-
dients. They are deep-fried in oil.
Cracked conch (or “fried conch,” as the old-timers used to call it)
is prepared like a breaded veal cutlet. Tenderized and dipped in batter,
it is then sautéed. Conch is also served steamed, in Creole sauce, cur-
ried, “scorched,” creamed on toast, and stewed. You'll even see “conch
burgers” listed on menus.
Marinated conch is frequently enjoyed right on the water, courtesy
of the numerous Caymanian sea captains who operate N orth Sound
excursions that include lunch. They will scoop a conch right out of
the sea, r emove it fr om its shell (an ar t unto itself ), slice it up , and
serve it with lime juice and onions—as fr esh as it can possibly be.
THE MAIN EVENT
Red snapper, mahimahi (which is also called
dorado or dolphin), swor dfish, yellowfin tuna, and gr ouper are the
most commonly available fish.
The most elegant item y ou'll see on nearly any menu is the local
spiny lobster. This tropical cousin of the M aine lobster is also called
crayfish or r ock lobster. Only the tail is eaten. You get fr esh lobster
when it is in season, fr om the beginning of A pril until the end of
August. Otherwise it's frozen.
Chicken and pork, the meats that ar e most often pr epared island-
style, ar e fr equently r oasted, grilled, curried, or “jer ked”—that is,
rubbed with spices and slow-smoked for hours over a low fire, prefer-
ably made with pimento wood. Each cook has his or her o wn spice
blend, but jerk spices usually include allspice, hot Scotch bonnet pep-
per, thyme, nutmeg, salt, garlic, onion, and gr een onion. O ther
popular meat dishes that are easily found at restaurants serving island
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