On the way home from Grand Etang, we stopped at the downtown fish market and bought produce from the street vendors. Our countertop back home that evening held thirteen types of fruits and vegetables, some of which I knew how to eat.
I’d purchased a bunch of green plantain-looking fruit. The seller assured me they were not plantains, but bluggo—a starchier banana relative used in soups or stews. When I asked if I could fry them, she advised me to slice them thin and eat like chips. They were indeed not quite plantains. The thick peels were hard to remove and left a residue on my fingers reminiscent of how astringent persimmons feel on my teeth. I sliced them thinly so the hot oil could do its work.
Meanwhile, Andrew addressed the fish. We used our Caribbean coastal fishes field guide to identify the largest blue beauty as a puddingwife (Haliochoeres radiatus), which we had hoped to see sometime while snorkeling or to reel in while fishing. The red fish with tiny blue spots was a coney (Cephalopholis fulva), a species Sam briefly caught while fishing last week. The other two were red hinds (Epinephelus guttatus). Our guidebook noted that both coney and red hind are hermaphroditic, just for our information.
Lucky for me, Andrew was glad to make sure the food had no eyes by the time it arrived on our plates. He dusted the filets with Fish-Fri we had brought from home for just such an occasion, then pan-fried them to perfection. They were all mild in flavor, and the puddingwife was slightly sweet, just as the fish market lady had promised. Sam had them in a bun. Stella had her bun with melted cheese.
The fried bluggo chips tasted like nothing, so we made a dip for them using Green Seasoning sauce. It’s a mild, thyme-based puree, useful as marinade or as a condiment for just about anything. We’ve also been putting the local scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce on just about everything. We boiled some potatoes to have with hot sauce and ketchup and chopped a cabbage salad.
For tonight’s supper, I have decided to use the rest of the bluggo in a stew, as recommended. I’m learning.
