Crab Matoutou 10 crabs 60 ml vegetable oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 125 ml finely chopped shallots 2 onions, minced 500 ml long-grain rice 2 tomatoes 30 ml chopped chives 2 ½ ml hot chilli, finely chopped 1 bay leaf 30 ml minced parsley Juice of 5 limes 5 cinnamon cloves Salt and pepper to taste
Method: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the garlic until golden. Drain and set aside. Sauté the shallots in the oil for a few minutes until transparent but not coloured. Add the rice and sauté the raw grains for two minutes. Add water, chives, chilli, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to minimum. Cover the pot and cook for fifteen minutes. Add the crabs with the parsley and lime juice. Cover and cook over low heat for five minutes, or until water is completely absorbed and the crab heated through. Fluff rice.
Fried Flying Fish 10 flying fish steaks 2 limes 2 tbs salt 1 ½ cups water 3 tbs seasoning 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs 1 cup flour 3 eggs Canola oil Method: Combine the raw fish, juice of the limes and their skins, salt, and
water in a bowl. Allow to sit for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse the fish and cover in the seasoning. Place the flour in one plate, the breadcrumbs in another, and the eggs (beaten with salt and pepper) in a bowl. Pour the canola oil into a frying pan to just cover the bottom (a 1⁄8- to ¼-inch layer) and heat. Dip the fish in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and finally in the oil to fry.
Jamaican Spiced Bun Makes one loaf (serves eight)
Crab-catching starts five weeks before Easter, so that the star of the show is properly prepped
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2 oz margarine 1 bottle stout ½ cup wine 1 tsp vanilla ½ tbs browning 1 tbs guava jam 1 medium egg 8 oz dark sugar 1 lb flour 1 tsp nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tsp cinnamon powder 1 tbs baking powder 1 tbs mixed spice ¼ lb mixed peel, chopped ¼ lb raisins, soaked
Method: Melt margarine then leave to cool. Add stout, wine, vanilla, browning, guava jam, and beaten egg. Stir in the sugar and mix until all the granules are dissolved. Mix together all the dry ingredients then add the chopped mixed peel and raisins. Combine liquid mixture with dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape the batter into a greased loaf pan, 12 x 4 x 3 inches. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack. To glaze: combine two tablespoons honey with two tablespoons water and bring to a boil; remove from flame and use a pastry brush to apply it over the surface of the bun. Serve with slices of cheese.