Normally on Holy Thursday, our Fish Finders head out to local vendors around the city. This year, however, we followed one chef as he found the perfect fish.
And while there are a number of ways to serve and plate this traditional meal we decided to consult with an expert for some of the best tips and tricks when it comes to cooking fish. Jomarie Lanza cooked up this story for us.
What does a traditional Belizean Easter look like? Well often it begins with finding a great deal on Fish for Good Friday. It's a staple in every Belizean household, a strict Christian observance that has become a cultural culinary tradition.
And while finding the right fish at the right price is its own challenge, how you prepare it is entirely up to you. So we sought out a fresh fish expert to tell us what his Easter is looking like in the kitchen.
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"Well it looks good because if you notice this is the area that I come to shop my fish every day, literally like every evening around three or four around here you would find me or near Conch Shell Bay. And fish is one of the items on my menu that I have daily so there you can find a catch anywhere. steamed poached, blackened, grilled of course and then I twisted up with some steamed callaloo chaya so I make it Caribbean style but I know we look forward to this Easter, where you can do it with some cross buns, and I do a little twist to it, so I make some ground food and I'm inviting you guys to come and take a little tour and see how it looks and see how I start my shopping on a daily basis."
We accompanied him on that fish market visit and found out that it's all in the eyes:
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"First thing I look at is the eyes. If you notice the eyes, the eyes have it. Then you know inside it's pretty and red. It smells like a baby. Also, you know this is a fresh catch. It's a nice deep water snapper. And then we also have the sink snapper. It's one of my favorites again and then also here in the icebox you know I'll stand up in front of the icebox, because I am well known out here. I always come and shop every time you know."
The scramble for fish normally begins on Holy Thursday where dozens of Belizeans flock to their nearest pier and fish market in search of a bargain for their money.
Carla Sanchez, Fisherwoman
"This is the spot where the men sell the fish. We Belizean come and eat up something nice for the Easter. Yeah the fish they are here fresh so you done know come out and support your Belizeans because the fisherman they work hard out here. So we have a nice Jack out here for you for anyone who wants to buy it it's Jack for the back makes you come back. The nation station one love enjoy yourself and be safe and take care of your kids."
Reporter:
"How much Fish do you think you will sell this Thursday here?"
Carla Sanchez, Fisherwoman
"Well I think I will sell a 500 pounds or more. It depends on how we Belizean people want to eat the fish, you know so rich!"
A rich meal but our veteran fish finder Chef Ainslie always gets the deals, and once the goods were secured, we followed him to his kitchen where he cooked up a squall, with a handful of options to choose from when it comes to plating and serving your fish.
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"But today we are doing a little twist I don't even know where to start I got an Okro shake here I have Sahou I have green plantain chips here. I have grilled fish there so we are doing a variety of ways. We are starting off with the green plantain chips and the fry fish."
"So this is green banana, green plantain chips. If bread fruit was in season it would be much better but I did a little twist to it. This I will serve it with my favorite right here Fried whole snapper."
Reporter:
"So we are grilling out here Chef"
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"Yes I like to do I love to do outdoor cooking because this is much better. I love to do a lot of healthy foods so you know if you have grilled zucchini we have plantain and fish. So you know this Easter you can do whatever you want with your fish but I love to do healthy foods so I recommend grilling as normal. So this right here is a nice catch of the day here at Naked Chicken. You can get that with ducunu, with your rice and beans and you can get it again with your cross bun if you feel to do your cross bun home again with your happy cow cheese."
Reporter:
"Roughly how much fish do you cook around these times?"
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"I cook at least I'm good for at least a little 30 pounds 30 to 40 pounds and then I also if breadfruit was in season it would be more nicer but I just keep it local you know real local. A lot of people like filet so I do fingers with a nice chipotle dip sauce you know but everything is nice it's Easter so everyone looks forward to that fish. If you don't have fish on your table, then something is wrong."
And if you don't have it in your table, you can bet he will have it on his:
Reporter:
"Naked chicken will be active this weekend?"
Ainsley Castro, Chef
"Definitely yes we will be active. We are going to open on Saturday we are going to open on Monday but we are going to take a pause on Sunday."
The average price for fish this week was at $10 a pound
Email
Print