CREATIVE CUISINE: Prepare to be Seduced

By Shavaughn Moss

Photographs Courtesy Of Shavaughn Moss

One of the best parts of exploring any destination is the food experience. Overall, island cuisine is culinary tradition worth discovering, particularly distinctive cultural fare. Set aside your preconceived notions about dining in the Out Islands. Prepare for your senses to be seduced by the imaginative and creative. Unique gastronomic creations, abound.

While New Providence (Nassau) and Paradise Island are as cosmopolitan as they come, and you can find almost any cuisine that suits your fancy, when you venture out into the Out Islands, which natives also refer to as the Family Islands (because we are one family, after all), be prepared to find culinary experiences worth exploring.

So, while you shirk off big city hustle for island time with thoughts of chill, laid back and slow uppermost in your thoughts, suffice it to say there is nothing laid back about the cuisine to be had in the Family Islands. Think imaginative reinterpretations, elements of fusion, and the best The Bahamas has to offer—and that is the culinary experience that you can find in the Family Islands.

I took a turn through five of The Bahamas’ inhabited 16 island—Exuma, Bimini, Eleuthera and Harbour Island and Abaco—with a view of discovering what talented chefs are serving around the islands. I wanted my dining experiences to deliver more than just a meal … but memories.

In the Exumas, known for its stunningly brilliant sapphire-blue waters, as well as the home of those world-famous swimming pigs, I discovered Grand Isle Resort & Residences offering exquisite dining and where every meal is a feast with fresh seafood, local ingredients, fragrant herbs, and rich island spices, elevating their Bahamian-fusion cuisine. The culinary team prides itself on guests experiencing the elevated flavours of the Caribbean, putting your senses on overload with the savoury flavours of Bahamian cuisine prepared with local ingredients.

Pulling up to a table at Palapa Restaurant for lunch, I discovered Bang Bang Shrimp, which has quickly risen in popularity throughout the world, with its distinct

BIMINI:TheCaribbeanPlantain

BIMINI: Five-Spice crusted Snapper sweet and spicy flavour, intermingling on the menu with everything from Cajun to Argentinian flavours with Bahamian fusion. While at The Grill House, inventive items like Bloody Mary Toasts are featured alongside Rock Shrimp Mac & Cheese. Hopping over to Bimini, the island known as Hemingway’s favourite retreat, located just 50 miles off Florida’s coast, expect to savour an array of tantalizing flavours at Resorts World Bimini’s restaurants, bars, and cafés. Their four diverse venues cater to all tastes, offering a selection of dishes from around the world.

At Hemingway’s Gourmet Burger & Wings Sports Bar, I opted for the super simplistic Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Bimini Bread, (if you’ve never had grilled cheese sandwich done right, you’re missing out), to which I added lobster for that decadent uptake on a classic homey staple.

I also took a turn at the sushi bar to check out the offerings and came across a surprising sushi roll combination—the Caribbean Plantain—deep fried plantain, crabstick, cream cheese, spicy mayo and eel sauce. Huh! Who would have thought!

I never in my wildest dream would have anticipated finding plantain in a sushi roll, but it added a sweetness that changed the flavour profile and texture of any sushi roll I have ever had. That was ingenious to say the least.

At The Tides, the Five-Spice-crusted Snapper with fava beans, new potatoes, tarragon and mushroom broth is a sensory overload. I loved the look, flavour, and textures of this dish—delicate, yet sweet and smooth fish meat in a flavourful and light broth with just the right hint of texture from the starches is one of those dishes that must be had.

While Eleuthera and Harbour Island are famed for many natural wonders, including their pink sand beaches, there are also delightful meals to be had.

At Harbour Pointe at Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina, the dining is described as island fresh and Bahamian-inspired. While many people may think a fish taco is just a fish taco, I found Harbour Pointe’s fish tacos with guacamole, salsa and coleslaw, which are offered fried or grilled, as items not to be missed. These tacos had it all—crispy and creamy, and most important—flavourful.

ELEUTHERA: Seafood Pepper Pot

ELEUTHERA: Harbour Pointe’s Fish Tacos

ABACO: Corn-fried tomato and grilled lobster tail

ABACO: Herb-infused waffle and lobster tail

Tacos are humble offerings, but, when done right, like these, they are bliss-inducing. You will probably return again and again just for these tacos. (Actually, let me book my next flight, right now, just so I can have some.)

And if you happen to hit the high seas on a fishing trip while there, take your catch to the restaurant and they will cook it for you.

Traveling north on Eleuthera, I hopped a ferry over to Harbour Island—which lies just northwest of Eleuthera—to check out The Dunmore, where casual fine dining meets retro coastal chic at their 60s-era dining room The Clubhouse. With a dinner menu that is as varied as it could possibly be, the Seafood Pepper Pot, they say, is a must-have, and is considered an unofficial signature item. A flavourful stewed meat dish, The Dunmore’s pepper pot showcased lobster, local catch, shrimp, bok choy, Jasmine rice, and coconut red curry.

Continuing my jaunt through the islands, it was off to the Abacos, a 120-mile chain of islands—known as the Boating Capital of The Bahamas—to The Sandpiper Inn & Cottages at Schooner Bay where simple, local, fresh, well-seasoned, and perfectly prepared is the cuisine you will find.

To their credit, this dining outpost in South Abaco takes advantage of the fact that they have the benefit of fresh seafood nearly year-round, complemented by lovely and organic local produce. They, too, feature a pepper pot on the menu with lobster, shrimp, hogfish and herb sausage in a mild-spiced tomato cream and coconut broth with steamed Jasmine rice. And a seafood gumbo unlike any gumbo you’ve ever had with shrimp, lobster, conch, Bahamian crab, sausage, corn on the cob and potato in a mild-spiced seafood and tomato broth.

A hogfish chowder enhanced with wonderful nutty, spicy, dry sherry and whipped cream and corn-fried tomato is paired with sweet grilled lobster tail; hogfish, a mild meat that has flavour reminiscent of scallops; and lobster that shows up in a potato and pepper hash; as well as on their egg benedict—for even more decadent offerings.

ABACO: Pepper Pot with lobster, shrimp, hogfish and herb sausage

The Bistro at the Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina is a chic, modern space with a menu to match the ambiance and cuisine referred to as modern world fusion and where, surprisingly, I had the best spicy tuna and crispy rice—bar none—with lump fish caviar, jalapeño, and a sweet soy glaze.

It’s also here where a bit of southern American indulgence makes an appearance hanging out with Caribbean spices in their fantastic jerk shrimp and grits with pork belly, stone ground grits, charred Brussels, and au jus. The mac & cheese with creamy bechamel made with assorted cheese is a creamy dream. The guava crumble cheesecake is one of those mind-blowing desserts and the stuff happy endings are made of. It’s dishes like these that memories are made of.

Dinner at the Green Turtle Club Resort & Marina is another one of those culinary experiences not to be missed with a menu that offers something for everyone, encompassing casual dining and creative cuisine for a more elevated gourmet experience.

The Black and White Tuna—sesame-crusted, sushi grade tuna—is served rare with Jasmine rice tri-colour pepper sauté and wakame seaweed with a wasabi aioli. I’ve still got thoughts of this dish on my mind. Mild, slightly sweet tuna, with a “meaty”, firm, buttery texture, is encrusted with black and white sesame seeds to add texture, nuttiness, and Asian flair. They also pair amazingly tender cracked (battered and fried) lobster bites with a sweet and spicy Asian chili sauce that is another one of those dishes that you will eat time and again during your visit.

Then, there’s the exclusive Kamalame Cay, a barrier island off the coast of Andros Island, accessible only by flights into Andros, or helicopters and seaplanes direct to the cay, where they are known for their signature blend of laid-back, chic and fine dining, and imaginative, ever-changing menus of seasonal, Asian-accented Bahamian and gourmet cuisine. This private island resort and residence’s culinary program is centred on fresh regional ingredients and epicurean flair.

ABACO:Guavacrumblecheesecake

ABACO: The Black and White Tuna

Menus change daily and feature local seafood and fowl, top-tier imported game, and farm-fresh produce. Homemade pastries and breads are baked on site. Kamalame serves only mature, in-season seafood.

I was privileged to pull up a seat for lunch at The Grove, where the classic flavours of the far east were given a modern spin and the menus at the al fresco, palm grove restaurant focused on the classic flavours of the Orient and served family-style on shared platters.

People from around the world travel to The Bahamas to experience what locals like me take for granted—temperate weather, white (and pink) powder-soft sand beaches, and beautiful turquoise waters. As a native of the capital, New Providence (Nassau), I have been branching out experiencing the wonders of my Family Islands—because inasmuch as we are all one people, we also are uniquely different across the islands.

And I have found that I can explore every nook and cranny of these islands and find culinary satisfaction and indulge in upscale dining. UA

KAMALAME: Pumpkin bisque

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Exuma

1. Bang Bang shrimp with spice red chili aioli at Palapa Restaurant at Grand Isle Resort & Residences.

Bimini

2. Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Bimini Bread with lobster and a side salad at Hemingway’s Gourmet Burger & Sports Bar at Resorts World Bimini

3. The Caribbean Plantain—deep fried plantain, crabstick, cream cheese, spicy mayo and eel sauce—at the sushi bar at Resorts World Bimini.

4. Five-Spice-crusted Snapper with Fava Beans, New Potatoes, Tarragon and Mushroom Broth at The Tides at Resorts World Bimini.

Eleuthera

5. Seafood Pepper Pot at The Dunmore on Harbour Island.

6. Harbour Pointe’s Fish Tacos with Guacamole and Salsa and Coleslaw at Cape Eleuthera Resort.

Abaco

7. Corn-fried tomato and grilled lobster tail at The Sandpiper Inn at Schooner Bay, Abaco, served with roasted garlic and tomato dressing and cherry tomatoes.

8. Herb-infused waffle and lobster tail with lobster tail and coconut-infused white balsamic dressing at The Sandpiper Inn at Schooner Bay, Abaco.

9. Pepper Pot with lobster, shrimp, hogfish and herb sausage in a mild-spiced tomato cream and coconut broth with steamed Jasmine rice at The Sandpiper Inn at Schooner Bay, Abaco.

10. Guava crumble cheesecake at The Bistro at the Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina.

11. The Black and White Tuna—sesame crusted, sushi grade tuna served rare with Jasmine rice tri-colour pepper saute and wakame seaweed with a wasabi aioli sauce at the Green Turtle Club Resort & Marina.

Kamalame Cay

12. Pumpkin bisque.