Dining
Dining
Out of the Blue by Michele Peterson & Susan Campbell You never know what surprise Neptune will offer up each day on this island. But one thing you can be certain of is that Aruba’s talented, creative chefs know just how to prepare it so you’ll think it came straight from the heavens instead of fresh out of the sea!
Aruba’s sustenance existence has always been tightly tethered to the sea, and even today, many local fishermen don’t operate all that differently than they did centuries ago. Many still only use the handline method where there’s nothing between you and the fish but the boat and the line. It’s the purest form of fishing dating back to the ancients. Though there are larger operators using more modern equipment now, this style is still practiced by those who seek a more personal connection between their skills, the fish, and the sea. Last year, one local fisherman caught a whopping 385-pound grouper that way. Mind you, he needed help from two other fishermen nearby to get it into the boat! You’ll see their boats moored along the piers outside of Hadicurari Restaurant, between MooMba and the Marriott’s Surf Club on Palm Beach, and you can buy fresh catch off them as they come in. Nos Clubhuis, above Hadicurari, is also the location of the Aruba Reef Care Foundation, one of the groups tasked with protecting the reefs. They also spearhead the island’s important lionfish eradication program. This invasive species doesn’t belong here, and without natural predators they are eating everything in sight! Thankfully many chefs on Aruba have jumped in to find clever ways to serve up lionfish; it’s light and flaky, and you can help by ordering it whenever you see it on a menu. You’ll see lionfish ceviche, lionfish fritters, and even lionfish sushi
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as just some of the options. Eat ’em to beat ’em is the motto. Look for them on the chalkboard specials as well. Though some of the small operators moor in the Oranjestad marina as well (it’s where the major large deep-sea fishing charters depart from), historically, most of the fishing has revolved around Savaneta along the island’s southwestern coast. You’ll note lots of little shacks dotted around that region on little uninhabited atolls, and that’s where they store their gear. Common catches include wahoo, mahi-mahi, red snapper, kingfish, bonito, barracuda, black tuna, yellowfin tuna, and sometimes grouper. If you want to see the process in action, you can watch them unload their fresh treasures at Zeerovers, in Savaneta, where you can sample them fried up on the spot at their surfside pier restaurant. It’s become a very popular lunch spot for visitors during the week, and on weekends it’s a favorite local haunt. Go native or go fancy
Arubans typically eat their fish simply grilled or fried, topped with a rich red creole sauce and spiced with fiery papaya pepper sauce. The regional specialty called keri keri takes advantage of leftovers; it’s a dish of shredded whitefish, sometimes shark meat, and seasoned with annatto and peppers. And the locally caught rock lobster is definitely a treat. It’s different than Maine lobster as it’s smaller, firmer, and sweeter and holds up better than its larger counterpart on a grill. E
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