Extreme Wahoo – Visitors to the British Virgin Islands often expect to eat generous amounts of fresh fish, and my friends and family who visit are no exception. One group of four friends took fish-eating to an extreme—if that’s possible.
After a dinner of wahoo fish tacos their first night in the BVI, friends visiting for eight days asked if they could eat fish every day. “Sure, no problem,” I said, thinking that they’d be ready for something else after a few days. My husband Matt and I had experienced an excellent day of fishing the week before our friends arrived, so my freezer was well stocked with wahoo. However, I still hoped for a weather window that would enable us to take this group out to catch their own fish. The forecast stayed accurate, and the perfect day soon materialized. We fired up the engines on our fishing boat and headed 25 miles offshore from Round Rock in flat, turquoise water and sparkling sunshine.
When we returned to the dock it was with one small wahoo. Anyone walking by as we filleted our lone fish might have assumed it was a bad day on the water. Quite the opposite. We saw flying fish, chased a school of jumping yellowfin tuna and caught (and released) a white marlin and the usual barracuda. Best of all, we witnessed numerous whales over the course of the day. That night we dined on all-you-can-eat sashimi as everyone recounted a spectacular day on the water.
Over the course of the week, my friends enjoyed copious amounts of wahoo: tacos, fried fish, seviche, fish risotto, and even Kraft macaroni and cheese topped with wahoo. (I am slightly embarrassed to admit that when I went to town to run errands, my friends found “Mac & Cheese” in my stash of hurricane food and decided to top it with wahoo. They claimed it was tasty, but I’ll have to trust them on that.) On my friends’ last night in the BVI, fish tacos were again on the menu by unanimous request. True to their word, my friends ate wahoo every day.
A favorite with visitors and Tortola-based friends alike, fish tacos are one of my most frequently requested meals. These tacos contain familiar island flavours, but are a somewhat unusual way to combine them. Think California meets the Caribbean. Serve with yellow rice and a simple salad of tomatoes, corn and avocado for a delicious rainbow-colored plate. Next time your friends land “the big one,” be sure to put fish tacos on the menu.
Fish Tacos with Garlicky Lime Cream
Serve with beer or a white wine such as a French Sancerre or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Garlicky Lime Cream:
- • 1/2 C chopped green onions
- • 1/3 C chopped cilantro
- • 1/3 C sour cream
- • 1/4 C mayonnaise
- • 2 Tbsp lime juice
- • 1 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
- • Salt and pepper to taste
Taco Seasoning:
- • 2 tsp coriander
- • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- • 1 tsp chili powder
- • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- • 1 lb fish fillets (e.g. wahoo, mahi mahi
- or other firm white fish)
- • Olive oil
- • 8 6-inch flour tortillas, heated
- • 1/2 small head of red cabbage, shredded
Prepare cream by stirring together first seven ingredients in a small bowl. Combine all spices in another bowl. Lightly coat fish with a little olive oil and then rub the spice mixture evenly over the fish. Grill fish over medium heat until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork (cooking time will vary with thickness of fish fillets). Place fish on a plate and break into chunks with a spatula. Divide fish among tortillas then top with cabbage and cream. Serves four.
Sponsored by:
Riteway Food Markets provisioning service offers a number of services to help your visit to the British Virgin Islands be a fuss-free, enjoyable experience. Time is of the essence for you and our 20 plus years experience in provisioning has enabled us to tailor our services to suit the needs of all concerned by providing a wide selection of choice foods, beverages, liquor and dry products. So, whether it is your private getaway schooner, or a Super Mega yacht, each order, no matter how large or small, is given the same amount of detailed attention and delivered directly to you. After all, it's the Riteway of way of doing business!
