Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Travel Bites - Barbados

So, I'm more than a little delayed on this post, but better late than never, right? Back in December, I joined some of my very best friends for an amazing little trip to the beautiful island of Barbados. 
This extended weekend adventure started out as a double quinceañera for my friend Meaghan, but turned into a birthday threesome (for Sarah, Abbie, and Meag). The rest of us were just along for the ride, and that was alright by me.
We spent most of our time relaxing on the beach and exploring the island. And we discovered some great food finds in the process.
Right down the block from our condo in the St. Lawrence Gap area, we stumbled upon the waterfront restaurant Pisces. Its simple, elegant seafood menu was just what we were looking for to kick off the weekend. We started with the sautéed tiger shrimp with garlic, tomato, chili and penne pasta. The sesame-crusted seared yellowfin tuna was cooked perfectly and topped with a sweet chili sauce.
The next day, Jared had coordinated a bit of a fishing excursion. So, a few of us headed out to Bridgetown not-so-bright, but definitely early on a quest for the wily kingfish (aka wahoo).  After trolling around the island for a while, we finally got one on the line.
And by we, I mean Jared. Courtney drank a few beers, Eoghan took a nap, and Meaghan and I enjoyed the scenery (in between our bouts of seasickness).
Forty minutes later, after a hell of a battle, this beautiful wahoo was on the boat.
Normally, Jared and I operate under our strict "you kill 'em, I grill 'em" policy, and Barbados proved to be no different. Once we got back to the condo, I started to prep the fish for a lovely "family" dinner. 
We cut the fillets into 4 oz. pieces and seasoned them with a blackening spice mix. Then, we wrapped the fish in an aluminum foil pouch, poured in a small amount of the local Banks beer, and placed them on the grill for about ten minutes. This method of cooking really brought out the fresh, clean flavor of the fish. It was mild, flaky, and absolutely amazing. 
After a long night filled with the delicious spoils of our catch and countless Mount Gay Rum cocktails, a few of us wandered to Café Sol for a much-needed hangover brunch. We slowly sipped on our 2 for 1 sangria and snacked on the char-grilled steak nachos, topped with melted cotija cheese, spicy salsa, and guacamole. Nothing spectacular, but it worked wonders.
Later on in the trip, Jared and I happened upon our favorite joint by far. Daddy's is a small lunch and dinner stand that serves some of the local favorites, including the fried flying fish. Lightly battered, deep fried and served with the ubiquitous spicy mustard. So simple and so awesome. Washed down with a nice, cold beer. It was heaven. 
It was a great final meal to cap off our trip. We made new friends, caught up with the old ones, swam with sea turtles, got momentarily kidnapped by the grocery store bus, and enjoyed every last sunset of our trip. It was such a great experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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