Bermuda

Bermudian Fish Chowder

I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus; I was moving, and then it was Thanksgiving week. I couldn't take on this project in addition.

I made this dish on Tuesday, December 1st for Andy, my parents, my sister Betsey and her husband Cody, my sister Sarah and her boyfriend Kelley and myself. I chose this dish because it is the national dish of Bermuda. Other countries also have fish stew or fish chowder for their national dish; what sets Bermuda apart is the incorporation of Outerbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce (I ordered it online from Bermuda) any Bermudian dark rum (I couldn't find and Bermudian rum at the liquor store that I went to, so I just used some from the West Indies). This dish was a hit. All enjoyed it, except Betsey, who accidentally added too much rum to the stew at the table.

This dish is pretty hearty. I served it with some ciabatta bread, which was a nice inclusion. The recipe suggests that those eating the stew add dashes of sherry pepper sauce and rum. This added a sweet, more robust flavor. This was a simple, tasty dish. I recommend it.

We also had some authentic beverages! After doing some research on Bermudian beverages, Cody and Betsey brought ginger beer, and we made cocktails with that and rum. These were exceptional. They also brought some Heineken. Apparently, there are some microbreweries in Bermuda, but most residents just drink Heineken.

I got the recipe from Outerbridge's website.

Here it is:

Bermudian Fish Chowder

Ingredients:-4 quarts water
-1 1/2 lb. white fish (I used a mixture of catfish and tilapia)
- salt
-thyme
-bay leaves
-peppercorns
-ground cloves
-2 T. butter
-2 T. olive oil
-3 large onions, chopped
-8 stalks celery, chopped
-1 garlic clove, minced
-2 green peppers, chopped
-1 can (28oz.) whole tomatoes, chopped
-10 oz. vegetable stock (the original recipe calls for beef consomme, but two of my guests don't eat meat)
-1 c. ketchup
-1/2 c. chopped parsley
-2 T. worcestershire sauce
-2 tsp. lemon juice
-6 carrots, peeled and diced
-2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced
-2 oz. dark rum (the original recipe recommends Gosling's Black Seal Rum)
-4 T. Outerbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce
-freshly ground pepper, to taste



Directions:
1) In large pot (8 qt.), put water, fish, salt and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer 30-45 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or wok, melt butter and oil. Briefly sauté onions, celery, garlic and peppers. Add tomatoes (with juice from can) and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3) Transfer onion mixture to fish stock and add remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Adjust seasonings.
4) Serve piping hot and pass around Outerbridge's and rum so people can add a few dashes.