Home Cook Together. Celebrate Life.

CaribbeanAuthentic Cuisine

Caribbean Seafood Fritters 3

Serves 4 to 6 Appetizer seafood, Appetizers

Caribbean Seafood Fritters 3

Caribbean Seafood Fritters 3 is a beloved staple at home gatherings across the islands, where salt is a matter of personal intuition and oil flows freely. This recipe captures the essence of how families truly prepare it, passed down through generations without exact measurements, just the instinctive feel of a practiced hand. It's not a festival food or a tourist attraction, but the kind of dish that graces everyday tables, making ordinary moments special.

Expect a crisp exterior giving way to a tender, flavorful center where the ocean's bounty meets the simplicity of flour and egg. Each bite bursts with the delicate sweetness of shrimp or white fish, accentuated by a hint of lemon. These fritters are meant to be shared, their golden edges inviting hands to reach in and taste a piece of Caribbean life.

Ingredients

  • 400 gshrimp or white fish
  • 100 gflour
  • 1egg
  • for fryingoil
  • lemon — to serve
  • to tastefine sea salt

Method

  1. Begin by preparing the seafood. If using shrimp, peel and devein them, then chop into small pieces. If using white fish, ensure it is boneless and skinless, then cut into small chunks. This ensures even cooking and easy mixing with the batter.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 100 g of flour with a pinch of fine sea salt. Crack in 1 egg and whisk together until smooth. Gradually add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the batter reaches a thick, pancake-like consistency. This will help the fritters hold together when frying.
  3. Add the prepared seafood to the batter, stirring gently to coat each piece evenly. This step ensures that the seafood is well-distributed and each fritter has a good balance of batter and seafood.
  4. Heat a generous amount of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. The oil should be about 1 cm deep to allow the fritters to fry evenly. Test the oil by dropping a small amount of batter into the pan; it should sizzle and rise to the surface quickly.
  5. Carefully spoon the batter into the hot oil, forming small fritters. Do not overcrowd the pan; leave enough space between each fritter to allow them to cook evenly. Fry until the edges are golden brown and the fritters are firm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  6. Once the fritters are golden and crispy, remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. This step ensures they remain crisp and not greasy.
  7. Finish by squeezing fresh lemon juice over the fritters and sprinkling with additional fine sea salt to taste. Serve immediately while hot, allowing the citrus to enhance the seafood's flavor and the salt to bring out the dish's natural taste.
Cover of Authentic Caribbean Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Caribbean Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Caribbean Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Caribbean volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Available soon on Amazon…

Explore Caribbean cuisine