Book of Days Tales

Today is Bermuda Day, formerly Victoria Day, Empire Day, Commonwealth Day and Heritage Day (make up your mind Bermuda). Bermuda Day is a public holiday in the islands of Bermuda. It is celebrated on May 24^th, or the weekday nearest May 24^th if that date falls on the weekend. It is traditionally the first day to go into the water or put a boat in the water, and traditionally the first day that business people wear Bermuda shorts (called “shorts” in Bermuda, much as Japanese food is called “food” in Japan), although increasingly they are worn year round these days.  There is a variety of events to celebrate the day including a big parade, a road race, and dinghy races.

Bermuda’s cuisine has a rich and diverse history, blending English and Portuguese styles, given its own twist because of Bermuda’s seafood species, particularly wahoo and rockfish. For example, a dish of fish and potatoes can be served in one of two ways – British style with the addition of hard boiled eggs and egg sauce, or Portuguese style in which the added ingredients are tomato-onion sauce, peas and rice. Fish chowder is the quintessential dish of Bermuda, with as many variants as there are cooks.  This one is modified from a recipe from a local cook. Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce is readily available on the island, but I give a substitute recipe in case sailing or flying to Bermuda is not on your weekend agenda. It should be! (It’s about a 2 ½ hour flight from New York).

Bermuda Fish Chowder

Ingredients

4 quarts water
1lb of fish heads and fish bones (preferably wahoo or rockfish)
1 ½ lbs firm white fish fillets (also wahoo or rockfish if available)
salt, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, ground cloves to taste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large onions, chopped
8 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green peppers, chopped
6 carrots, diced
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 can (28 oz, 794 g) peeled tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4 tbsp Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce
ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place the fish heads, bones and water into a large pot with the water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour.

Strain the fish stock through a fine sieve or a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Be sure there are no bone fragments in the stock. Discard the heads and bones and return the stock to the pot.

Put the fish fillets, salt, and spices into the pot with the stock. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.

In a frying pan melt the butter and oil and sauté onions, celery, garlic, and green peppers. Add the tomatoes and  and 2 cups of the fish stock and simmer for 30 minutes.

Transfer this mixture to the fish stock and add remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning to your liking.

Serve piping hot and pass around Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce and, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum for extra seasoning.

Sherry Peppers

Ingredients:

40 fresh pequin chiles (or little hot peppers of your choice)
2 cups dry sherry

Instructions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the chiles and let sit in the boiling water for 2 minutes to soften them.

Drain well, and put the peppers into sterilized bottles.

Fill the bottles with sherry and seal. The longer it sits, the hotter it will be.