Book of Days Tales

Fishermen’s Day (Firshermen’s Holiday) is a public holiday in the Marshall Islands. It is celebrated on the first Friday in July. Since 1982, it has been marked with the annual Firshermen’s Day Tournament. Fishing has been critical to the economy of the Marshall Islands since the archipelago was populated. The country is known for excellent sport-fishing conditions. The history of Fishermen’s Day begins in 1981, when four friends founded the Marshalls Billfish Club in order to participate in the Hawaiian Invitational Billfish Tournament. They won the tournament, which inspired them to establish an annual national tournament in the Marshall Islands. With the help of many volunteers, local businesses and the government they held the first tournament in 1982.

The Marshall Islands are known for fish and coconuts, so a local recipe for coconut fish is called for. 

Coconut Fish

Ingredients:

6 pieces white fish fillets
2 cups coconut cream
½ an onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 fresh chiles, chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tomatoes, sliced
oil for frying
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper

Instructions:

Mix the cornstarch to a paste with a little of the cold coconut cream

Combine the coconut cream, onion,  salt, chile, lemon juice, and the corn starch paste in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over low heat, stirring constantly.  Simmer gently for 3 minutes.

Heat the oven to 160° C/300° F

Cut the fish into even sized pieces — about 2 cm thick, 3 cm wide & 6 cm long (¾ in x 1 in x 2 in).

Mix the flour, extra salt & white pepper in a container that has a lid that seals well & is big enough for all the fish to fit in, or a large brown grocery bag. Place the fish in the container/bag and shake well until the fish is evenly coated with the flour mix.

Heat 2 tbs of oil in a skillet and brown the fish on all sides.  Do this in batches, adding extra oil each time.

Place the fish in an ovenproof dish, and cover it with the  tomato slices. Pour the coconut sauce over the top, and bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top begins to brown