One of the most remarkable qualities of island life is the abundance of fresh fish and shellfish. Barbados is home to the flying fish, but there is also a wide range of fish caught within ten miles of the coast: dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, albacore (albacore), swordfish, marlin, barracuda, sailfish or marlins, king fish. , Bonita or Skipjack, Shark and Red Snapper to name just a few.

It should be noted for those concerned with such matters that the variety of dolphin found in Barbados is not the SeaWorld bottlenose specimen: it is the multicolored snub-nosed dolphin known as Dorado or Mahi Mahi. And while the White Marlin is a protected game fish in the United States, there are no such regulations in the Caribbean.

Similarly, the Baraccuda is not a recognized food fish in North America due to a toxic impregnation called Ciguatera found in some species. Barracuda in the waters around Barbados are free from this contamination. And yes, flying fish do fly, propelling themselves out of the water at speeds of up to 50 mph and then, spreading their dorsal fins to form wings, “fly” distances in excess of 100 meters.

There are scores of fishmongers and fishermen in Barbados. The largest fish markets are in Bridgetown, near the cruise port, and in Oistins on the south coast. Several smaller fish markets are located along the south and west coasts. Our personal favorite is the Weston Fish Market in St. James, which is the home of Smokey, the fishmonger to the stars!

Sir Cliff Richard (owner of a posh Sugar Hill villa) once arrived at Weston Fish Market with a television crew in tow to film Smokey at work and broadcast it to millions of viewers in the UK. Smokey’s clients are a who’s who in the world of entertainment and business. It’s fascinating to watch Smokey expertly fillet a dolphin weighing over 20 pounds in minutes with his razor-sharp machete. If the queue at Smokey’s gets too long, feel free to pop next door to John Moore’s Bar for “underwear” where the Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, is known to hold occasional “cabinet meetings.”

Ten pounds of yellow fin tuna will cost $60.00 or $30.00 US dollars. Other varieties of fish have similar prices per pound. Sold at several of the neighboring stalls by a group of charming ladies, Flying Fish is $12.00 (US$6.00) for 10 “ready bone” or ready-to-cook fillets. Indicate if you want Smokey to “fillet” the fish or leave it whole without skin or bones. It will also include the fish head, cut into small pieces, unless otherwise stated. The fish head soup, or fish broth, is delicious. Take home a fish head and try it!