Celebrating Caribbean food and culture with The Island Gurl

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Raquel Fox is known as the “Island Stone”, famous for bringing her love and passion for all things Bahamian to the Canadian food scene. Fox is a professional chef, teacher, cookbook author and media personality who loves to share all things delicious and fabulous from her beloved Bahamas.

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With the culture, food and entertainment of the Caribbean spilling out this weekend at one of North America’s biggest festivals taking place in Toronto, we recently asked Fox All about what it is about the Caribbean that makes everyone dance to joy

“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” said the avid Fox, who grew up in the Bahamas, where she learned all about traditional island cooking from her grandmother. “I was born in Nassau and raised with my grandmother, who I always pay tribute to as a key person in my life,” Fox said. “I inherited my love for Bahamian cuisine from her.

“And when I think of Bahamian food, I think of all the influences that make the dishes so unique,” added Fox, official chef with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in Toronto and author of Dining in Heaven. “Like citrus – so refreshing and delicious in many of our dishes.”

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Fox says the main influences on the cuisine date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, “when loyalists and their slaves brought southern and African cuisines with them to the Caribbean. Recipes like voyage cake – or Johnny cake – a food deep with so much history and made with ingredients that allowed one to travel a long distance but supported them during their journeys.

There is so much warmth and love when Fox talks about her travels and adventures—attending international schools, collecting authentic family recipes from friends around the globe, founding her and her husband’s Bahamian Reuben restaurant, The Wine Lounge, which USA Today was voted one of the Top 10 Bahamian Salons.

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But she wanted to discover more, and a few years ago, she moved to Canada, where she studied at the Toronto Chef’s School at George Brown College, (she now teaches her own Caribbean cooking course) before starting the brand. hers, which is to instill a love of Caribbean culture and food everywhere.

Today, Fox is a multimedia personality, appearing on television programs known as CityLine regularly, developing her line of food products and always creating delicious dishes.

Her message is simple: “Love food, love people.”

All recipes are courtesy of Chef Raquel Fox (islandgurlfoods.com).

Salad with scallops and mango (or Ceviche)

There are many versions of this delightful dish in South and Central America and Mexico. This recipe is traditionally Bahamian with shell substitutes for the scallops. Bright, refreshing flavors in a citrus and chili marinade. Serves 4-6.

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1 pound sea scallops

1 firm but ripe mango, diced or julienned

1/2 small red onion, diced

1 large ripe tomato, diced

1/2 English cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced

Juice of 1 Seville or sour orange

Juice of 1 lime

1–2 Scotch pepper, trimmed, finely diced

Fine sea salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Sprinkle with salt to taste, mix again. Cover it with plastic and marinate it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Divide into scallop shells, cups or bowls, serve immediately with store-bought sweet potato chips or homemade carnival chips.

Cat Island Frybreads (Travel Cakes or Johnny Cakes)

This beautiful, slightly sweet and smooth “bread” reflects a powerful history of foods that could be gathered and transported for miles. Brought to the Caribbean islands by settlers and their slaves, the recipe is a representation of the cultural history of that part of the world.

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2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons. baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, diced

1/2 cup frozen shredded coconut, thawed (optional)

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons. lard (butter flavored, or regular butter)

Heat a large cast iron skillet over low heat and melt the fat. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix together with a fork. Add the butter and, using your hand, mix it into the flour mixture, breaking it into smaller pieces. Add the coconut and mix. Slowly pour in the milk while mixing with the other hand to form the dough into a ball (the dough should be soft and easy to handle).

Dust a clean surface with flour and knead the dough several times. Divide into four balls of dough (slightly flattened on disk) to make individual pancakes or leave as one and flatten into a 3-inch high disk with your hands. Place the individual or whole dough in the heated pan, cover with a lid and fry in 5 minute intervals on each side for about 25 minutes. You can also transfer to a preheated 350°F oven after the first 10 minutes to finish baking.

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Serve immediately with butter or jam.

Goombay Smash

“This is one of my favorite make-me-away island cocktails. It was first established on Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, by Mrs. Emily Cooper, owner of the Blue Bee Bar. Serves 2.

2 oz each pineapple juice and orange juice

1 oz. coconut rum

1/2 oz. EACH coconut cream, spiced rum and dark rum

ICE

2 pieces of pineapple

2 cherries

Add all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well to cool. Serve garnished with pineapple wedges and cherries.

Festive Mango Jerk Turkey Thighs

A quick and flavorful celebration of traditional Jamaican Jerk spices with a subtle hint of tropical mango. Note – look for mango sauce at your local grocery store or supermarket. Serves 4

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4 turkey legs

1 tablespoon. white vinegar

Salt to taste

1 bottle mango jerk sauce, divided

Heat the grill to medium heat. Rinse the turkey in a large bowl of cold water and 1 tbsp. white vinegar. Dry with paper towels.

Add turkey to a large bowl, add 1 cup mango jerk sauce, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and marinate for 1 hour. Place the marinated turkey on the grill and cook on both sides, basting occasionally with additional corn sauce. Grill for about 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F. Transfer the turkey to a plate and serve with extra sauce to drizzle with your favorite barbecue accompaniments.