Bake N' Shark

Bake N' Shark is a local dish in Trinidad, and if you ask any Trini where to go to get the best bake n' shark on the island- they all tell you to go to Maracas Beach. Maracas Beach is not only one of the prettiest beaches on the island but is also the place where bake n' shark originated. So in our quest to experience the local culture and food, we decided to organize a trip to Maracas.

Now there is nothing baked in a bake n' shark, it is all fried- so the name is a little confusing. The young shark is marinated overnight and fried up fresh to order and served in a doughy bake, which is fried bread. It is then served with lots of yummy condiments- like shadon beni and pepper sauce, shredded cabbage slaw and tomatoes, then topped with avocado and pineapple slices. The result is a delicious shark burger. Everyone enjoyed lunch at Richard's Bake and Shark stand, and Jay loved it so much he ordered a second one before we left.

It was a wonderful day. Maracas Beach is on the north end of the island so we had to drive up and over the mountains to get there, thru the lush rain forest, and enjoyed many scenic views along the way. We also stopped at several small fruit and food stands along the way to pick up other local delights- like sugar apple and mamocilla (a fruit similar to lychee) and homemade coconut and cashew cakes (which was more like a brittle). After all that food we decided to go for a swim. Maracas has a beautiful palm tree lined beach with mocha colored sand and small stones worn smooth by the crashing waves. Although the water is brackish from the Orinoco River run-off, it was still very refreshing on this hot summer day.

---

---