The most popular types of cuisine in St. Martin are traditional French and spicy West Indian Créole. Many of the restaurants, which range from inexpensive to trés cher, combine the best of both. Fresh seafood appears on virtually all menus, sometimes prepared in Créole style with spices, sometimes in the classic French manner with herbs. Local rum drinks often precede a meal and fine French wines provide the perfect accompaniment.
Recipes of St. Martin
Callaloo Soup
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh kale
½ pound callaloo, or fresh spinach
12 okra pods
¼ pound salt pork, cut into thin strips
½ pound fresh lean pork, cubed
2 onions, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 hot pepper, seeds removed, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
6 cups chicken stock
Method
Pull all stems from kale and callaloo. Discard stems and roughly chop the leaves. Wash leaves thoroughly. Roughly chop the kale. Place salt port in a large, heavy soup kettle and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, rendering fat.
Discard all, but 2 tablespoons of fat.
Add pork cubes and onions to pan. Sauté over medium heat until cubes are brown and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add kale, callaloo, okra, black pepper and hot pepper. Add thyme and stock.
Cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours. Remove salt pork before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.
Crab Backs
Ingredients
12 live blue crabs
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Unseasoned dry bread crumbs
Method
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add crabs. Boil for 15 minutes, until the shells turn bright red. Drain and cool.
Break open the claws and pick out the meat. Discard pieces of shell. Carefully open the crab backs, removing and reserving any meat and fat, but discarding gill and white intestine. Scrub empty shells thoroughly.
Preheat broiler. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, tomato and chives. Cook until softened and remove from heat.
Stir in flaked crabmeat, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper.
Refill crab backs with the crab mixture and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
Place stuffed crabs on a baking sheet and brown under broiler. Serve hot.
Roasted & Stuffed Mussels
Ingredients
To steam the mussels:
48 fresh mussels, washed
1 cup dry white wine
1 ounce of butter
¼ cup of breadcrumbs
For Filling:
3 shallots
10 garlic cloves
12 basil leaves
¼ bunch chopped parsley
5 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon chopped dill
Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoon of alcohol
Salt & black pepper mignonette
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pinch of dried fennel
½ pound butter at room temperature
For Garnish:
1 tomato
Green leaves
Method
Steam the mussels: Scrape and washed the mussels several times and drain in colander. In a large pot, place the mussel, the wine, and the butter. Cover, and cook on high heat until the mussels are open. Strain in a colander and set aside to cool.
Making the filling: In a food processor, finely chop garlic and shallots. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and rectify seasoning if necessary.
Leave the meat inside one shell, so you can remove the top ones. Reserve the juice to make a soup or even a sauce. Stuff the mussels with the butter mixture, making sure you completely cover the meat. Refrigerate.
Bake: Before serving, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 450º F for about 20 minutes.
Serve and garnish: Serve on large plates with few green leaves underneath and a tomato rose. Accommodate with your favorite dry white wine.
Chef’s Note: When selecting your mussels, never choose a mussel that is chipped, broken, or damaged in any way. Also, never choose a mussel that is open. The mussels should be tightly closed and stored in a cool area where they can breathe. When you purchase your mussels, make sure to immediately unwrap them at home so they can breathe, otherwise they may die before you cook with them. Soak your mussels in fresh water just before cooking for about 20 minutes. As the mussels breathe, they filter water and expel sand. After about 20 minutes, the mussels will have less salt and sand stored inside of their shells.
Caribbean Island Cuisine
