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Bake and Shark

Seasoned fried fish in a puffed fried bake, piled with salad, pineapple and sauces. Inspired by the beach stalls at Maracas Bay.

Street Food

  • 1 hr 30 min est.
  • Serves 4
  • Involved
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Bake and shark piled with salad and sauces in a takeaway box

Bake and shark is the beach lunch of Trinidad, most famously eaten at Maracas Bay on the north coast. A pillowy fried bake is split open and filled with seasoned fried fish, then everyone dresses their own at a long table of toppings: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pineapple, coleslaw, garlic sauce, tamarind sauce, chadon beni sauce and pepper.

Many shark species are under pressure from overfishing, and some are protected. Check local guidance before buying shark, or make this with a firm white fish from a well-managed source instead; the bake, the seasoning and the toppings are what make the dish.

The recipe

Bake and Shark

Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Resting and marinating
30 min
Total
1 hr 30 min
Serves
4
Makes
8 bakes

Times and quantities are our best estimates. This recipe is still being kitchen-tested, so trust your eyes and taste as you go.

Ingredients

Tick items off as you gather them.

For the fish

For the bake

Toppings

Method

Season the fish

  1. Rinse the fish in water with the juice of the lime and pat dry. Rub with the green seasoning, salt and pepper and leave for 30 minutes.

Make the bake dough

  1. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter until it disappears.
  2. Add the water gradually to make a soft, smooth dough. Knead briefly, cover and rest for 20 minutes.
  3. Divide into 8 balls and flatten each into a round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

Fry

  1. Heat 1½ inches (4 cm) of oil in a deep pan to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Fry the bakes 2 or 3 at a time for 1 to 2 minutes a side, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels.
  3. Dredge the fish in flour, shake off the excess, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden and cooked through. Drain.
  4. Split each bake, fill with a piece of fish and let everyone add their own toppings.

Serve it with

  • A cold drink and a beach, ideally
  • Shado beni (chadon beni) sauce: chadon beni blended with garlic, lime and a little water

Substitutions

  • Fish: mahi-mahi (dolphinfish), snapper or any firm white fish from a sustainable source.
  • Bake: the same dough can be shaped smaller for breakfast fry bakes.

Storing and reheating

  • Best eaten immediately.
  • Leftover bakes keep for a day wrapped at room temperature; warm them in a dry pan.

Cook's notes

  • Keep the oil at a steady temperature: if it is too cool the bakes soak up oil, too hot and they brown before puffing.
  • Toppings can be prepared while the dough rests.

https://trinbagorecipes.com/recipes/bake-and-shark/

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