June: this is the start of the rainy season and corn and pigeon pea planting go apace. It is also the time foir Fishermen’s fetes, a celebration of the importance of the role of fishermen on the island. The first and biggest is in Charlotteville on St.Peter’s Day. Try the Fish Broth and the Fish stew!

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Smoke Herring and Salt Fish Buljol

1lb flour
a touch of baking powder
salt
sugar
soft margarine
water
Oil to fry the bakes in.

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Place whichever fish you are using in two lots of boiling water to remove excess salt. Bone and strip fish.Dice tomatoes, sweet peppers and onion. Mix this with the chopped fish and add black pepper. Put a little olive oil in a frying pan, heat the oil and toss the fish and vegetable mixture in it.

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Fry bake.

Make dough, leave to rise, cut into pieces, roll gently into balls, let them rise, gently flatten between palms, deep fry in hot oil until golden and swollen.

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Tobago hosts the International Game Fishing Tournament, a comment on the wealth of large fish in the warm seas that surround the island. However slaves were not sent out to sea to fish for obvious reasons, so fish was imported from the UK in the form of salted cod and smoked and salted herring. These two fishes have become the traditional breakfast fare for Tobagonians. They are best eaten with either ‘Fry Bake’ or Coconut Bake!