Hudut - A Traditional Garifuna Recipe

It's that time of the year where Southern Belize comes alive and our Garifuna brothers and sisters celebrate the culture and history of their ancestors, leading up to the big day - Garifuna Settlement Day celebrated on November 19th.

In honor of our Garifuna people, our chef has selected a special Belizean Garifuna Hudut recipe to share with you.

Hudut is a very common traditional meal. Hudut consists of fish cooked in a coconut broth (called sere) and served with mashed plantains or yams.

5 Servings

5 Green plantains
3 Ripe plantains
2 Whole coconut (grated)
5 Plate-size fish (prefer snapper)
1 Small onion (diced)
1 Bell pepper (diced)
4 Basil leaf (chopped)
1 1bs Okro (whole)
Salt & pepper
8 cups of water

Clean, core, and season fish with the salt and pepper and partially fry then set aside.

Sauté the onions and bell peppers for a few minutes then add the coconut milk and water, stir then add the fish.  Let it set for a few minutes until it starts heating up.  At this point you will need to constantly stir milk with a spoon - do not stir the fish but keep the milk in constant movement with the spoon.  The milk will start to curdle if you do not maintain the constant motion.  You can turn fish after one side is cooked.   Let the soup continue boiling and bubble until the fish is cooked and soup is thickened.  Taste for flavor, add salt and pepper to taste. 5 minutes before you turn off the stove, add the okro to the soup.

Peel and cut plantains. Each plantain should be cut in three or four pieces. Boil the green plantains first in 8 cups of water. After they are about half way cooked, add the half ripe plantains. Let all plantains boil until they are fully cooked. Remove from water and let them cool. Mash both plantains and form into balls and serve with the Hudut. Enjoy!

Thanks to Chef Omar and his entire kitchen crew at our Woven Palm Restaurant for putting this recipe together!