Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Bahamian Stew Fish
Fish simmered in a dark browned-flour gravy with tomato, thyme, and lime, a Bahamian breakfast-to-dinner staple.
Bahamian · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 40 min
~667 cal · 48g protein · 27g carbs · 39g fat · 4g fiber · 4g sugars · 12g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bahamian stew fish is a cornerstone of island home cooking, a dish eaten any time from breakfast to dinner and prized as a restorative morning meal after a long night.
Its foundation is a browning : flour is toasted dark in oil until deeply coloured, then built into a rich gravy with tomato, onion, thyme, and lime, in which the fish gently . The dark gravy is what sets it apart from lighter island fish dishes.
Served with grits, johnny cake, or white rice, it is savoury and comforting. Bahamian stew fish is honest island food, the kind of dish that starts a day or ends one, tasting of the reef and of home.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1.5 lb snapper or grouper, cut in steaks
3 tbsp flour (for browning the gravy)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 potato, diced
1 (whole, for heat)
1 tsp thyme
2 bay
1 lime
1/4 cup oil
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Season the fish (or hearts of palm) with lime and salt.
2
Toast the flour in the oil over medium heat until deep brown for the "browning."
3
Add the onion, pepper, tomato paste, thyme, bay, and the whole scotch bonnet, then build a gravy with water and simmer the diced potato until nearly tender.
4
Lay in the fish (or hearts of palm and mushrooms) and simmer gently until cooked.
5
Discard the whole pepper, finish with lime, and serve with grits, rice, or johnnycake.
Nassau tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Nassau. Guava duff takes about three hours. A sheet of dough is spread with guava, rolled and steamed in a cloth until it sets, then sliced and served under a butter and egg sauce usually spiked with rum. Peas and rice, made with pigeon peas, is the standard side and is a different dish from peas and grits.
🗺️
Bahamas. Conch is regulated rather than endless. The fishery has a closed season and size rules because stocks have fallen across the region, which is worth knowing before ordering it three ways in one meal. Cracked conch is pounded, battered and fried; the salad is raw, diced and cured in lime and sour orange at the counter in front of you.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Bahamas
Boiled Fish and Johnny CakeA light, limey grouper broth with potatoes and onion, served with a slab of sweet Bahamian johnny cake for dunking, a true island breakfast.
Bahamian Conch SaladFresh conch diced and cured at the table in lime and sour orange with sweet peppers, tomato, cucumber, and fiery goat pepper.
Guava DuffA boiled sweet dough rolled around ribbons of ripe guava, sliced into spirals and drowned in a warm rum-butter sauce.
Browse all Bahamas recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Bahamas meal
Sky JuiceDrink
Guava DuffDessert
Bahamian Conch SaladLunch
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Bahamian Stew Fish?
Fish simmered in a dark browned-flour gravy with tomato, thyme, and lime, a Bahamian breakfast-to-dinner staple.
Where does Bahamian Stew Fish come from?
Bahamian Stew Fish is a Bahamian dish from Nassau, Bahamas.
Can Bahamian Stew Fish be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bahamian Stew Fish recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bahamian Stew Fish safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bahamian Stew Fish take to make?
About 60 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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