Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Grenadian Fish Broth
A restorative Saturday soup of fresh fish, green figs, and provisions simmered with dumplings, coconut, and island spice.
Grenadian · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 35 min
~416 cal · 36g protein · 50g carbs · 9g fat · 6g fiber · 16g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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On Grenada, the Spice Isle, fish broth is the Saturday cure-all, sold from pots at the market and made in home kitchens as a light, nourishing midday soup. Unlike a heavy stew, broth is brothy by design, but it is far from thin: it carries fish, dumplings, and in a fragrant, spiced liquid.
Whole fresh fish or firm steaks go into a pot with (), , carrot, and hand-pinched dumplings, all simmered with garlic, thyme, and a whisper of Grenada's famous nutmeg and its neighbor mace. A little rounds it, and a whole , dropped in but never burst, perfumes the pot with heat.
Grenadians credit fish broth with reviving the tired and the overindulged, and it carries a cheeky reputation as a restorative tonic. Whatever its powers, it is clean, warming, deeply flavored food that tastes of the island's waters and its spice gardens at once.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, egg- 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 firm white fish, in steaks
3 (), peeled and halved
1 lb (yam or ), chunked
1 onion, sliced
2 carrot, sliced
3/4 cup flour, for dumplings
1/2 cup
3 cloves and 1 bundle garlic, thyme, and green onion
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 whole pepper
Instructions
1
Bring a pot of water with the onion, garlic, thyme, green onion, and nutmeg to a simmer.
2
Add the green figs, provisions, and carrot and cook until half-tender, about 15 minutes.
3
Pinch the dumpling dough into small logs and drop them in with the coconut milk and the whole scotch bonnet.
✎ Chef’s note
Leave the scotch bonnet whole and lift it out before it splits; you want its perfume, not its full fire.
4
Lay the fish steaks on top, cover, and simmer gently until the fish is just cooked and the provisions are tender, about 10 minutes.
5
Season with salt, remove the pepper, and serve hot in bowls.
Grenadian Saturday-market tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
St. George's. St. George's is a spice-port capital, and the nutmeg and mace Grenada exports run through its cooking generally. The national dish, oil down, is layered rather than spiced that way: breadfruit, salted meat, callaloo, and dumplings simmer down in turmeric-yellow coconut milk until the pot runs dry and the oil is all that is left.
🗺️
Grenada. Grenada is the 'Spice Isle,' and nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove perfume its cooking, from the national oil down (a one-pot of breadfruit, meat, and coconut) to cocoa tea. Fresh spice and Caribbean warmth define the plate.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Grenada
Oil DownGrenada's one-pot national dish: breadfruit, salted meat, dumplings, and callaloo cooked down in coconut milk and turmeric.
Cocoa Tea and Fried BakesSpiced local cocoa simmered into a rich, cinnamon-scented "tea," served with hot fried bakes, breakfast on the Spice Isle.
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamA cool, creamy ice cream fragrant with fresh-grated nutmeg, showcasing the spice that defines the Isle of Spice.
Browse all Grenada recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Grenada meal
Cocoa TeaDrink
Grenadian Nutmeg Ice CreamDessert
Grenadian Curried LambiDinner
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Grenadian Fish Broth?
A restorative Saturday soup of fresh fish, green figs, and provisions simmered with dumplings, coconut, and island spice.
Where does Grenadian Fish Broth come from?
Grenadian Fish Broth is a Grenadian dish from St. George's, Grenada.
Can Grenadian Fish Broth be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Grenadian Fish Broth 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 Grenadian Fish Broth 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 Grenadian Fish Broth take to make?
About 60 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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