Snackshot Of The Day: Cuz's Blue Marlin Cutter In Barbados
The Daily Meal's editors, contributors, and readers dig into some pretty great restaurants, festivals, and meals. There's not always enough time to give a full review of a restaurant or describe in depth why a place, its food, and the people who prepare it are noteworthy, so Snackshot of the Day does what photographs do best, rely on the image to do most of the talking. Today's Snackshot is of Cuz's blue marlin cutter in Barbados.
Cuz is outside Bridgetown, just off Highway 7 in the parking lot next to the beach at Needham's Point before you climb the hill to the Barbados Hilton. It's just a little shack, but this is a fish sandwich with a following. Beach bums, locals, taxi drivers, kids off from school, they all line up for Cuz's blue marlin sandwich. The sandwich consists of salt bread, lightly pan-seared blue marlin, tomato, lettuce, and pickle, with an option of either a fried egg, or cheese. You put the sauces on: mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and, of course, Scotch bonnet sauce.
The salt bread (named thusly because many other Bajan breads are sweet) has a thin crust and a chewy interior. Inside, the juicy fish steak has a very light, peppery breading and wet flakes. You get a choice of fried egg, or cheese (Anchor New Zealand Cheddar, the cheese found everywhere in local grocers'). Anyone shy about mixing fish and cheese needn't worry — the meat isn't fishy, and the thick slice of soft cheese pulls the bread and fish together. The crunch of the pickle and its vinegar is key to flavor and texture balance, and the make-you-sweat Scotch bonnet sauce makes you feel like you've accomplished something.
You may not be a believer in the fish and cheese combo, you may not be a believer in a fish sandwich... period. But trust me, I've been saying this now for years, and it's still true: this is one of the best fish sandwiches in the world, heck, one of the best sandwiches in the world. Try it. You'll be a believer.
Read more about The Daily Meal's Snackshot feature. To submit a photo, email jbruce[at]thedailymeal.com, subject: "Snackshots."
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