Island Fever
Tastes & Tales of Cayman
It's "T-Time" in Cayman!
Charles Ebanks(left) and Nick Hydes show off
winning Tuna at CIIFT 2000.
Profile
Island Fever
Tastes & Tales of Cayman
It's "T-Time" in Cayman!
Charles Ebanks(left) and Nick Hydes show off
winning Tuna at CIIFT 2000.
By Barbara Currie-Dailey
See this week'srecipe... click here
This is dedicated to anyone who thinks wedon't have a change of seasons in the Cayman Islands. We certainlydo. Right now, we know it's Spring because many cruise ships havemigrated north to Alaska and thanks to Daylight Savings Time,Cayman Airways flights from Miami to Grand Cayman take only 20minutes. Normally shy Grassquits are feisty, defending their nests;parrots are squabbling over ripe birch seeds; wild Cayman bananaorchids are spiking and the Flame of the Forest trees (AfricanTulip) are truly glorious.
Most of all, late April in Cayman is "T-Time." That's "T" for Tuna and Tournaments. Traditionally,it's when big yellowfin are running and local anglers start Teasingnot only Tuna, but each other with rumored sightings of monsterfish. It always happens just before the annual Cayman IslandsInternational Fishing Tournament (CIIFT) which offers big cashprizes for record- breaking catches.
It stated last weekend over in Cayman Brac,with the season's first rumors of a Big One that Got Away. TheBrac holds the record for the most truly incredible fish talesin Cayman waters. That's where years ago, Frankie Bodden losta marlin so big, the eyeball the foul-hooked fish left behindcould have been used as a football. It's where wahoo are mistakenfor missiles on sonar screens.
Last weekend's phantom fish was a leapingdolphin, reportedly even bigger than local legend Delroy "Steve"Bodden's 4-year old Cayman record.
On 27 April 1998, the veteran Bracker captain/anglerbroke the existing Cayman Islands All-Tackle Record for dolphinwith a 58 lb. 8 oz. fish on 80 lb. test, claiming the top guaranteedcash prize for dolphin of US $50,000 in the First annual CIIFT.His catch shattered the previous record set of 58 lbs. set on22 April, 1982 by the late Caymanian angler Darby Bodden. It remainsthe highest guaranteed cash prize ever awarded in a Cayman tournament.
But so far the big tuna tales and theones worth big money-have come from Grand Cayman. Understand herethat I'm talking about yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albcares, the bigflashy fish Hawaiians call Ahi or "fire", for its distinguishingbrilliant yellow dorsal fin and "stripe" along the lateralline. While skipjack, blackfin and albacore are caught here, wemean yellowfin when talkin' tuna. And to my knowledge, no onehas ever caught a giant bluefin in these waters in spite of whatyou've seen in some old magazine ads.
But we have caught some really big yellowfin- and landing one takes plenty of muscle. It's like reeling ina small submarine. In March 1989 Rick Recor found that out whenhe caught a 189 lbs. 4 oz. tuna, the current Cayman record.
Last year April on the opening day of CIIFT2000, Grand Cayman's tuna legend, Charles Ebanks upstaged fellowanglers with a 97 lb. 10 oz. yellowfin tuna. That fish was theheaviest yellowfin caught in any Cayman tournament in over 10years. That fish won the US$5500 prize for CIIFT Heaviest YellowfinTuna, and the Angling Club's US$3500 prize for Member, HeaviestEligible Fish. He caught it on the 28' Jamaican canoe Run Thingsskippered by Capt. Nick Hydes.
Another big tuna won Newark, Ohio anglerChuck Spurgeon the CIIFT US$5,000 prize for Heaviest Fish by caughtby an Overseas (non resident) Angler. He caught the 67 lb. 6oz. yellowfin May 2, 2000 on Happy Hooker under Capt. Adrian Ebanks.
The Cayman Airline Pilots Tournament (CAPA,set for May 3-6) celerbates 20 years this month. It began as theCayman Airways Pilots Tournament in April 1982, a mostly-tunatournament, and the weigh station was a casuarina tree at theold Galleon Beach now, the Westin Casuarina. What a sightthat was when Tuna Tamer Capt. Davy Ebanks slipped off Capt. ArhtleEvans' Theresia D and swaggered up the beach with two 60-pluspound tunas: one slung over his shoulder, one in tow.
Grand Cayman is also the home of the country'sbest Tournament Tuna Blooper so far. A few years ago, a seasonedlocal angler wasn't paying attention to tournament standings anddidn't realize what his estimated 50-pound catch was worth. Sohe cleaned and filleted the tuna on the boat. He stopped by theweigh station later to see a fish smaller than his judged thetournament winner. He had just turned a $2,500 fish into veryexpensive sushi.
The best tuna advice I've gotten is abouttechnique but has nothing to do with trolling, tackle or riggingbait. It's about cooking this often misunderstood and deliciousfish that tastes nothing like what you buy in a can. I learnedthis years ago from Caymanian friends like Capt. Chuckie Ebanksof Black Princess Charters. Cayman's charterboat captains arenot only some of the Caribbean's top tuna fishermen, but alsosome of its best seafood cooks. You'll never taste more delicioustuna than fresh fish prepared here in the Cayman Islands. Hereare the Ten Commandments of yellowfin:
Ice the fish as soon as it's caught andkeep it well chilled until ready to clean-and chill immediatelyafter cleaning.
Yellowfin tuna spoils fast. Cleaned or uncleaned,never, ever leave a fish in the sun in the cockpit while you celebrateyour catch. Improperly handled tuna can cause a kind of fish poisoningknown as scromboid, (caused by histamines)
Have plenty of Cayman lime handy when cleaningfish. It takes away the fishy odor from your hands and naturallycleans the board and knife.
Cut tuna into 1 inch steaks-don't slicetoo thin or it will cook too fast and dry out.
Remove bones, skin and dark brown bloodline(lateral line) for best flavor.
Fresh raw yellowfin is rosy red, firm andglistens. It should not be mushy or have dried greyish or brownedges.
Fresh yellowfin has a very mild flavor,better than swordfish and is delicious, whether you use simpleor spicy seasonings. Tuna can marinate for several hours withoutbecoming "cooked" like dolphin and more delicate fish.
Regardless of whether you marinate or howyou cook it, brush tuna with a little oil or melted butter ormargarine before cooking to keep it moist.
Do not overcook tuna! It's a firm fish andshould be grilled, broiled, baked or pan fried only until it beginsto separate, about 3-5 minutes a side depending on how well doneyou like it Don't go by color. When cooked, yellowfin turns greyishwhite to tan on the outside. That does not mean it is old orbad.
Always cook enough tuna to have leftovers.It is great for breakfast or made into tuna salad.
And finally, the 11th Commandment, for tournamentanglers: Never clean a fish during a tournament until after you'veweighed it and checked the standings. You never know!
The 4th annual Cayman Islands InternationalFishing Tournament starts this Saturday, 28 April and I'll beat the weigh station every afternoon. Stop by and say hello. I'llbe lookin' for "a piece of tuna" as always, which istough today. Many fish are already sold when they hit the dock,since local restaurants and supermarkets eagerly buy them whole.
Here's another tip: if you drop by the tournamentweigh station at the C.I. Yacht Club lookin' fish, never ask whohas "tuna for sale." Ask if anyone's cutting a tunatoday. Otherwise you may end up like I did years ago, drivinghome from the Yacht Club with an iced 50-pound fish sticking outof the trunk of my Daihatsu Charade. What a nice surprise chorefor my spouse. Unless, of course, you're planning a neighborhoodfeed or fish tea for your entire condo complex.
Barbara Currie Dailey is the authorof Tortuga Rum Fever & Caribbean Party Cookbook, availablethroughout Cayman. Please call her if you have fish for sale,anytime.