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Tastes & Talesof Cayman
Tilapia- "St. Peter'sFish," Fresh from your local Cayman ...Farm?
Click here for Barbara's recipe Escoveitched Fish
It's almost Easter in Cayman and tins ofTastee and tons of HTB are disappearing everywhere, raising thequestion: who actually eats all that bun 'n cheese??
While I'm finding the answer to that question,I'll switch to another timely topic: fish, which traditionally,is a favorite Easter Sunday and Monday dish. But unlike simplertimes, when Caymanians could always count on a nice fish stewor plate of steam fish on the weekend table, today it can be anexpensive delicacy, quite often not even from our own sea.
But there is one fish swimming in Caymanwaters that could be an economical and year-round Catch of theDay, one whose name is far more exotic than its appearance: Tilapia(pronounced til-AH-pee-ah.) Because of its more modest price,you may already be familiar with this snapper-like fish sold ascreamy white filets. But you probably don't know its fascinatinghistory -or that Tilapia has been farmed right here on Grand Caymansince 1993. This fish's local habitat is large freshwater tanksat Roy Mitchell's Aquaculture, Cayman's only small-scale commercialfish farm, in Lower Valley.
What makes this fish so special? Certainlynot its looks, more like a sunfish or perch than a saltwater snapper.But Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) is good for you. Nutritionally,it is protein-rich and has very little fat and almost no saturatedfat. A 4-ounce serving has only 100 calories-and 0.5 grams ofsaturated fat. Its firm white or pinkish flesh has a sweet, mildflavor that might remind you of farmed USA catfish. It takes seasoningwell - make that needs seasoning and is perfect for our spicyCaribbean dishes. It can be baked, broiled, pan-fried or steamed.Most of the Tilapia sold today in this part of the world is farm-raisedin Costa Rica, Honduras and Columbia.
But Tilapia's rich history belies its plainappearance- it is one of the world's oldest delicacies.
This history can be traced back over 4500years through hieroglyphs and carvings depicting this small fish,suggesting it was the food of Egyptian Kings and Pharaohs. Nativeto the Nile River, Tilapia spread to the fresh waters of Africaand Asia and has been eaten for millennia and farmed since 2500BC. Tilapia has several names including St. Peter's Fish, whichwas how it was first sold in Jamaica 16 years ago. But no oneever explained that name, which has tremendous marketing value.
Remember the Bible story of the miraculouscatch at Galilee that turned Jesus' disciples into "fishersof men?" Tilapia is believed to have been the humble fishreferred to in Luke 5: 1-10.
After Simon Peter and his companions fishedall night and caught nothing, Jesus instructed them to go backout and try again. In view of the huge crowd gathered , theirnets were soon filled to breaking, almost sinking the boats. Hencethe appropriate name, St. Peter's Fish.
Back to modern times. At Cayman's recentAgricultural Show, Mr. Mitchell's attention grabbing (or was that"mouth-watering") exhibit was a 7-foot wide tank containinga dozen fat, healthy 3-4 pound Tilapia. Like most who stoppedto stare, I had no idea his fish farm existed. Cayman is alwaysfull of surprises. I also tried my best to talk him out of one,but these were prize stock and for display only. Mr. Mitchelland his son Leroy launched the project in 1993 and so far, ithas remained a small operation.
"What got me going was seeing our localfish supply being depleted and our reefs slowly dying. I thought,'What are my grandchildren going to be left with? What could wedo to ease pressure on our local marine life? I learned aboutTilapia farming while visiting my brother in Jamaica about 10years ago and that gave me the idea. It's a very good fish: thereare so many things you can do with it and it has become very popularoverseas. Today, there are many successful Tilapia farms all overthe world in warm climates and we could have a much larger operationhere. They can spawn every 45 to 70 days. But it is hard workand we need awareness of what fish farming could do for Cayman,"Mr. Mitchell said.
That's an understatement. Aquaculture isa complex and challenging undertaking. It requires constant, diligentmonitoring of tank conditions, including water quality and foodsupply. Mr. Mitchell's stock averages about 3000 fish that growin five tanks constantly replenished with fresh well water. Hebuys the food supply, usually fry, from Florida. Mr. Mitchellcan harvest his fish when they reach 10 months, averaging 3-4pounds and sells them (fresh, never frozen) to the Farmer's Marketon Thomas Russell Way. (I asked this week: the next supply willbe available sometime in April.)
We "old folk" always used to jokeabout statements that began with "What these islands reallyneed...." But after tasting Tilapia and understanding thatwith financing and proper planning, fish farming could happenon a large scale right here, you'll agree: what these islandsreally need is support for local entrepreneurs like Roy Mitchell.
Barbara Currie Dailey is the author of TortugaRum Fever & Caribbean Party Cookbook. She is considering farmingTilapia in their 65, 000 gallon cisterns at home but that's onhold until the Water Authority finishes repairs on the water mainsalong Crewe Road.