11 Bahamian foods and drinks you have to try in the Bahamas

06.01.2025 - 15:35 / lonelyplanet.com

Jan 4, 2025 • 6 min read

Bahamian food blends African, European and New World traditions to create an uncomplicated, tongue-tingling island cuisine. Throw in superb local seafood, tropical produce and rum-based treats derived from centuries of Caribbean and North Atlantic sugar production, and you’ve got the ideal sustenance for exploring this emerald-green subtropical archipelago.

You’ll find a standard repertoire of dishes repeated throughout the islands, with small, distinctive touches added by both roadside vendors and chefs working at beachside restaurants and high-end resorts. Freshness and unabashed flavor are the hallmarks of good Bahamian cooking, and they can be found in every corner of the country.

This muscular sea snail abounds in Bahamian waters, providing the islands’ favorite source of protein. Tough and toothsome in their natural state, they take on new dimensions in the hands of skilled cooks winkling them alive from their shells.

Conch (käNGk) salad, a tangy tangle of conch meat, onion, tomato, peppers, Scotch bonnet chili, lemon, lime and orange, is always diced and tossed to order. Cracked conch – tenderized, breaded and deep-fried strips, served with hot and tartar sauces – is equally beloved.

Where to try it: Unassuming little harborside joint Stuart’s Conch Stand, in Bailey Town on North Bimini, does fresh and fabulous conch salad.

More exciting than it sounds, Bahamian boil fish stands or falls on the quality of its seafood. Happily, the fresh grouper and snapper that are ubiquitous around these islands find their way into this fish stew – often served for breakfast and especially popular at holidays and family celebrations.

Flapping-fresh fish is seasoned with lime, salt and pepper, then added to a broth of onions, potato and celery, flavored with garlic, thyme, cloves and Scotch bonnets. Once cooked, the boil is served with cornmeal grits or golden pan-baked Johnny cakes.

Where to try it: If you’re in luck, Queen Conch on dreamy, laidback Harbour Island will have this fish-lover’s treat on the menu.

Lobster means luxury, and few places offer it as fresh and fantastic as the Bahamas. The spiny lobster is abundant in Caribbean and North Atlantic waters, making your chances of buying it fresh from fishing boats or finding it on menus deliciously high. Unlike Maine lobsters, this shellfish variety doesn’t have large claws and typically delivers less meat, but its firmness and natural flavors remain a must-try Bahamian treat. Often served simply barbecued, subtly curried or sautéed with onions and peppers, it’s fished from August to March.

Where to try it: The 18th-century grandeur of Nassau’s Graycliff Hotel complements this luxury dish to perfection.

Unglamorous souse – a stew of chicken