food in bahamas beach

Bahamian food is a unique blend of Caribbean and Southern American flavours. 

Popular and traditional food in the Bahamas you need to try:

1) Bahamian Fish Stew

food in bahamas Bahamian fish stew
Traditional food in the Bahamas – Bahamian fish stew. Photo Credit: bodinevictoria.com

Bahamian fish stew is a Creole dish that was brought to the Bahamas by Creole immigrants from Haiti. The Haitians also have a delicious cuisine.

Read more in our post what to eat in Haiti – 10 foods to try.

This Bahamian fish stew is prepared by first preparing a dark roux with flour, tomato paste and oil.

Diced carrots, onions, potatoes and spices are added. A meaty fish such as snapper or grouper is first browned, then added to the above mix. Broth or water is added to just cover the fish.

The dish is simmered until the fish is tender and fully cooked. The Bahamian stew fish is served with white rice, johnny cakes or grits. 

If you’re wondering what traditional food in the Bahamas the locals eat for breakfast, this dish is one of them.

2) Conch Fritters

A much-loved snack of Caribbean and Creole cuisine, conch fritters could be the national food in Bahamas. Conch fritters are quite simple to prepare and loved by locals and visitors keen to try food in Bahamas. 

Conch fritters are made with a batter of tenderised pieces of conch meat, onions, peppers, and seasonings. The batter is deep-fried until golden brown.

They’re best served with an easy dipping sauce made of mayonnaise, ketchup, fresh lemon juice, seasonings, and hot chilli sauce for a little kick!

3) Conch salad

food in bahamas Conch salad
Traditional Food in Bahamas is all about Conch salad. Photo Credit: thefoodxp.com

Conch are seashell molluscs, otherwise known as sea snails. To prepare a conch salad, sometimes referred to as conch ceviche, the fresh conch meat is firstly diced.

Chopped onion, tomato, peppers, salt and pepper are added to the mix. A fresh marinade of lemon, lime and orange juice is poured over and mixed through. 

You can find some of the best conch salad (and most affordable) on the island of Nassau. Head down to the small colourful food stalls at the harbour.

Half the fun is watching them chop up the vegetables and conch and put it together for you. Super fresh!

Check out this Conch salad recipe to recreate back home.

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4) Cracked Conch

One of the most popular Bahamian dishes. If you ask a Bahamian what is the traditional food in Bahamas you need to try during your visit, they’ll likely tell you to try this one, cracked conch. 

Cracked conch is basically fried conch. The secret to a good cracked conch is pounding the conch meat with a mallet to tenderise it before cooking.

The slim slices of conch are breaded or coated with batter, then deep-fried. The taste is similar to fried calamari which is common in other parts of the world. In the Bahamas, cracked conch usually comes with a tasty dipping sauce, and fries.

We tasted the best cracked conch on this Bites and Sites Food and Culture Tour in Nassau. 

5) Baked Crab

food in bahamas baked crab
Baked crab is delicious food in Bahamas to try. Photo Credit: cutoutandkeep.net

This is a very popular dish among Bahamians. It’s created using cooked crab meat that is then mixed with egg, bread crumbs, onions, peppers, thyme and butter. This combination is placed back into the crab’s shell and then baked until golden brown. 

Typically served with vegetables, baked potatoes or steamed rice. 

Don’t forget to ask for a big slice of lemon to squeeze over that delicious stuffing inside your baked crab.

6) Guava Duff

food in bahamas guava duff
The best sweet food in Bahamas is Guava duff. Photo Credit: cookist.com

Looking to try food in Bahamas of the sweet kind? This Bahamian dessert is special. It’s essentially simmered then diced guava which is then folded into pastry dough and then boiled.

Usually served with a butter rum custard sauce (my favourite part of this dish), this is a deliciously rich dessert that you’ll be wanting to recreate back home and this recipe by cookist.com is perfect.

7) Bahamian Rock Lobsters

Also referred to as spiny lobsters, these are enjoyed broiled or steamed, in patties, in Creole-style sauces or as the hero ingredient of a Caribbean salad.

Whichever way you prefer to eat this food in Bahamas, you will always want more!

8) Souse

food in bahamas souse
Souse is food in Bahamas that is delicious and cures your hangover too! Photo Credit: souptour.com

A hugely popular Bahamian dish and one that is thought to cure any hangover! This is a good chicken souse recipe by souptour.com.

Souse is a stew made of celery, onions, peppers, potatoes, carrots, lime juice, bay leaves, and meat.

This could be pork, lamb, chicken, or even oxtail. 

9) Peas and dumpling soup 

This tasty Bahamian soup includes ham, pigeon peas (nutty-tasting pulse/legume), vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, plantains, peppers and stewed tomatoes.

The dumplings are generally made with flour, salt, pepper, and coconut milk or milk. This soup is a Bahamian staple in home kitchens, small restaurants and eateries and is especially popular during cooler times of the year.

This warming soup is generally served with johnnycakes.

10) Johnny cake

food in bahamas johnny cakes
Johnny cakes are food in Bahamas you should definitely try at least once.Photo Credit: food.com

Johnny cake is essentially a dense, baked or fried flatbread made of cornmeal. It’s typically made with a basic flour, sugar, milk, and butter dough.

Once baked or fried to a golden brown colour, johnny cake has a soft consistency.

Johnny cakes are often served as an accompaniment to Bahamian dishes like soups, stews and curries. Many also enjoy them with butter or jam.

This johnny cakes recipe by food.com is a good one.

Food Tours & Experiences in the Bahamas

food in bahamas boat in water

We couldn’t agree more that food in Bahamas is everywhere, yet sometimes the best food can be found with the help of a local food-lover.

What better way to experience the best Bahamian cuisine than reserving a spot on a food tour? 

A knowledgeable food-loving guide will take you to the best markets, street food stalls and restaurants, and you will learn about Bahamian food as you wander and eat. 

Check out Get Your Guide for the best range of food tours in Nassau and other parts of the Bahamas.

I hope you enjoyed learning about what food in Bahamas is all about. Let us know your favourite dish from the Bahamas in the comments below.

Don’t forget to check out our post about how to go Island hopping in the Caribbean. 

Travel Tips & Inspiration

We love to share our knowledge of traveling, and you may enjoy reading our best-ever travel tips and our ultimate packing list for travellers.

For the food lovers out there, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies! And, if you’re more interested in history, these 30 amazing historical places in the world will fascinate you! 

If you’re travelling on a budget, these 21 cheapest countries to visit right now is just the thing you’ve been searching for. 

We’ve got a bunch of tips for how you can save money to travel the world, and even when you’re out there travelling, maybe these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world will help you travel longer. It worked for us, and we bet it can work for you too.

Finally, these top 6 travel hacks to save you money are great to read when planning your travels.

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