Trini Bake and Shark
Bake and Shark is an iconic dish of the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a trendy street food and a must-try for visitors to the island. If you ever visit the island of Trinidad and Tobago, you must also visit our beaches. Maracas Bay is one of the most popular beach and tourist attractions on the island. As a tourist to the island, you cannot leave without tasting a Maracas Bake and Shake. It is what all tourist looks forward to when visiting the islands. As we celebrate 57 years of Independence, I take this opportunity to send out independence day wishes to all Trinbagonians.
How to make bake and Shark?
Firstly, you have to prepare the Shark. Wash the Shark thoroughly and add lime juice. Squeeze well to release the liquid.
Add the green season with the salt, pepper sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, paprika, fish seasoning, and mix until all the pieces are evenly coated with the green seasoning. The recipe for green seasoning can be found in my Trini Pelau Recipe. Allow marinating for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. If you have time, you can season the night before and allow it to marinate overnight.
How to prepare the Shark for frying
Place seasoned Shark in flour; using your fingertips, rub the Shark in the flour to ensure that you coat them evenly.
Heat your oil on medium to high heat, place it into the now hot oil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not over-cook, as it may get a little bit tough. Remove from the hot oil, drain on paper towels and get ready to make your bake and shark sandwiches.
How to make Fried Bake
The bake is referred to as a fried dough using the deep-fry method. It is made of all-purpose flour, baking powder and or yeast, salt, sugar, and sometimes butter. Water is used to bring the dry ingredients together to form a dough. Sift your flour, baking powder, add yeast if using and salt, add sugar and a little butter.
Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a hole in the center of the flour and start pouring water little by little slowly while mixing the ingredients in a circular motion. Mix the ingredients gently until you form a nice soft dough.
Allow to rest for about 5 minutes, then dust with flour and knead to form a smoother dough. Rub some oil on top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap or a damp paper or kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
The dough is allowed to rest for at least 30 minutes, after which it is cut into pieces to form balls.
The balls are then rolled out flat in a circle to create a rounded bake. Please roll out all the balls into a flat circular dough before you start frying the dough.
Using the deep-fry method to fry the dough, heat your oil on medium to high heat. This rolled-out round dough is then placed into the heated oil and fried until they puff up. The inside of the bake becomes hollow, which allows for stuffing. You can fry the dough as dark or as light as you want it.
How to Eat Bake and Shark
Cut the bake open and place the Shark inside the bake. You can then add toppings like lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, garlic sauce, ketchup, pepper sauce, chadon beni sauce, tamarind sauce, to name a few.
The best thing about buying bake and Shark in Trinidad is getting to choose all the toppings you wish to add to your bake and Shark. You can still have this experience by making your own bake and Shark at home. Here’s the recipe for this iconic dish below.
Trinidad Bake and Shark
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Ingredients for Fried Bake
- 2 cups flour all-purpose, plus more for dusting
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp yeast optional
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- 1 cup water lukewarm
- 3 cups canola vegetable oil, or coconut oil for frying.
Ingredients for Shark
- 2 pounds Shark
- 1 lime
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp green seasoning
- 1 tsp pepper sauce
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion small minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper optional
- 1 tsp fish seasoning Maggi optional
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup flour all-purpose for frying
- 3-4 cups canola coconut, vegetable oil for frying – same oil used to fry bake
Instructions
Instructions for Fried Bake
- In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder, add salt, sugar, and butter.
- Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Make a hole in the center of the flour and start pouring water little by little slowly while mixing the ingredients in a circular motion. Mix the ingredients gently until you form a nice soft dough.
- If the dough is too sticky, dust with a tablespoon of flour; if the dough is too dry after adding all the water, add a teaspoon or so of water and bring the dough together.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for a few seconds until almost smooth.
- Allow to rest for about 5 minutes, then dust with flour and knead to form a smoother dough.
- Rub some oil on top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap or a damp paper or kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough into about 8 pieces. Roll them into balls and place them on a well-floured surface. Allow them to rest for about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, add oil in a deep pan over medium heat
- While the oil is heating, using a rolling pin, roll out the ball with short light strokes in one direction until you get the required size. Do not stretch. Roll out all eight balls so that they are readily available to fry.
- When oil is heated thoroughly, add the rolled-out dough one by one to the hot oil.
- Turn dough immediately as it's added to the oil, as this will help the bake swell or puff up
- Fry in hot oil until both sides are golden brown to your desire. Some people prefer light brown while others prefer a darker brown.
- Drain on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
- Serve Warm
Instructions for Frying Shark
- In a large bowl, wash the shark pieces thoroughly with tap water, add the lime juice and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. Then squeeze dry as shark meat tend to hold liquid.
- Add the green season with the salt, pepper sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, paprika, fish seasoning, and mix until all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Allow marinating for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. If you have time, you can season the night before and allow it to marinate overnight.
- Once the Shark is marinated, heat your oil on medium to high heat.
- Take each piece of seasoned Shark and coat it all over with your flour, place it into the now hot oil.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not over-cook, as it may get a little bit tough.
- Remove from the hot oil, drain on a paper towel and get ready to make your bake and shark sandwiches.
- Serve Warm