Baked Marlin & Tuna

We spent some time in Barbados on our honeymoon. Our beautiful room at The Crane had a great kitchen, so on the final leg of our trip, we decided to cook in. All told, of the four nights we spent in Barbados, we cooked our own dinner for two of them.

Andrew and I spent a day out on the water with a charter boat, trying to catch some barracuda or wahoo, to no avail. When we got back on shore, we decided that we were still in the mood to eat fish for dinner. We got in a cab and headed for Oistins and the famous fish market there. For $12.50 USD, we got two pounds each of tuna and marlin. Amazing, because anywhere else we bought food in Barbados it was astronomically expensive.

The fish prep was pretty simple due to the lack of ingredients:

Since it was fresh (read: bloody and gross) I rinsed the fish and patted it dry. We rubbed both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. On the roasting pan that came with the oven, I made a layer of fresh herbs - thyme and marjoram, as suggested by the old lady selling vegetables out of a van at Oistins. I placed the fish on the bed of herbs, then topped it with thinly shaved fresh garlic. I felt very Goodfellas as I was slicing the garlic...but it was a good move, because the garlic got velvety soft in the oven and mellowed in flavor to provide a great accompaniment to the fish.

Our masterpiece prior to baking:



We let the fish cook at 350 degrees until it was white and flaky. I served the main dish with ingredidents I found in the grocery store that I could afford - buttered noodles and a side dish of sauteed garlicky peppers, onions, and carrots. Everything was delicious, though I did wish I had saved some of the fresh herbs to season the veggies with.