131. Martinique: Shrimp Acras
Martinique, aaaah another holiday paradise! Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502 on his 4th voyage to the Americas. What else is there to say about this beautiful island in the Caribbean. Columbus must have been swept off his feet by the beauty of this stunning mountainous island with rainforests and magnificent beaches. Nowadays the capital Fort-de-France is a little overcrowded but the north and south of the island is still relatively untouched by tourists. Add this to the joie the vivre of the locals and you’ll understand why everyone loves Martinique.
Things you didn’t know about Martinique:
- Before the island was named Martinique by Christopher Columbus in 15th June 1502, the island was known as Jouanacaëra-Matinino, a name that comes from the Tainos of Hispaniola to mean ‘mythical island’.
- Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), the French artist, visited Martinique. Famous works painted on the island include Two Women of Martinique. The island clearly made an impact because in het later works the bright flowers and colours of the island stand out.
- Martinique is famous for African-French music known as beguine. Beguine was immortalized by Cole Porter in his song Begin the Beguine.
These shrimp fritters are amazing! A perfect appetizer during the summer months with an ice cold beer or glass a rosé. Serve with a slice of lime and don’t forget to salt them afterwards (just like you do with french fries 😉 )
Ingredients:
- 280 gr of flour
- 280 peeled shrimp
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch of parsley
- Thyme
- 236 ml water
- 1 pepper
- juice of 1 lime
- Mix the flour with 25 ml of water,
- Chop the garlic, onion, parsley, pepper, thyme and add this mixture to the previous batter.
- Add salt and pepper
- Add the chopped shrimp and lime juice
- Stir so everything is evenly divided.
- Fry the fritters in oil, using a spoon to form the fritters. (don’t make them too big because then the dough on the inside remains raw.)
- Use a skimmer, to remove from the oil as soon as they are golden. Salt a little.
- Let dry on papertowels, serve with limes
