Our top 10 food to try in Caye Caulker list starts with the most famous food on the list – the Caribbean Spiny Lobster. But Belizean cuisine is much more that that and even if you don’t like fish or seafood, there is something for everybody!
1. Lobster and / or Conch
Fresh lobster and conch are available in many variations from grilled lobster, to lobster pizza. Most restaurants offer some kind of lobster dish during season. Lobster season starts on June 15 and allows for harvesting of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster until February 14. October 1 marks the beginning of Conch season. Our favorites are conch fritters and conch ceviche.
Insider Tip: Watch out for Miss Ruby who rides her bike down Front Street and sells her homemade conch fritters every afternoon during conch season. Delicious!
2. Ceviche
Ceviche is a delicious appetizer made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and in lime juice marinated seafood of your choice. Lobster and conch ceviche are available during season, or shrimp or fish ceviche all year around.
3. Fresh Fish
Fish can’t get any fresher than on an island. Fishermen go out every morning and deliver their catch of the day to the restaurants. Snappers, Barracudas, Groupers are just some of the fish on the menus. Don’t forget to try Lionfish! Lionfish is an invasive species in the Caribbean that eats our commercial fish and has not natural predators. So, the best way to take care of this problem is to eat it. Lionfish is delicious and best as a fillet or whole fish.
4. Salpicon
Salpicon is similar to ceviche, but with meat. Usually prepared with chicken instead of the seafood.
5. Fry Jacks
Fry Jacks are traditional to Belizean cuisine and usually served for breakfast. Fry Jacks is fried dough usually paired with eggs, refried beans, bacon or sausage, and fresh fruit. If you are looking for a breakfast to go, check out Errolyn’s House of Fry Jacks. They serve the delicious fried dough similar to a calzone filled with chicken, eggs, cheese, etc.
6. Chicken, Rice & Beans
You haven’t been to Belize if you didn’t try the staple of Belizean cuisine – chicken, rice and beans. It’s the go-to meal for every Belizean family and every family has their own special way of preparing it. Red beans and rice are cooked in coconut milk and served with stewed chicken, fried plantains and potato salad or cole slaw.
7. Cochinita Pibil
Cochinita Pibil or Pork Pibil is a slow roasted pork dish. It’s marinated and then wrapped in plantain leaf, placed inside a large roasting pan that then goes underground or inside a clay oven with firewood and slow cooked and smoked for hours until the meat is tender. Pibil is served with corn tortillas, fresh habanero pepper, and avocado (during season).
Insider Tip: While most restaurants serve fish, rice and beans, or fry jacks, cochinita pibil is usually not on the menu. The best shot is to ask for pibil at the Royal Orchid Restaurant and Bar on the south end of Front Street. They serve this dish as a special usually on Fridays.
8. Escabeche
Escabeche is a delicious chicken onion soup with roots in the Yucatec Mayan cuisine. The chicken is seasoned and lightly broiled, then roasted and served in a light and clear chicken soup seasoned with onions, black pepper, allspice, and Jalapeno pepper. Escabeche is served with homemade corn tortillas.
9. Salbutes
Salbutes are tasty small fried corn tortillas topped with chicken, shredded iceberg salad or cabbage, tomatoes, avocadoes and shredded cheese. It’s a perfect appetizer to share!
10. Breakfast Tacos
Early in the morning you can buy breakfast tacos on several little food stands around the island. The corn or flour tortillas are filled with stewed chicken or pork and topped with spicy onion sauce (optional).
The following restaurants provided the dishes for the photos: Hibisca Restaurant, Royal Orchid Restaurant & Bar, LICA, Errolyn’s House of Fry Jacks, Barrier Reef Sports Bar.
Hope you will enjoy our Top 10 Food To Try In Caye Caulker!
Now that we build a good base, let’s check out our Belikin Beer!
