Each year, from April 1 through June 30, Jamaica issues an island-wide ban on fishing for and the consumption of lobster. The annual ban is put in place in order to support the conservation efforts of lobster and conch. Jamaica’s Bluefields Bay Villas is currently supporting the ban, and has substituted lobster with “Jamaican Shrimp” on the menu until the ban ends on July 1.
Jamaican Shrimp are actually crayfish, and can be found in abundance in the small village of Middle Quarters. Middle Quarters, which is located in St. Elizabeth on the Black River, is known island-wide as the center of "Jamaican Shrimp." Bluefields Bay Villas has secured its own shrimper who has guaranteed the villas his finest catches.
For the duration of April, May and June, Bluefields Bay Villas chefs will be preparing the crayfish as a menu special—Coconut Curried Black River Shrimp with Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce. This dish will be as a seasonal, and will be removed from the menu when lobster reapers. Regardless of whether each villa’s personal chef is preparing lobster, crayfish, or something entirely different, guests can always expect the use of fresh and local ingredients in personalized and authentic Jamaican cuisine. Now that it is spring, several fruits are in season and likely to be included is daily meal preparations such as mangoes, naseberries, star apples, and the ackee—the national fruit of Jamaica.
Bluefields Bay Villas is currently offering a four-hour fishing trip to guests staying between now and June 30. Fish that are caught will later be prepared for the guests by their personal chefs. For those who would rather leave fishing to a fisherman, the four-hour boating trip can instead be used as a chance to snorkel at the reef.
Vistit: www.bluefieldsvillas.com.
