Sky Juice and Flying Fish: Traditional Caribbean Cooking (Paperback)

by Jessica B. Harris (Author) "The culinary history of the Caribbean region began long before Columbus's arrival in this hemisphere..." (more)
Key Phrases: punch vieux, creole vinaigrette, cane vinegar, Puerto Rico, New World, Puerto Rican (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Harris ( Hot Stuff: A Cookbook in Praise of the Piquant ) offers an enthusiastic and enticing introduction to the lively array of cuisines found in the Caribbean islands. Combining research with observations from her own experiences, she explores the "culinary quirks" of different islands (turtle steak can be sampled in the Cayman Islands, and while peas and rice are "laughingly referred to as the Jamaican coat of arms," curried goat is a local specialty) and supplies a useful glossary of ingredients and utensils. Dishes range from appetizers to desserts, and one can taste bacalaitos (codfish fritters) from Puerto Rico, fricasseed chicken from Saint Kitts or breadfruit stuffed with onion and tomato from Jamaica. Most of the recipes are simple enough to encourage readers to try unfamiliar dishes, although several contain at least one unusual, specialty-store ingredient, such as the Scotch bonnet-type chile in soupe aux pois rouges (kidney bean soup). Harris suggests substitutions for some uncommon items, such as Cascadura (a mudfish found near Trinidad); cooks who can't locate the fish can substitute shrimp to make a flavorful curry.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Harris is the author of Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons ( LJ 5/15/89), a collection of African-inspired New World dishes, and Hot Stuff: A Cookbook in Praise of the Piquant ( LJ 8/85); now she turns to the traditional dishes of the Caribbean islands. Her lively text is well written and informative, and she provides historical background and an excellent glossary as well as an assortment of recipes both simple and sophisticated. Once again, she includes many unusual dishes not found in other books on the topic, such as Dunstan Harris's Island Cooking ( LJ 12/1/88) and John DeMers's Caribbean Cooking ( LJ 3/ 15/89). Highly recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (February 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671681656
• ISBN-13: 978-0671681654
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,164 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Caribbean & West Indian
  #32 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Juice
  #44 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Meat, Poultry & Seafood > Seafood

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Cookbook!!!!!!!!!..........., December 13, 2001

By	Margaret "fugirl" (NYC) - See all my reviews

.............I had bought this cookbook for a friend and for three weekends straight she has enjoyed cooking from it. What initially attracted me to this Caribbean cookbook in particular was the wonderful way Jessica Harris covers the cooking history and traditions of each of the countries in the region and for its extensive ingredient and utensil glossary.

Although there are no photos in the book, the delicious sounding recipes really appealed to me and have not disappointed my friend, who has been always been a big fan of Jamaican and Caribbean cuisine, in general. We've had great fun cooking together from it and have been particularly pleased with: Jerked Pork (Jamaica), Garlic Pork (Guyana), Curried Chicken (Trinidad), and the Shrimp Creole (Caribbean). The Surullito appetizer (Puerto Rican cornmeal and cheese snack) was also delectable. There are also chapters in this cookbook filled with soup recipes, desserts, beverages, vegetable, condiment and sauce recipes. I highly recommend this cookbook not only for its great recipes, but for its Caribbean cooking history lessons. The recipes have also proven to be a lot of fun to cook with a group of friends.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME but wish it had pictures!, January 29, 2002

By	"jostineli" (USA) - See all my reviews

You have NEVER cooked like this. The first night I made REAL AUTHENTIC SHRIMP CREOLE & SWEET CORNBREAD made with coconut milk. This book is fun, easy to read and the recipes are most delicious. a MUST for those looking to get away from the boring. But also - not too exotic for those family members afraid to try new dishes (my kids) !

I recommend this book to new cooks as well as the experienced.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recipes that Redefine the Word Delicious, February 17, 2007

By	Katie Osborne (Portland, Oregon and the sunny Caribbean) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One day last week I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

SKY JUICE AND FLYING FISH is one of the books I kept. In addition to traditional Caribbean recipes, this book also has one of the best Jerk Seasoning recipes I've ever tasted. The" Bananes Jaunes au Gratin des Deux Fromages" which translates to "Yellow Bananas aux Gratin with Two Cheeses", for those of you who don't read French, is simply a mouthwatering dish that is to die for. I must confess to never having seen this dish served, it's French, so you can probably get it in a restaurant in Martinique or Guadeloupe, but with the recipe in this book, you can make it yourself. You won't be disappointed.

The "Sopa de Frijol Negro" ("Black Bean Soup") from Cuba is very, very good and easy to make if you've got a left over ham hock. And it's good to have something to do with that ham bone besides split pea soup. Also, have you ever had Cream of Banana soup? It's in this book and you'll love it. In fact you'll love most of the recipes in SKY JUICE AND FLYING FISH. I know I do.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne