After arriving in the coastal city of Elmina, Ghana, I headed to my hotel, where I enjoyed some of the tastiest Ghanaian food so far on my trip! Come with me as I try some amazing West African seafood in Elmina, Ghana!
Elmina is the first European settlement in the country and dates back to the 16th century. It was conquered by the Portuguese and is a very lively city! I couldn’t wait to visit my hotel and have some dinner!
My guide Isaac from Jolinaiko Eco Tours and I were headed to the Golden Hill Parker Hotel. Along the way, we drove through a fisherman market and continued uphill down a dirt road to the hotel. It sits at the top of the hill! Their Ocean View Restaurant overlooks the city, the salt fields, and the sea.
Golden Hill Parker Hotel has 16 rooms in total, a restaurant, and a pool. I had my choice between two different rooms. From the hotel, you can also see Elmina Castle, also known as Castelo da Mina and St. George of the Mine Castle.
My room, 22, had a king-sized bed and was almost a mirror image of room 23 across the hall, which had two twin beds instead. It had a spacious bathroom with a toilet, shower, and sink. There was also a minibar, a desk and lockbox, a chair, air conditioning, and a TV. The views from the terrace were beautiful!
I met up with Emmanuel from the Golden Hill Parker Hotel, who took me to the open-air Ocean View Restaurant, which also has a lounge area. There’s also a far with lots of local and imported drinks.
I started with a bitter akpeteshie, which is very herbal and medicinal and good for your immune system. I tried another that was strong, bitter, and sweet.
Then, I went to the kitchen and watched the cooks prepare a grilled prawn curry; okra stew with fish, banana, and crab; yam fries; beef stew; and rice. Everything is fresh and never frozen. The entire staff was so warm and friendly!
They brought me several dishes: prawn curry with vegetables, yam fries, prawns with jollof, a salad, banku, and okra stew with crab and fish. The prawn curry was so fresh and contained onions, carrots, and green peppers.
The yam fries with shito were great, and the shito was nice and spicy! I loved that everything was organic and local. I couldn’t get enough of the prawns and vegetables. It reminded me of a Thai green curry.
The fried prawns were also excellent, and the yellow rice contained raisins. The prawns were amazing with the shito! One of my favorite things I was starting to learn about Ghanaian cuisine is that nothing is bland.
The people of Ghana make sure to use lots of spices, herbs, and seasonings in everything. A lot of the dishes have a spicy kick to them as well! I also noticed that there’s a lot more rice in Ghanaian cuisine than bread.
Then, I jumped on the okra stew and banku (cassava dough and corn flour mash). You pinch off a bit of the banku with your fingers and dip it into the stew for a flavorful, mouthwatering bite! The stew was very thick and viscous because of the okra.
The dish was super exotic and there were some bones from the fish, but it was incredibly tasty. I loved it! If you visit a foreign country and don’t eat, or at least try, their food, you miss out on a massive part of the culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Eating West African seafood was the perfect way to end another day in Ghana. Huge thanks to Jolinaiko Eco Tours and the Golden Hill Parker Hotel for making my first evening in Elmina so memorable!
I hope you liked coming with me to try West African seafood in Elmina market, Ghana! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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