Because it’s an island, Trinidad is a great place to enjoy succulent, mouthwatering seafood. Come with me as I head 20 minutes north of the capital to get my first taste of Trinidadian seafood in Trinidad and Tobago!
Joining me on this adventure in Santa Cruz was my friend, Trini chef extraordinaire Jason Peru. It’s actually Jason’s hometown, so he’s passionate about the area and knows it well.
Our first adventure was having lobster roti and turkey roti at The Roti Cafe. It’s a small takeaway shop with over 15 rotis on the menu.
The lobster roti was like a huge, thick burrito. I loved the golden color, which was from the turmeric in the dough.
The lobster curry and dal inside were light, buttery, and flavorful, and the roti itself was exceptional. I could see why everyone comes here to try it. The tender lobster was succulent and juicy.
Jason’s turkey roti was so fresh and tasty. The gravy and potatoes were so good, and the meat straight off the bone blew my mind. The combination of chana, gravy, and potatoes blew my mind.
Then, we had an Angostura Chill, which is a lemon-lime soda with bitters. It was perfect for the hot weather, and so refreshing!
But the food is so good and comforting, it makes you want to fall asleep! The best thing is, it’s super affordable!
Next, we drove up to Maracas Beach on the northern coast of Trinidad. The drive reminded me of the El Yunque Rainforest of Puerto Rico.
Along the way, we stopped at a natural spring near a sculpture. It’s a beautiful area and the water is cool and fresh, and feels really pure!
Then, we came across a guy selling lots of goods, including nuts, dried fruits, oils, incense, and more. He let me try some of the oil and gave me a bottle of nuts as a gift. He was super nice!
Finally, we reached the lookout point, where there were vendors selling snacks including sweets, preserved fruits, and chow, as well as handmade crafts and jewelry. They even had packaged gulab jamun, barfi, and sugar cake.
I tried the sugar cake, which was hard and full of pure coconut. It was amazing and super sweet as well.
The gulab jamun was a little different from the Indian version. It was coated in sugar instead of swimming in sugar syrup. It was flaky and sweet, like the ultimate donut!
Then, beyond the vendors is the lookout point overlooking the beach. A lot of the crafts were made from calabash shells. Three gifts for my daughters and niece cost me 195 TTD, or about $29 USD.
Next, we drove 5 minutes to Patsy’s Bake and Shark on Maracas Beach to have some bake and shark! This area really reminded me of Puerto Rico with its jungle and mountains.
We saw their fried shrimp with fries, which cost 60 TTD, or about $10 USD. In the back, we watched the cook fry us a puri-like flatbread and some hammerhead shark. They also put a couple of filets in a sandwich!
You can dress it with various vegetables and condiments, including coleslaw, lettuce, pineapple, red onion, cucumber, and more. We added slaw, pineapple, tomatoes, purple onion, garlic sauce, pepper sauce, chadon beni, tamarind chutney, and cucumbers.
The bake and shark sandwich was massive. The refreshing vegetables and pineapple were amazing, and the shark was meaty, tender, and crispy. It also had some heat to it! The bread was also so fluffy! It might be the best fish sandwich I’ve ever had.
Then, we got a snow cone from the guys at North Koast Snow Cone outside. I got cotton candy and guava flavors for 15 TTD/roughly $2.50 USD. It was a nice rainbow slushie!
Then, we walked to Maracas Beach, the most popular beach in the country! It’s beautiful!
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