Hudut

About This Recipe

Hudut is the centrepiece of Garifuna cuisine and one of the most iconic dishes in all of Belize. The Garifuna people — an Afro-indigenous people with roots in St Vincent who settled on the coast of Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala — prepare this ceremonial and everyday dish by cooking whole reef fish (traditionally snook or jack) in a creamy, fragrant coconut broth spiced with basil and fresh herbs, served alongside fufu: mashed green and ripe plantains pounded together into a smooth, sticky, earthy dumpling. Eating Hudut is a communal, joyful experience, scooping bites of the fufu into the rich coconut soup.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgwhole fish (snook, snapper, or sea bass), cleaned and scored
• 800 mlcoconut milk
• 200 mlwater
• 1large onion, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 stalksfresh basil
• 2 stalksfresh thyme
• 1scotch bonnet pepper, left whole
• 1 tspsalt
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 2 tbsplime juice
• 2large green (unripe) plantains, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2ripe yellow plantains, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tspsalt (for fufu)

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the fish

   Rub the scored fish all over with lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Let marinate 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the coconut broth

   In a wide pot, combine coconut milk and water. Add onion, garlic, basil, thyme, and the whole scotch bonnet. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

3. 3

   Cook the fish

   Gently lower the whole fish into the simmering coconut broth. Cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes, spooning broth over the fish, until the fish is cooked through and flaking. Remove scotch bonnet before serving if you prefer less heat.

4. 4

   Cook the plantains for fufu

   While the fish cooks, boil both green and ripe plantain chunks in salted water for 20–25 minutes until very soft. Drain well.

5. 5

   Pound the fufu

   Transfer the cooked plantains to a large bowl or mortar. Pound vigorously with a pestle or mash with a sturdy fork until you get a smooth, sticky, slightly elastic dough. Season with a little salt. Shape into round balls or ovals.

6. 6

   Serve

   Place fufu in deep bowls. Ladle the coconut fish broth generously over and around the fufu. Serve the fish whole or broken into portions alongside.

Variations

• •

  Use lobster or shrimp instead of whole fish for a luxury version.

• •

  Add ground annatto seeds to the coconut broth for a golden colour.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

The broth and fish keep refrigerated for 2 days. Fufu is best made and eaten fresh; it hardens when chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions