St. Lucia dishes are some of the most delicious food you will find in the Caribbean.
From Green Figs and Saltfish, which have been passed down from generations and are today St. Lucia’s national dish, to the fried bakes served with Cocoa Tea religiously on rainy days, St. Lucian cooking will leave you wanting more.
You will find all these mouthwatering foods being prepared daily in St. Lucian households or in many local restaurants around St. Lucia. You can sample them through Claudia’s cooking class experience.
Whether you sample them prepared with love in a home kitchen or with a twist in a local restaurant, you will experience some excellent flavors.
In this article, we’ve listed some of the most famous St. Lucia dishes that are bound to excite your taste buds.
1. St. Lucia Lambi
St. Lucia Lambi is one of those dishes that you will find most often at street parties on a Friday night and the weekends in St. Lucia.
The main ingredient, Lambi in St. Lucia, is a large shellfish called a conch. Locals idolize it, and visitors also love it. Visitors who get to sample this dish are often blown away by the delicious taste of the St. Lucian way of preparing the conch.
The dish is made primarily by cooking small pieces of conch shellfish in very spicy and well-seasoned sauces.
Lambi also makes for an excellent starter to a full-course meal.
If you want to sample St. Lucia Lambi, your best bet is to head to the Gros Islet street party on a Friday night.
You can get St Lucia Lambi at a few local restaurants as appetizers, but you would be lucky to find it on the menu.
2. Green Figs and Saltfish
Green figs and saltfish are dishes that go way back to St. Lucia’s history. Green bananas and salted codfish are the main ingredients in this national dish, which is also prepared with green bananas.
St. Lucians refer to green bananas as fig. Green bananas are very popular on the Island and have been an integral part of the local diet for a long time. They are also St Lucia’s main export.
The Green Figs and Saltfish dish is prepared by cooking the green bananas separately in salted water with garlic cloves. The Codfish is boiled several times to remove the excess salt. It is then flaked and cooked again with lots of seasonings, diced tomatoes, and other local ingredients, depending on the variation of the recipe.
Green Figs and Saltfish originated during slavery in St. Lucia. At that time, green figs were served along with salted codfish because they were cheap. Since then, the dish has evolved with many different twists and variations of the recipe.
Green Figs and Saltfish are often prepared during festive celebrations in St Lucia and are on the menu of many local restaurants around the Island.
3. Fried Plantain
Plantains, which can be found in abundance in rural St. Lucian communities and at the Castries market, are a typical food on the Island. Fried plantains are usually served on their own or as a side dish at lunch or dinner.
Fried plantains are prepared from thick diagonal cuts or very clean slices. When sliced thinly and fried dry, they make for a delicious snack that children love.
Many local restaurants on the island like to prepare fried plantains in coconut oil, then season them lightly, salt them, and serve them with a tad bit of spicy sauce.
Although very popular in St Lucia, fried plantain is also a very common dish around the Caribbean. You will most likely find it served as a side dish in local St. Lucian restaurants or at Sunday lunch in local households.
4. Callaloo Soup
Callaloo soup is made from a leafy spinach-like plant that is widely used for cooking in the Caribbean. The plant can be found in abundance, mainly in the rural areas of St Lucia.
Although very popular in St. Lucia, callaloo soup has roots in West Africa. It is prepared with the main ingredients of callaloo leaf, marinated meat (various types), potatoes or ground provisions, onions, garlic, okra, and coconut milk.
Callaloo soup has many differences that are unique to specific locations in St Lucia. For example, you may find variations made with seafood like crabs, shellfish, or lobster rather than regular meat.
Callaloo soup is prepared a lot in local households. The dish is also trendy during festive times in St. Lucia, like Creole Heritage Month and National Day. You will also find it on the menu of many local St. Lucian restaurants and food stalls at the Castries market.
5. Accra
Accra is one of the most popular eats in St Lucia. It is most often prepared using small pieces of salted Codfish; however, other types of fish are used in variations of the recipe. The Accra recipe also includes lots of seasoning and spices that give it the ultimate flavor.
To give Accra that extra kick, some cooks often include scotch bonnet peppers when preparing it. All the ingredients are mixed in a creamy paste before it’s fried very dry to give the Accra and nice brown color.
You will find Accra being prepared all across St. Lucia. You will see it in a lot of small restaurants, corner shops, food stalls, and sold by vendors at St. Lucia’s street parties.
6. Breadfruit
Breadfruit is one of the foods most loved by locals in St. Lucia. It is a favorite staple food, much like potatoes, but the taste varies depending on if it is matured or ripened. It is usually cooked when matured and has a starchy taste.
Breadfruit is prepared in many different ways: It is typically boiled in salted water and served as part of a dish, it is sometimes fried after boiling, and it can be mixed with seasonings and other ingredients, made into a pie and then baked.
Cooked breadfruit goes well with fish prepared in a creole sauce or with dry stewed meats. These combinations of breadfruit dishes are accessible mainly in rural areas of St Lucia.
Fried breadfruit is commonly served on a weekend and is usually served as a side dish with spicy sauce as a dip.
Breadfruit is high in fiber and also has high volumes of vitamin C and potassium. It is said to be an excellent food to include in your diet to lower your high blood pressure and cholesterol.
7. St. Lucian Pepper Pot
St. Lucian paper pot is a variation of the traditional pepper pot stew that is cooked with meat, ground provisions, and lots of herbs and spices.
Goat or mutton are the most popular meats used in St. Lucian Pepper Pot, although other types of meats, including chicken, are used.
Ground provisions like yam and potatoes are often included in the stew. Scotch bonnet or other types of hot pepper, along with lots of seasoning, is used to give this dish the ultimate flavor.
St Lucian pepper pot at a glance may not be the most eye-catching dish. However, it is filled with ingredients that produce a burst of flavor in your mouth.
Although commonly cooked in St. Lucian households, there are many local restaurants on the Island that have it on their menu with a variety of twists to the original paper pot dish.
If you’re in for hot and spicy stew, look out for the St Lucian Pepperpot on the menu of local St Lucia restaurants.
8. St. Lucian Bouillon
St. Lucian Bouillon is a very delicious soup that includes lots of ingredients, including dumplings and meat that is mixed into a large pot.
Other Ingredients in St. Lucian bouillon are potatoes, pumpkin, and yam. Generally, pork is used, but many variations of the recipe us lamb, goat meat, beef, or even chicken as an alternative. Lentils or red beans are also included to add thickness to the soup.
A variety of seasonings are also added in St. Lucian bouillon soup along with hot pepper. Although it is not always done, St. Lucians is like ad extra hot peppers to give the dish that extra spicy kick.
After all the ingredients are added to a usually large pot, it is left to simmer until ready.
When done right, St. Lucian bouillon is a very filling recipe served in a bowl and eaten with a tablespoon. Unlike other soups, St. Lucian bouillon is a hearty, rustic soup.
Bouillon is a ubiquitous dish prepared in households, especially on a Saturday, but you may also find it at family gatherings or served at picnics.
Traditionally bouillon was served only in households. However, today you can find it on the menu of many restaurants in St. Lucia.
9. Green Fig Salad
Green fig salad is similar to potato salad but made with green bananas locally referred to as (green figs). It is a hearty dish that is very popular in St Lucia.
The main ingredients of green fig salad are cooked diced green bananas, flaked Codfish, diced vegetables and seasonings, and spices. The dish has a creamy texture given to it by the mayonnaise that is mixed in to complete the recipe.
Green fig salad is popularly served at barbecues, family gatherings, and picnics or as a side dish of the Sunday lunch in St. Lucian households.
You will also find Green Fig Salad on the menu local St. Lucian restaurants as part of a side dish.
10. Fried Bakes
Source: unitednationsoffood
Fried bakes are one of the most popular eats in St. Lucia, and it is also referred to as “float” or Johnny cakes. It is a straightforward recipe that is made by deep-frying a circular piece of dough like a doughnut but without the hole in the middle.
Fried bakes consist of a few straightforward ingredients, including flour, salt, and sugar.
Although they are called bakes, they are fried and not placed in an oven to bake. When the fried dough is cooked, it gets a golden brown color and floats to the surface of the frying pan.
When done right, they have an excellent balance between a sweet and salty taste and are very light and fluffy.
Fried bakes are popularly sold by food vendors on St. Lucia’s roadsides. You will find them being prepared at every street party that you go to while in St. Lucia. You will also see them being made in a lot of food stalls and food trucks all over the Island. And, in households on a raining day served with hot cocoa tea.
Fried bakes can be eaten on its own, but they are often stuffed with a variety of ingredients such as cheese, tuna fish, or salt fish, which is perhaps the most popular combination in St. Lucia.
Have you sampled any of the eats in this article? Share your thoughts about them in the comments. If there is a St. Lucian dish that you’ve tried and loved, which we did not mention here, tell us about it in the comments.
For a genuine taste of St. Lucia’s best local dishes, immerse yourself in Claudia’s home cooked flavors of St. Lucia cooking class experience.
Damian is a co-founder, editor, and author at Islanderkeys. He is also a dedicated father and husband. Damian is an IT Manager / Web developer by profession, but he loves to Blog and share his knowledge about St. Lucia in travel forums.
