The Family Island Fish Fry

The fish fry is the family island social event: on one fixed evening a week, a settlement sets up on the waterfront or in a park with grills, fryers, coolers and a sound system, and everybody comes. The food is fried snapper or grouper, cracked conch, peas and rice, macaroni and coleslaw, with sky juice and beer from the coolers, all sold by whoever is cooking. Governor's Harbour on Eleuthera runs a well-known one on Friday nights; Long Island, Exuma, Abaco and Andros settlements all have their own on their own nights. Unlike the Nassau version it is not built for visitors, who are simply welcome.

What you actually see

• The grills and fryers - set up on the waterfront for the evening.
• Fried snapper and cracked conch - the standard plates.
• The sound system - rake and scrape, goombay and whatever else.
• The whole settlement - everyone turning out, which is the point.

When to go

The night varies by island and settlement, so ask locally on arrival; Friday is the most common. They start in the early evening and run late. Governor's Harbour on Eleuthera is the best known and the easiest for a visitor to find.

Honest expectations

Nothing is published and schedules change, so the only way to find one is to ask people where you are staying. Payment is cash. There is limited seating and no shelter if it rains. Some islands have moved theirs or stopped them altogether. Arriving as an obvious outsider is fine, but this is a community event rather than an attraction and behaving accordingly matters.

Nearby

Governor's Harbour on Eleuthera; settlements on every family island.