Before heading to the islands, many cruisers spend a lot of time worrying about provisioning for the Bahamas. They worry they won’t be able to find X, Y, or Z — or that the prices will be too much to bear.
We always like to remind people that the locals eat, too. And while things are more expensive, if you experiment with new-to-you brands and different dishes, you might find that a fun element of your island vacation is the new foods you’ll discover and love.
In that vein, here are six island treats we long for when we’re not in the islands. These are all things we discovered along the way, things we didn’t even know existed (or at least didn’t know to look for) before we wandered the aisles of little settlement grocery stores.
Six Island Treats You Can Only Get in The Bahamas
During our travels along the East Coast, we’ve collected quite a list of things we stock up on in each port. We can’t visit New Bern, North Carolina, without a few delicious Indian meals from Bay Leaf. We can’t visit Camden, Maine, without taking home a few bottles of gin from Barrens Distillery. And we can’t pass a Publix Supermarket without ordering at least one PubSub (Boar’s Head Italian, 5-Grain bread, Provolone, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, etc.) If I’m being honest, we won’t pass up quite a few things from the Publix bakery, either. We’re Floridians through and through.
Never mind provisioning for our trip to The Bahamas; we now provision for our trip back to the US!
We love finding new treats and goodies wherever we visit, and The Bahamas is no exception. Here are some of the treats we long for when we’re not in the islands.
Ricardo Coconut Rum
There is no substitute for this rum, which is incomparable to the coconut rums you find in the US. It is nothing like Malibu or the others. Unfortunately, it is not exported to the US.
Ricardo is a local brand distilled in Freeport. They have a range of plain rums and other flavors, including pineapple and mango. The coconut is the absolute best, however. It is very sweet and can be enjoyed in many ways, including straight up.
Our favorite Ricardo recipe is simple: over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime and a splash of soda.
But Ricardo is the go-to behind every bar in the Bahamas. If you’ve ever wondered why rum punches never taste as good in the States, it’s because you don’t have access to Ricardo Coconut Rum.
At about $22 per liter, it’s also a rocking good deal.
Fresh Island Bread
In every settlement, an enterprising person becomes the island baker. They bake for the locals and supply fresh bread to the island’s grocery store. The grocery stores usually have sliced sandwich bread from America, too, but I don’t know why anyone would pick that stale junk — especially since it’s typically close to the same price!
There are usually two choices: plain or coconut. The plain is delicious, but we’ll always pick the coconut if it’s available. If you don’t see any fresh bread on the shelf, always ask. Sometimes, you can put your name on the list and have a fresh loaf with your name on it the following day!
In 2024, loaves were selling for about $6 each in the Abacos.
Because it doesn’t involve hard-to-find items, we’ve made a pretty good copycat Bahamas coconut bread recipe to bake when we return home.
Boat-made Conch Fritters
Lucy and I don’t eat much seafood, especially shellfish. Lucy’s not a fan, and I don’t care enough to make it for myself. But there’s one exception when we get to the Bahamas every season: conch fritters. It probably helps that fritters usually have very little conch. They are, more or less, fried balls of dough — one of our favorite food groups!
I’ve been a little obsessed with conch fritters since I was a teenager living in Key Largo. I tried every restaurant to find the best in the Keys. But very few restaurants in Florida can compare with what you can find in the Bahamas.
Eating seafood at island restaurants is out of our budget, except for special occasions. It’s also inconsistent and not one of our favorite activities — we’re usually underwhelmed. And we are not — I repeat, not — going to be catching, killing, cleaning, and pounding conch on our boat. Yuck.
Here’s the trick we’ve learned: In many island grocery stores, you can find homemade conch fritter batter in the freezer section. Sometimes, it’s sold in a simple ziplock bag; other times, it’s a little fancier plastic tub. It’s usually between $10 and $15, so it’s a treat. But you typically get two night’s worth for the price of a tiny restaurant serving.
Then, how to cook it? Conch fritters are usually deep-fried, but that’s not my favorite thing to do on a boat. I’ve found that I can pan-fry them in avocado oil just fine. They come out more like small, fat pancakes, but they cook through and taste delicious.
The final step here is the dipping sauce. Cocktail sauce is the wrong answer, and it’s the quickest way to get a conch fritter one-star-would-be-zero-if-I-could rating from me. What’s called for is a Creole remoulade, which is pretty easy to whip up in your galley if you have some of the basics onboard: mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon or lime juice, salt, cajun seasoning, paprika, hot sauce, a crushed garlic clove, and some horseradish sauce, if you’ve got it. Here’s an example recipe (just one of many out there), but anything you come up with will be better than cocktail sauce.
Cheap British Biscuits (aka Cookies!)
The next time you’re standing in the island grocery store, eyeing the $8 box of Oreos, look slightly off to each side to find the British brands. Hills Biscuits are particularly popular, usually in every store. At about $1.50 per package, they’re a great deal.
There are also a ton of flavors to try. We’re partial to the Bourbon cremes, but the chocolate and coconut are also divine.
There are also other brands. There are shortbread coconut rings that I really like, and the plain tea biscuits are delicious. I’m also partial to British digestive biscuits.
Bahamian Cheeseburgers
When we told some other cruisers about our love of Bahamian cheeseburgers, they made a face. They claimed to have never had a good cheeseburger in the Bahamas. So, your mileage may vary based on your burger expectations.
Both Lucy and I appreciate basic cheeseburgers that are just that. No fancy, gourmet Angus Waygu beef patties, no barbecue sauce, no Swiss cheese, no mushrooms. A cheeseburger is best kept simple: fresh bun, ground chuck patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, and some mix of mayo, ketchup, and mustard. That’s it, and getting that in America is pretty hard. Everyone wants to jazz it up, get fancy, make a name for themselves, set up franchises, and become billionaires who don’t have to make burgers for a living.
The Bahamians, on the other hand, make some excellent burgers. They’re simple and, somehow, always topped with delicious fresh vegetables. And we really appreciate the fresh bread and fresh vegetables after being in the islands.
You can usually find a snack shack or takeaway selling a great burger and fries for about $10-12.
Other Alcoholic Island Treats
Pink Sand Hibiscus Gin — We’ve only had it once, but it was memorable enough to list. We love gin, and this one was unique without being disappointing. Don’t ruin it with tonic — enjoy it with regular soda. It’s made in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, but we found it for sale in the Abacos.
Both Kalik and Sands (Bahamian local beers) make radlers — mixes of beer and juice, like a shandy. The guava and the pink grapefruit are best, but they are all worth trying.
What’s missing? Do you have any Bahamas treats you look forward to stocking up on each year? Let us know in the comments below.
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