Re: Fresh Fish Fry (Word of Caution)
Arenque is herring, normally salted and brought in from Norway or elsewhere in Northern Europe. Bacalao is salted cod - commonly in the past brought in from Canada, but now more likely from Europe. Also, canned sardines and tuna make up a part of seafood consumed in the Dominican diet. I noticed in the picture attached to Artek's message that two parrot fish were being fried. Reef fish of all kinds, and all sizes, are consumed by Dominicans. Unfortunately, over-fishing has seriously depleted this resource of fresh protein for the poorer Domincian coastal population. Reef fish and their predators also can carry ciguatera in their systems. I noticed in the past that along the coast around Puerto Plata no barracuda are eaten, while in Samana it was served. Barracudas are more likely to accumulate high concentrations of ciguatera poison in their systems since they feed on reef fish that graze on corals (like parrot fish). Cases of ciguatera poisoning is prevalent in areas from Florida to Trinidad and it can be a crap shoot. One day you eat a fish like a parrot fish with no ill effects and the next you suffer illness. The best rule of thumb in the Caribbean is to eat pelagic fish (migratory) or those fish that do not graze on coral or feed primarily on coral grazers. I don't mean to scare people, just inform them, I have worked with Dominican fishermen and several have suffered from poisoning. However, if you stick with various types of mero, lamb?, pulpo, caballa, at?n, langostas, langostinos, pargo, or camarones you will have nothing to worry about anywhere in the DR.
