The Guide/St. Catherine

st. catherine

Spanish Town history. Hellshire fried fish. Sunday done right.

Signature DishHellshire Fried Fish

Food Culture

St. Catherine holds two food landmarks that matter. Spanish Town, the old capital, has a market and cookshop culture that goes back centuries. And Hellshire Beach, technically Portmore, is where all of Kingston goes for fried fish on a Sunday. Hellshire is a strip of thatched-roof restaurants on a beach south of the city. You pick your fish, they fry it, you eat it with bammy and festival while your feet are in the sand. There's a line. It's worth it. That's Jamaica's most democratic dining experience. Everybody waits, everybody eats.

Signature Flavors

Dishes

Hellshire Fried Fish

★

Whole snapper, fried crispy, served with bammy and festival on the beach. The line is part of the experience. Don't skip it.

Festival

Sweet cornmeal dumplings, deep-fried golden. The essential side at Hellshire. Nobody leaves without ordering extra. Nobody.

Key Ingredients

Bammy

Cassava flatbread, soaked and fried. At Hellshire it's the law — you can't have fish without bammy.

Must-Visit Spots

Prendy's on the Beach

street food

Hellshire institution. Fried fish, lobster, the best festival on the strip. Get there before the Sunday crowd or bring patience.

Hellshire Beach

Aunt Merle's

street food

Another Hellshire legend. Parrot fish and snapper done right. No menu. You point at the fish you want.

Hellshire Beach

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Clarendon

Kingston

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