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Of all the local food in Bermuda that I wanted to try, the fish sandwich was at the top of my list. I had the sandwich at 5 different places, and below I will rank them. When I got home, I also made a homemade version which I will share.
While there are variations, the traditional version, I believe, is made with local fish (wahoo), is on raisin bread, and is served with tartar sauce, coleslaw, tomato, and cheese. Note that this is not a definitive list, just my personal ranking from the ones I tried. However, two places on the list will constantly come up if you search for, or ask locals, where to get the best fish sandwich.
5. Crown & Anchor – Fairmont Hamilton Princess Â
We only ate here because there was a hurricane one of the days we were in Bermuda and stayed in as a result. This fish sandwich was made with raisin bread, wahoo, lettuce, tomato, coleslaw, and tartar sauce. The cost was $25. This was my least favorite because the fish was not deep fried like some of the others, and lacked crunch. The seasoning was also not as good as the others. The fries were good though. Crispy and well seasoned.
4. Devil’s Isle
Devil’s Isle is on many must eat lists of Bermuda. I did have a dinner there and will share my review later, but this post is about the fish sandwich I had there for lunch. This cost $27.30 and came on raising bread, with local fish, tomato and lettuce. It was slightly tastier than #5 above, but the fries were soggy and not well cooked. I would recommend dinner here as opposed to lunch.
3. Woody’s
Woody’s is a local place and is a local favorite. To me, Woody’s had the freshest fish. Not the tastiest, but the freshest. The price was also about half of #4 and #5. The fries were good. This is a hole in the wall type place, and the sandwiches are huge. Probably the second largest of any on this list.
2. Cafe Boulevard – Bermuda Airport
Surprisingly, the fish sandwich at the airport was my second favorite. I enjoyed the seasoning of the fish. This one did not come on raisin bread. It was tasty and I would eat this again.
- Art Mel’s
Hands down, the best fish sandwich I ate on this trip was at Art Mel’s. They are famous for it, and it is well deserved. This is another local hole in the wall place.
The sandwich is massive! It comes wrapped in foil and is like a brick of food. Many people will suggest you share one, which we did, but its SO good I could of had one to myself. I craved this everyday I was in Bermuda.
Lets start with the bread. I believe they make it themselves. Its not toasted and is almost cake like. It is so good.
Next, the fish. While many locals told me they may or may not use local wahoo fish here, to me, this was the best tasting fish. It was PERFECTLY crispy and the seasoning was distinct and utterly delicious. Price – $12.25.
Homemade
Because I liked the fish sandwich so much and there are no Bermudian restaurants in my area that I know of, I tried to recreate the magic at home.
It was good, but not Art Mel’s good. I need to figure out their seasoning. One local I spoke to believed they used Lawry’s in the batter. Anyway, here is how mine turned out and the recipe:
Homemade Bermuda Fish Sandwich:
Store bought raisin bread
Homemade coleslaw (you can Google any traditional recipe and it will work)
Aged cheddar cheese
Homemade tartar sauce
White fish (I used cod)
For the batter, I used:
flour
white pepper
salt
paprika
cayenne
for the egg wash I combined soda water and eggs
Heat frying oil to 350.
Combine dry ingredients and dip the fish (cut into large chunks)
Put the fish into the egg wash
Deep fry for 4 minutes
Assemble Sandwich
Lightly toast rasin bread
Spread a generous amount of tartar sauce on each slice
cover one side with cheddar cheese
put the fish on top of the cheddar
pile coleslaw on top of fish
put the other slice of bread on top and slice sandwich in half diagonally
enjoy!