I’m laying in my bedroom and my son D’Angelo walks in, “OMG mom…oh these onions…they are sooo good! At first I thought it wouldn’t be good because the food was cold, but I decided to taste it….and OMG, you have to make this again! The onions makes it taste soo good!”

For breakfast, I had made red herring with fried breadfruit. Without even indulging in my culinary masterpiece this boy blatantly declined.  I wasn’t going to argue. Oh well, that could only result in one thing: more food for me. I have taken a page out of my friend Stacy’s book. She only offers my food once….and only once. If you decline, don’t expect her to ask you again.  One thing I know for sure is that she refuses to beg you, or anyone else to eat my food. That’s because she doesn’t want to share. She is even jealous of my dog Rocco because I cook his food from scratch and he pretty much eats whatever is on the menu in my home.  In her head, that could have been more food for her. So she tolerates Rocco.

Anyway, back to the red herring. I do recall cooking this quite often when my son Robert was younger. I can’t really say why I haven’t cooked it lately or often enough, to the point where D’Angelo has absolutely no memory of it, not even a vague one. When Robert was about  two years old, I had even turned on my best friend to smoked red herring, and she still cooks it to this day. Maybe I haven’t cooked it more frequently because I don’t buy  my meats or fish from the Jamaican meat market anymore. I’m have become more finicky about my meats lately. Over the years my taste buds have developed for the best. Even though some food items may be more economical, I pride myself on excellent quality. So I shop at different establishments based on a specific need. My shopping at the Jamaican meat market is now limited to certain ethnic purchases, such as ram goat meat, goat head, octopus, duck or a bucket of jerk seasoning. Yes I buy jerk seasoning by the bucket, but that’s another story.

During a conversation with a friend of mine, he expressed his dislike for mackerel, and red herring because his mother would cook it every single day. To this day, he can’t stand the taste or smell of herring. He is pretty much traumatized. That’s what he says for now. I bet if I share him a plate he would eat it so ravenously, he would forget all about being traumatized and appreciate his mother’s cooking. He disliked pig feet all but his entire life…. until I cooked it and served him. Our conversation sparked my decision to buy smoked red herring the next time I went out shopping, and that is exactly what I did. It was nicely filetted which reduced my prepping time drastically.

Why did I only buy one pound? After D’Angelo shared himself a plate, there was no more. The child ate red herring, onions and all. Not an ounce of the vinaigrette was left. He scraped every bit he could get out of the pot. My best friend Trish had already seen the post of the photo on Facebook, and told me she would be stopping by for a plate the following day. I promised her a plate. I guaranteed her a plate….that was before I knew this child would eat what I had left for her. There was more than enough. Remember now….D’Angelo had declined breakfast earlier. What made him decide to taste it later on is beyond me. Maybe he just knows that anything his mom cooks will not only be edible but utterly amazing! That boy knows his mom can throw down in that kitchen! So there went Trish’s food. I had forgotten to inform her that the boy had eaten it all, and yes she did stop by and was very disappointed that there was no red herring or fried breadfruit for her.

Trish said, “A true you wouldn’t like know how mi mout a wata fi di red herring when mi see it pon facebook. All di breadfruit too. I told you I was coming. I told you I was coming and yu mek D’Angelo eat if off!”
I’m gonna have to make it up to Trish because I am a woman of my word. She didn’t come to my home and walk away empty handed though. She left with three different cakes. She packed herself huge chunks, if not an entire rum cake, banana walnut bread and ginger coconut almond cake. Yes cakes are her weakness. If you happen to see Trish, ask her if she shared any of those cakes with her daughter. I’m quite sure she didn’t. I don’t know why people hate to share my food with others. Of course I know why and I’m gonna toot my horn about it too. It’s because of its authenticity, Caribbean flair and its always prepared with an abundance of love. That’s why!

Would you like to taste some of my authentic dishes? Speak the truth.