Jamaican Easter Dinner

“Happy Bun & Cheese!”

That’s usually what we say in my family on Easter Day. Easter or Resurrection Sunday is one of my favorite holidays. It represents the ultimate example of love. There’s so many people who use the word “Love” loosely, and don’t innerstand the meaning.

Whether it’s a sacrifice of pride, or a sacrifice of self, or a sacrifice of finances (yes I’m talking to the fellas contemplating a marriage proposal) to truly love is to sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong; sacrifice is NOT giving up your purpose for someone else. That’s settling! HUGE difference. Someone who truly loves you will never ask you to give up your purpose or passion for them. If they do then that’s a red flag and girl you need to run 🏃🏿‍♀️.

I’ve heard of Crazy Love, Lazy Love, Dangerously in Love, but there’s no greater love than the one who laid down His life for His friends – and that’s what Jesus did for us – an undeserving people, who He knew would disown Him, and find ways to disprove His existence. Despite His pleas not to go, Jesus went to the cross for us. He displayed a great deal of courage, self control, and discipline. How many of us would die for the people we know hate us?

Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, we choose to remember Him on Easter or Resurrection Sunday. In my family, after celebrating most of the weekend in church, we have family dinner. Easter is a holiday rich with Jamaican Traditions. The traditional Jamaican Easter Dinner comprises of Escovitch Fish with rice and peas, and bun and cheese for appetizer/dessert.

This year, I had the honor of making the fish again. Last year, I didn’t do such a great job, so this year I decided to search the web for the best recipe. But I couldn’t find it. So I relied on a source that could never go wrong. My mom :-). My entire family loved the fish so much that I’m most likely going to make it again soon. Below is my process; there are no measurements because Old School Jamaicans showing you how to cook tell you to use your discretion lol (if you’re a fellow Jamaican then you know what I’m talking about).

Preparing & Cooking the Fish

First I cleaned the fish. Then I seasoned it and laid it out to dry for 24 hours. When it was fully dry, I boiled the oil and fried each fish 3 at a time. When the fish was fully fried, I placed it in a large baking dish – one on top of the other.

The Sauce

The sauce is actually very easy. I sliced one large onion and one large red pepper. Usually the recipe calls for carrots, but my brother is allergic, so I didn’t add it. In a skillet, I added some of the remaining oil that I used to fry the fish, added some vinegar, a little bit of water, and brown sugar. Once the sauce was thick and began boiling I added the onion and red pepper. I let everything simmer in the sauce until the onions were soft. Lastly, I poured everything on the fish and voila!

Jamaican Bun & Cheese

There are many cultures that celebrate Easter with a feast. The Jewish eat Matzah, the Greek eat Lamb, Jamaicans, we eat Bun & Cheese. It’s a specialty and we eat it as the appetizer, dessert, and pretty much all weekend. We could eat bun and cheese all year, but for some reason during the Easter weekend it’s so much sweeter 😬.

If you haven’t already check out my post on What Easter Means to Me check it out here.