Martinican
Creole fire — colombo, court-bouillon, and a dash of rum.
Court-bouillon de Poisson
Martinique's everyday icon — red snapper (or other reef fish) simmered in a spiced Creole court-bouillon of tomato, onion, garlic, lime, thyme, and scotch bonnet until the fish is tender and the broth is rich and tangy. Eaten with white rice; not to be confused with the French clear poaching liquid of the same name.
View page →Martinican cooking is the Creole food of the French Lesser Antilles, layering African, French, Tamil-Indian, and Carib traditions on an island of sugar and rum. The everyday icon is court-bouillon de poisson: snapper simmered in a spiced tomato-and-lime broth. Blaff poaches fish in a citrusy court-bouillon; féroce d'avocat mashes avocado with salt cod and cassava flour into a fiery starter. Colombo — the Tamil-indentured-labor curry of goat — is the festive dish; matoutou, a spiced land-crab rice, is the Easter-Monday tradition. Sauce chien (a raw herb-lime-chili sauce) dresses everything grilled; blanc-manger coco is the coconut dessert and ti-punch the aperitif. Salt cod, fish, lime, scotch bonnet, and colombo spice — that is the Martinican pantry.
The Palate
Start Here
Snapper simmered in a spiced Creole broth of tomato, onion, garlic, lime, thyme, and scotch bonnet. Spooned over rice.
Why start here · Martinique's everyday icon — tangy, bright, and savory, the homestyle plate of the French Antilles.
Goat braised in colombo, the Tamil-indentured-labor spice blend of turmeric, coriander, and cumin, finished with lime.
Why start here · The festive curry of Martinique — a Tamil-Creole treasure naturalized over 150 years.
Finely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, and scotch bonnet bound with lime, oil, and a splash of hot water.
Why start here · The essential raw herb sauce that lifts every grilled fish and meat — the condiment that defines the table.
The Pantry
On the Map
Where this cuisine is found
Regional Styles
Fort-de-France & the Coast
The capital and fishing coast, home of the everyday court-bouillon, poached blaff, and the ubiquitous sauce chien.
Sugar & Spice Country
The plantation interior, home of the Tamil-Creole colombo and the fiery féroce d'avocat.
Easter & Sweet
The festive and dessert table — the Easter-Monday crab rice and the coconut blancmange.
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
