The best food is often vacation food because everything tastes better when it’s served within sight of sand and sea or under a canopy of stars — and you’re not responsible for any of the cooking.
But because food evokes so many great memories of place and time, the dishes we eat when we’re at the beach or some other fun getaway spot are what we end up craving when life returns to a boring normal.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a girls’ trip with my daughter Olivia to the sun-kissed shores of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I’m now obsessed with Caribbean cooking, running down recipes online and in cookbooks to recreate some of the spicy dishes we ate over the weekend and keep the experience front and center.
Plantains — a starchy tropical fruit that’s part of the banana family — are big in the island’s capital city and easy to find on just about every menu. We ate them cooked and pureed into soup at the local haunt La Casita Blanca, which draws lines even midday. We also enjoyed them in a tiny cafe off Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan as part of a side dish called mofongo, in which crispy green plantains are mashed like potatoes with garlic, olive oil and pork rinds.
We also sampled the classic Puerto Rican street food bacalaitos, or deep-fried, salted codfish fritters made with a flour-based batter and seasoned with local herbs and spices. Of course, they were washed down with pina coladas, which are said to have been created in the mid-1950s by Ramón "Monchito" Marrero, a bartender at the Caribe Hilton Hotel where we just happened to be staying.
With my sunburn fading, I’ve tried to reconstruct those bright island flavors in this budget meal for two that’s perfect for this fish-eating season of Lent.
It features tender cod fillets that have been coated in a spicy Jamaican jerk seasoning and then pan-fried until they’re crispy and golden brown. To keep it meat-free, I paired it with a simple bowl of mashed plantains topped with pickled red onions — a breakfast dish that’s known as mangu in the Dominican Republic, but also works well as an easy-to-make side dish at dinner.
For dessert, I made a fresh and healthful banana ice cream that requires only a handful of ingredients you might always have on hand, including fresh bananas and just ¼ cup of cream. The best part: it sits in the freezer for a mere two hours before it’s ready to serve.
Total cost for two: $13.44, or less than $7 a serving for a three-course home-cooked meal.
The fact I had some of the ingredients already within reach — salt and pepper, lemon, vanilla, cinnamon — helped bring the cost down, but you should also take inventory of your pantry and fridge before heading to the store to avoid duplication. (It also encourages creative meal planning and cuts down on waste.)
Perhaps not surprisingly, the meal’s biggest expense was the fish.
The original recipe called for mahi-mahi, a lean, firm whitefish that’s prized for its mild, semi-sweet taste. But it would have eaten up too much of my $15 budget, so I opted instead for the much-more affordable frozen cod ($7.99/pound) I found in the freezer section at Wholey’s.
A bigger surprise was the cost of the pickled red onions ($3.46) that add such a colorful garnish and crunch to the fish. But that expense was countered by the savory, fiber-rich plantains, which proved an inexpensive way to add a good source of complex carbohydrates (aiding digestion) to the menu.
As for homemade banana ice cream? At about 25 cents a serving, it doesn’t get much cheaper. Plus, it’s so easy to make, even the kids could do it.
All told, the entire meal cost less than just one of the (many) pina coladas Olivia and I enjoyed pool-side at our hotel and on rooftops overlooking the Atlantic Ocean over the course of our getaway weekend.
When it comes to staying on budget, some things bear repeating: Always make (and stick) to a grocery list, shop your fridge and pantry before heading to the store, compare unit prices on products (store brands are generally cheaper) and take advantage of sales.
Spiced Cod
PG tested
I used frozen cod in this recipe, but you also could use any mild, white-fleshed fish with a similar texture — mahi-mahi, tilapia or haddock. Depending on how hot the jerk seasoning is, you’ll want to use just a little, or perhaps a lot for a spicier kick.
2 6-ounce skinless cod fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Pickled onions (recipe follows)
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Pat fish dry with paper towels and sprinkle with jerk seasoning, pepper and salt.
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Add fish and cook until well browned on both sides and fish registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 7 minutes per side.
Serve with mashed plantains, pickled onion and cilantro.
Serves 2.
— “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen (March 2025, $35)
Pickled onions
This crunchy vegetable mix is great on top of fish, and also can be used to give a spicy kick to sandwiches, salads, tacos, soups, dips and more.
1 cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
Place vinegar, sugar and salt in bowl and microwave until steaming. Stir in sliced red onion and sliced jalapenos. Let sit for 45 minutes, then drain and serve. The mix can be refrigerated for up 1 week.
Makes about 1 cup.
— “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen (March 2025, $35)
Mashed Plantains
PG tested
Plantains are sweetest when they’re black, but for this recipe you want to use green fruit — that’s when they’re starchiest and can be used like potatoes. The plantains will stiffen up if they’re allowed to sit too long, so you may have to add more liquid just before serving.
3 green plantains, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
2¾ teaspoons salt, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place plantains and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan, add water to cover by 1 inch, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer until paring knife can be easily slipped in and out of plantains, 18-22 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water.
Drain plantains, and return to pot. Using potato masher, mash plantains until smooth and no lumps remain.
Stir in butter, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¾ cup reserved cooking liquid until fully combined. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve
Serves 2.
— “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen (March 2025, $35)
Banana Ice Cream
PG tested
This is a very banana-y dessert. I added a handful of chocolate chips for crunch, but you could also stir in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, a little bit of peanut butter or some nuts to mix things up.
3 very ripe bananas
¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon table salt
Peel bananas, place in a large zipper-lock bag and press out excess air.
Freeze bananas until solid, at least 8 hours.
Let bananas sit at room temperature to soften slightly, about 15 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch rounds and place in food processor.
Add cream, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and process until smooth, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Transfer mixture to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. (Ice cream can be frozen for up to 1 week.)
Serves 2.
— “America’s Test Kitchen Cooking for One”
First Published: March 22, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
