According to veteran Cup Match food vendor and legend St. David’s Islander, the late Dolly Pitcher, “People go to Cup Match for four reasons – the food, Crown & Anchor, drinking and (after a long pause) the cricket.”

Here are the 5 foods traditionally enjoyed over Cup Match.

Curried Mussel Pie
Bermudians love some mussel pie at Cup Match. The local custom is to have the lid of the hot pie sliced open and a dollop of mayonnaise inserted.

For the Pie Filling
1/4 bushel small mussels, scrubbed
2lbs potatoes, diced
2 medium onions, chopped fine
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp parsley, minced
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp gravy browning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp cornstarch

Steam the mussels in 3/4 cup of water and reserve the broth. Remove the mussels from their shells and keep ready. Strain the broth of all the grit (a fine strainer or cheesecloth should be used) and re-heat. Boil the onions, potatoes, thyme and parsley together in the water until the potatoes are tender. Add the curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, gravy browning, and mussels and bring to boil. Thicken with cornstarch mixed with cold water, added while mixture is boiling. if it’s not thick enough, repeat with more cornstarch and water. Allow the filling to cool before proceeding.

For the Pastry
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup cold vegetable shortening
1/4 cup iced water

Stir together the flour and the salt. Cut the shortening into the flour in stages until it resembles small peas. Sprinkle with a little water and toss to moisten the dough. Work the dough as little as possible, using as few strokes as you can to get it all combined into a ball of dough. Flatten slightly and wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour or up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Let dough soften at room temperature before rolling out. Use the inverted pie pan or ramekin to measure the circle of dough needed. Fill pans or ramekins, cut and fit dough to top of pie. Bake until golden-brown and bubbly within.

Fish Chowder

Ingredients:
4 quarts water
1 ½ lbs white fish fillets
salt, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, ground cloves
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large onions, chopped
8 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green peppers, chopped
6 carrots, diced
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 can (28 oz, 794 g) peeled tomatoes
1 can (10 oz, 285 g) consommé
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4 tbsp Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce
Ground pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot put water fish fillets, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30-45 minutes.
In a frying pan melt butter and oil and sauté onions, celery, garlic, and green peppers. Add tomatoes and consommé and simmer for 30 minutes.
Transfer this mixture to the fish stock and add remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
Serve piping hot and pass around Outerbridge’s Original Sherry Peppers Sauce and, if you please, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum for dashing.

Conch Fritters

Ingredients:
1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1lb conch, finely chopped
2 tbsp onion minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
Lemon and lime wedges
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, ginger and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Beat the egg together with the milk and stir quickly into the flour mixture. Do to overwork the batter.
Add conch, onion, garlic, peppers, and thyme, stirring gently. Drop tablespoons of the lumpy batter into hot oil in batches – do not overcrowd. Fry until golden brown (2 to 3 minutes).
Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon and lime wedges and a little mustard mayonnaise (mix Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and your favourite hot sauce to taste).

Classic Rum Swizzle

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Black Seal Rum
1.5 oz Gold Seal Rum
1.5 oz fresh orange juice
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz Dry Curacao
8 dashes Angostura
.5 oz Bermuda Gold Liqueur
1 oz of Falernum

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a mixing glass. Swizzle! Strain into a cocktail glass.

Bailey’s Bay Fish Sandwich

For the Beer Batter:
One 12-oz. bottle of lager
1 egg
1 egg white
12 oz (3/4 lb.) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat together the egg and egg white, add the beer, then work it into the dry mixture until well combined. Allow to rest a half hour before proceeding.

For the Fish:
1 cup or more vegetable oil
Four 5-oz fish fillets, about ¾ inch thick (halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup flour
8 slices of bread, lightly buttered on one side
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 slices ripe tomato
Tartar sauce

Heat a pot or skillet with 3 inches of oil for frying.
Lightly season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in flour and shake off excess. Dip each fillet in the beer batter, coat well, allow excess to drip off. Carefully lower the fillets into the hot oil and cook 4 minutes a side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, or on a brown paper bag. While fish is cooking, grill the bread in a non-stick pan, butter-side down. Top half the bread with cheddar and tomato slices. Add the fish and top with remaining bread, cut in half and serve with tartar sauce on the side.

Read more from HSBC Bermuda’s Cup Match series, HERE!

HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited
37 Front Street, Hamilton
(441) 295-4000
www.hsbc.bm