Little Ochie

by Dawn Matheson
May 11th, 2009

Beach near Little Ochie Photo by Dawn Matheson

Enjoy a truly local meal at this longstanding beachside seafood restaurant

ABOUT AS AUTHENTIC as local cuisine gets (“If we don’t catch it, we don’t serve it” say the owners), this fishing village cornerstone is where locals chow down on fresh grilled mackerel, Jerk crawfish, roasted turbot, spicy escovitch snapper. Basically, whatever the local fisherman haul out of the sea, Little Ochie cooks it, and cooks it well.

Evrol “Blackie” Christian, who ignited the then-one-man operation in 1989, now employs some 30 people from the local community and serves lunch and dinner in thatched-roof huts on the beach, while fishermen sell lobster right out of the nets.

Blackie claims that Little Ochie’s popularity stems from his secret sauces, hinting at a mix of scallions, scotch bonnet peppers combined with cho-cho, Irish potato, okras and carrots, all blended with homegrown spices. With such potency, Blackie recommends you “chase it” with traditional starchy fare such as bammies (deep-fried cassava flatbread) or festivals (sweet, crispy Jamaican cornmeal fritters). Most meals coast about $10.

DON’T MISS: Little Ochie hosts an annual Seafood Carnival in July, a celebration of seafood and music that draws popular bands and crowds of 6,000.

littleochie.com