Chef Dixie Fingal-Rock Innes has shared her family recipe for Dominican shrimp souse, a light and refreshing cold broth, as part of Metro's Diaspora Dish newsletter series.
The series, which focuses on African and Caribbean chefs from across the diaspora, returns for a second run to celebrate Black History Month under the theme 'Honouring our Communities'. Over four weeks, chefs will share signature recipes and the stories behind them.
A Caribbean staple with a personal twist
Souse is a light and fresh broth served cold, made across many Caribbean islands. In Barbados, it is paired with pudding (steamed sweet potato) and is the national dish. Dixie, a chef, recipe writer and food podcaster, adds her own twist to the traditional version.
'I am ashamed to say that sadly mine and my guests' palates are not accustomed to such parts of the animal (souse is traditionally made with pork trotters, snout, or tail), so I sub with cooked shrimp, or chickpeas for the vegetarians,' she says.
Born and raised in South Wales to a British father and a Dominican mother, Dixie grew up above her parents' deli and wine merchants in Monmouth, which stocked Caribbean produce. She was mentored by the late Anthony Bourdain on Channel 4's The Taste in 2014, and has since cooked at London restaurants including Sohaila, Padella and E5 Bakehouse. Now she develops recipes and hosts Dominican supper clubs, where souse is a hit.
'No one's ever heard of Dominica, so it's fun to show people something different,' she says. 'I like to give people a little bit of history and play soca and calypso music.'
How to make Dixie's shrimp souse
Serves four as a light starter or two as a light main. Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients: 1/2 cucumber, 200g cooked prawns (or chickpeas), 2 teaspoons salt, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1 red or green chilli (finely chopped), 1 small handful of parsley (finely chopped), 5 sprigs of thyme (stripped off the stalk), 2 spring onions (finely chopped), 300ml cold water, juice of 1 lime.
Method: Peel the dark green skin off the cucumber, cut in half lengthways, then finely slice into half-moons and set aside. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Add the sliced cucumber and thoroughly mix. Cover and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to let the flavour develop and mingle.
To serve, ladle the chilled souse into bowls. The dish works well at the start of a meal, served alongside freshly fried Caribbean bakes or warm bread.
