Havelock travel guide

Fresh grilled fish

Havelock Island's simplest and greatest experience—fresh snapper, trevally or grouper split and grilled whole over coconut husk charcoal at the beach shacks; eaten with lime, salt and a bowl of cold fresh coconut water; the quality depends entirely on the morning's fishing

Lobster

India's least-known seafood luxury—the Andaman spiny lobster, Kerala red lobster and Lakshadweep rock lobster are available at source for a fraction of import prices; grilled simply at Havelock Island's beach shacks or cooked in coconut masala at Kovalam's restaurants

Coconut prawn curry

Andaman's coconut-rich prawn preparation—local tiger prawns and kuruma prawns from the coastal mangroves simmered in coconut milk with Andaman's unique variation of South Indian spicing; eaten with steamed rice at the waterfront restaurants of Port Blair

Fresh fruit

India's staggering seasonal fruit diversity—Alphonso mangoes from Ratnagiri in April-May, Himachali apples in September, Kashmiri walnuts in October, Nagpur oranges in winter; local seasonal fruit at its origin is always incomparably better than transported versions

Seafood platter

Andaman's fresh catch assembled—lobster, crab, prawns, fish and squid grilled or pan-fried served together; the ocean-to-table time in these remote islands means quality unmatched anywhere on the Indian mainland; best arranged directly with restaurants at the jetty at Neil Island