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INdulge: Stuck in Indy on spring break? This taste of the Caribbean is best thing I ate this week

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INdulge: Stuck in Indy on spring break? This taste of the Caribbean is best thing I ate this week


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I’ve never really cared for the beach. But now, as I bathe in the fluorescent glow of a Microsoft Surface here in rain-sloshed Indianapolis, getting brutally sunburnt on a tourist-riddled beach somewhere in Florida doesn’t sound so bad.

As Indy-area families head south for spring break, I got a much smaller taste of the tropics in this week’s INdulge with:

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The best thing I ate in Indy this week

With nothing but admiration for the esteemed Captain Morgan, I suspect the highlighter-colored rum cocktails associated with Caribbean culture have misled Americans as to how simple the region’s cuisine can be. Take the national dish of Jamaica, ackee and saltfish, which you can find at Jamaican Breeze just south of Fall Creek on Keystone Avenue.

Ackee is a nutty-tasting, fist-sized fruit native to West Africa in the same family as lychee. While its seeds have small outgrowths that can be poisonous when consumed raw, cooked ackee is no more toxic than, say, scrambled eggs, to which it bears a striking resemblance. Sautéed with onions, bell peppers and scotch bonnet peppers, ackee looks uncannily like a Southwest scramble that would cost $14 at an especially Instagram-friendly brunch spot.

Saltfish, meanwhile, is exactly what it sounds like. Slivers of generously salted cod add some chew and a little funk to the ackee, creating a salty-savory mash whose flavor profile isn’t far from certain American comfort foods. Turns out garlic, onion and thyme play just as well in island cuisine as they do in your grandmother’s pot roast.

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Jamaican Breeze’s ackee and saltfish ($17.95) comes with a similarly seasoned portion of rice and “peas” (what most Americans know as kidney beans), shreds of steamed cabbage and a pair of sugar-sweet fried plantains.

Like many staple Caribbean dishes, ackee and saltfish is a direct result of the Atlantic slave trade. Ackee most likely arrived in English-controlled Jamaica during the 1700s, crossing the same waters that brought millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas. Ackee flourished in the island’s tropical climate and has been a staple food ever since.

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Meanwhile, English slave owners imported Canadian cod preserved in salt as a cheap, long-lasting food source for their ill-gotten labor force. The two foods eventually met in kitchens across Jamaica with the mild ackee, almost more vegetable than fruit, making a natural pairing for the sea-flavored cod.

Reconciling ackee and saltfish’s grisly origins with the modern dish is tricky. Such is often the case with culinary tradition, as countless now-iconic dishes began with just a few basic ingredients, a little ingenuity and at least one historical atrocity. But like many groups of people who have known great suffering, Jamaicans eventually reclaimed ackee and saltfish, and many now view the dish as a source of national pride.

Though the meal’s significance may not fully translate to Hoosiers 1,500 miles away, it’s still worth trying. Besides, if, like me, you haven’t been getting a ton of vitamin D from the supposedly still-extant sun lately, you might as well throw a little tropical flavor in your diet.

Really, it’s like I can feel the ocean breeze from here — all 52 sopping-wet degrees of it.

What: Ackee and saltfish, $17.95 (can only be ordered in-restaurant for dine-in or takeout)

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Where: Jamaican Breeze Sports Bar and Grill, 4189 N. Keystone Ave., 317-426-4045, jamaicanbreezeindy.com

In case that’s not your thing: Jamaican Breeze’s menu offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy familiar flavors or try something new, from jerk chicken quarters ($9.95) to curry goat ($14.50). While meat options span red snapper filets ($23.50) to oxtail ($21), vegetarians and vegans can enjoy hearty ital stew (root vegetables and okra cooked in seasoned coconut milk, $13.25) and callaloo (braised Jamaican leafy greens, $4.50).

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@indystar.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin and stay up to date with Indy dining news by signing up for the Indylicious newsletter.



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Indianapolis, IN

1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side

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1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side


INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.

Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.

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Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.



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Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win

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Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win


INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 6-14) thumped Omaha (Royals), 11-3. 1B Rafael Flores Jr. (.206) went 2 for 3 with a double, his first home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. LF Tyler Callihan (.239) went 3 for 4 with a double and his first homer, a two-run shot. DH Enmanuel Valdez (.273) went 2 for 4 with his first homer and three runs scored. RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.258) went 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored. SS Davis Wendzel (.269) went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. RHP Carson Fulmer (2-0, 5.51) started, gave up three runs on three hits in five innings and earned the win. RHP Chris Devenski (1.50) and LHP Joe La Sorsa (3.24) each pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Omaha (Royals), 3:05 p.m.

ALTOONA (Double-A, 2-12) had two hits – both solo home runs – and beat Portland (Red Sox), 2-0. LHP Dominic Perachi (1-0, 1.80) started and went six innings, allowing three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. RHP Landon Tomkins (3.38) followed with two scoreless. RHP Jaycob Deese (3.00) worked the ninth for his first save. LF Titus Dumitru (.146) went 1 for 3 with his second homer. C Shawn Ross (.182) went 1 for 3 with his second homer.

Next: Sunday vs. Portland (Red Sox), 1 p.m.

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GREENSBORO (High-A, 10-4) lost 8-3 to Brooklyn (Mets). C Easton Carmichael (.273) went 2 for 4 with an RBI. RF Shalin Polanco (.250) went 1 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. 1B Jared Jones (.277) went 2 for 5 with a run scored. RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 7.36) started, recorded one out and gave up four runs on two hits and four walks. RHP Jose Garces (3.60) pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Brooklyn (Mets), 2 p.m.

BRADENTON (Low-A, 5-9) allowed seven stolen bases in its 6-5 loss to Tampa (Yankees). CF Edward Florentino, starting a rehab assignment as he recovers from an ankle injury, went 1 for 3 with a walk, double and run scored. LHP Reinold Navarro (6.43) started and gave up three hits, four walks and two earned runs over three innings while striking out five. SS/1B Eddie Rynders (.128) went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. DH Edgleen Perez (.238) went 1 for 4 and drove in two runs. LF/CF Josh Tate (.208) went 2 for 5 with an RBI. 2B/SS Antonio Pimentel (.154) went 2 for 4 with a double. RHP Greiber Mendez (5.40) and RHP Noah Murdock (0-1, 9.00), who took the loss, each gave up two hits and one run in one inning. RHP Treyson Peters pitched the final three innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out two.

Next: Sunday at Tampa (Yankees), noon

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The Zone Extra | April 18, 2026

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The Zone Extra | April 18, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana and ‘The Zone Extra’ has it all covered.

Athlete of the week and Guerin Catholic senior outfielder Ian Taylor is off to a scorching hot start to the young season. Check out his interview as well as Guerin Catholic head coach Dave Schrage talk about Taylor’s success.

The Johnson County baseball tournament came to a close. See highlights from Center Grove’s tournament victory.

The 4A baseball coaches poll was released as well as the 3A softball coaches poll.

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The former Columbus North gymnastics coach, John Hinds, passed away at 88 years old.

Center Grove head softball coach Alyssa Coleman joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.

See highlights from the Colts Local Pro Day, featuring several former Hoosiers and Purdue’s Devin Mockobee.

Girls lacrosse is in the first season as an IHSAA emerging sport.

All of that, and more, can be found in the full The Zone Extra show above.

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