There are many species of conch, but the most sought after is the endangered Queen Conch. We are no longer able to harvest this conch in Monroe County. It was banned to commercial harvesting in 1975 in the Keys and banned for recreational fishermen in 1986. Now The United States Secretary Of Commerce is being asked to put Conch on the endangered species list witch will ban the importing of conch all together. Conch harvesting countries will suffer a profound economic impact by the banning of the strombus gigis (Queen conch) and another Key West tradition in food will be lost. Much like the overfishing of sea turtle, the overfishing of conch will only be a memory to those who once got to taste and enjoy.
The hardest thing for me will be when I am out relaxing somewhere on our beautiful islands and I look down and see dozens of great tasting conchs in the turtle grass and I will not be able to eat them! I will remember fondly eating them fresh while we were out on the boat, just washed in ocean water with a squeeze of key lime and washing it down with a cold beer. I will miss fresh made conch salad, fried conch, conch chowder, conch stew, and the Key West favorite - conch fritters. How will I resist not reaching down and cracking one open, cleaning it, chopping it up and enjoying that last piece of conch I will never eat again! I am not sure! I guess I will just enjoy them while I can.
Conch Fritters
So many fishermen go out and spend boat loads of money on rods, reels, boats with all the bells and whistles and often come home with out much of a catch. That’s why they call it fishing and don’t call it catching. There is no worse feeling than being skunked! Believe me, I know. It has happened to me more than a few times.
While you’re cruising around the Keys you will see many people fishing the shore line. You will see people fishing off bridges, sea walls, piers, and random culverts that pass threw the islands. Many times you wonder if they actually catch anything. You better believe they do! They catch a variety of snapper - like gray and lane snapper, grunts, groupers, and the occasional wassa or jewfish.
As a boy, my friend Ivan and I would fish from the seawall across from the car dealership on N. Roosevelt Blvd. We would buy some frozen heron and squid and fish from the shore line. Fishing strictly with a Cuban line, you might know it as a yoyo.
I remember on one occasion, Ivan and I were fishing late at night when it started to rain. So I said, “Ivan I think it’s starting to rain”. When I said that he began to laugh hysterically as he was swing the line from his yoyo around about to cast his line and bait juice was flying all over me. We still get a laugh out of that. None the less, we always had a few fish to take home and fry.
Snapper:
Any type of snapper or grunt is great for this dish. Make sure to clean your fish well, gut and de-gill your fish. By scraping the fish with a fork you can descale the snapper. After your fish is scaled give it a rinse and wash loose scales away. If you visit a fish market to purchase your fish you can have them clean it for you. Ask for it gutted and descaled. Score your snapper by making cuts just through the skin.
Season your snapper heavily with salt and pepper.
Dredge in a mixture of 50% flour and 50% corn starch.
Deep fry the dredged fish at 325 degrees for about 10 – 15 minutes depending on size of the fish.
Plate it up with cheese grits and enjoy from the cheeks to the crispy crunch of the tail.
Make sure you are careful that you don’t swallow a bone. Hope you enjoy!
Cheese grits:
In a medium size pot bring the chicken stock and heavy cream to a boil.
Add grits and stir.
Turn heat on range down to medium high heat and let the grits simmer for about 5 minutes.
Finish by stirring in cheese and butter. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. If grits become too thick add chicken stock and stir until desired consistency.
]]>It is a good question that many should stop to think about. My passion is the ocean, fishing, relaxing, the art of cooking, eating, good beverage; all in the company of friends and family.
I was born and raised a Key West Conch (Key West native) and left to the mainland looking for a better life only to eventually return to what I love. There is a belief of the Conchs that anyone who catches island fever and leaves will soon return.
I have worked in restaurants in Key West and other parts of Central and South Florida since the age of fifteen. I also left the kitchen once or twice only to return to my passion - creating and enjoying great food.
Key West provides all to be desired; great boating, island beaches, and a beautiful coral reef great for spearfishing and diving. Out past the reef there is amazing sportfishing where record size fish are just waiting to be caught.
You can spend the day on the ocean and provide dinner for days with all the many species of fish, crab, lobster, and shrimp. When I was a boy riding my bike with friends, there were fruit trees all over town that provided us with all we needed for a day. Sour sops, sapodillas, mango, avocado, Spanish limes, multiple types of peppers and tomatoes. All of these and more grow abundantly on the island. So when I say Key West provides all to be desired, from an island fever Conch boy I mean it. So am I living my passion? I think so!
Guava Sherry Glaze Tuna
Guava Sherry Glaze:
In a hot small sized pot add your onions and garlic. Sauté onions and garlic in a small pot with olive oil until soft onions will turn transparent. Once onions are transparent turn the burner to a medium heat and add guava and sauté for about 20 seconds to caramelize natural sugars. Once guava is caramelized add sea salt, pepper, honey, water and sherry wine and continue to cook on medium heat until liquid has reduced by half. If you have a food processor you can puree the sauce until smooth but it is not necessary.
Tuna:
The king mackerel season opens and the annual king mackerel tournament brings a crowd. Sport fishermen give it all they’ve got to bring in the best catch of all.
There are many types of mackerel but the best is the cero mackerel. The cero mackerel isn’t the biggest of the mackerels but by far the tastiest. It is a sushi grade fish that is best served as sashimi and makes an amazing ceviche. It is a true delicacy of the Key West and the Florida Keys and often under appreciated.
My favorite way to enjoy cero mackerel is in sashimi form with a twist! Using local flavors and some Key West flair! Fresh slice the cero paper thin and eat with a key lime grain mustard vinaigrette. Slice, dip and enjoy.
Key Lime Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
Preparation:
Add shallots, grain mustard, and key lime juice to mixing bowl. Stir with whisk and slowly add extra virgin olive oil until blended. Finish by seasoning your vinaigrette to taste with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve with your fresh catch and enjoy!
]]>Throughout South America and the Caribbean one can find many variations and methods for making ceviche. My favorite way to make it I found in the Bahamas. Fresh Citrus juices, lemon, lime and orange; onion, tomato, peppers, and scotch bonnet are the natural fresh ingredients found in the Bahamas style conch salad (ceviche).
As you cross over the bridge heading from Pleasure Island into Nassau you will find several waterside markets serving some amazing ceviche. At those markets it is prepared to order, fresh and delicious. They simply reach a gaff into the water and pull up a string of conchs as they need them.
It is the perfect treat for us here in the Keys when we head out to enjoy a day out at in the Marquesas, Boca Grande, or Women Key.
We prepare our ceviche ingredients at home and then add our freshly chopped catch once we’re out there and enjoy it on the beach. Of course, harvesting conch is not legal here in the Keys so we substitute fish and it is just as good. Sunshine, a cold beverage, sandy feet, and a big bowl of ceviche is one of the great ways we spend our time in Key West!
Ceviche
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients let stand for 15 minutes and enjoy
]]>Every Friday after October 15th a good friend and chef, Justin, gives me the call, “I just got in from pulling the traps and we killed em”. He fishes a hand full of recreational traps with Big Joe and myself until our conflicting schedules knocked me out the loop. But, there is no way I will not make it to his house to enjoy the plunder.
As I pull up to his driveway I can hear the clacking of cracking stone crab shells. The gorging begins. Fresh key limes are picked from the tree in the yard and Justin makes his key lime garlic butter as a dipping sauce. Big Joe brings his homemade cocktail sauce that is better than any other I have tried or attempted to recreate. Not one claw is sold - many are distributed to family and friends but only when we have eaten stone crab until we just can’t anymore.
Eating a freshly boiled stone crab claw while still warm is possibly the best thing I have ever had. Stone crab enchilado (chilao) with corn meal is another amazing Key West Conch dish. I have even breaded the claw meat with the pincher still on and fried them to try stone crab in another amazing way. As of last night I enjoyed myself a stone crab frittata topped with foie gras and truffle oil.
There is no doubt that there are many delicious ways you can serve them but the traditional drawn butter and cocktail sauce is the best.
Justin’s Key Lime Garlic Butter
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in bowl and microwave for 45 seconds until butter is melted.
Big Joe’s Seafood Sauce
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients bring to a simmer for ten minutes then chill and serve.
]]>Tripletail is found worldwide from here in Key West and the Florida Keys throughout Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, to Maine, Bermuda and down to South America. They are found in Argentina and throughout the pacific from Peru to Costa Rica and Japan to Fiji.
Tripletail is pelagic fish usually found just below the surface on buoys, markers, ship wrecks, weed lines or any other type of floating debris. They often only have one side exposed camouflaging themselves to look like a leaf or drifting detritus. It is believed that it is a hunting technique but this make is it easy for sight-fisherman to get the quick catch.
Atlantic tripletail has a wonderful fresh white flesh to its filet. The texture is a little more firm than that of a snapper and makes it a great fish for grilling or fire roasting as seen in previous FishMonster Magazine Cooking in the Islands articles.
Another great way I enjoy cooking tripletail is pan searing in bacon fat! You really can’t go wrong with bacon fat. After searing your tripletail filet finish it with mushrooms of choice, sautéed spinach and a flambé of brandy for flavor and visual stimulation for your dinner guest. Now you’re cooking. Bacon fat seared triple tail with mushrooms and spinach will have your cooking be the talk of the town. Hope you all enjoy!
Bacon Fat Seared Tripletail with Mushrooms and Spinach
Preparation:
Heat medium sized skillet until hot. Season your tripletail filet with salt and pepper. Add your bacon fat to hot pan then add tripletail filets. Once browned flip tripletail filet over and lower heat to medium high, add mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes depending on thickness of the filet. Deglaze by adding brandy - be careful and stand back brandy is highly flammable and will catch fire. That is why it is called flamb. After the alcohol in the brandy is burnt out but there is some liquid still in the pan pull out your filets and set aside. Add your spinach, season with salt and pepper stir until lightly wilted then turn off the burner. Finish by adding cubes of butter to spinach and mushrooms and stir until melted. Lay your bed of spinach down on a plate then place your tripletail filet on top.
Tripletail State Regs:
2 per person per day
15” minimum size limit
*No restrictions in Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Federal Waters
Swordfish live in oceans worldwide: the Indian, Pacific and here in the Atlantic Ocean usually found between 45 degree S latitude and 60 degree N latitude. Here in the Florida Keys and Key West swordfish is often caught in the blue water past the reef. A swordfish’s diet consisting of squid, crustaceans, mackerel and other fish make this a wonderful protein.
If you’re lucky enough to catch or come upon a pumpkin sword do not pass up this tasty treat. The bright orange colored flesh of the pumpkin sword is the highest quality of swordfish in my opinion. The bright orange flesh color is believed to be from high amounts of carotene in the prey consumed, usually shrimp or some type of prawn. The pumpkin sword is caught here in the keys and up the east coast but there is no acknowledgement of a season or its migratory patterns to harvest regularly.
When cooking swordfish it is important to watch your cook time. Over cooking swordfish can become a dry experience. I like to serve swordfish at about a medium rare to medium temperature. This ensures moisture and a very nice texture of your swordfish steak. What I have received the best compliments from is my herb grilled swordfish.
Using fresh ingredients and basic techniques you can make an amazing swordfish dinner
Herb Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Lemon
Preparation:
Preheat your grill - charcoal preferred. When the grill is hot (very hot) evenly season the swordfish steak and exposed interior of lemon with you thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Then douse (do not saturate) with extra virgin olive oil. Place the sword fish and the lemon on the hottest part of the grill. Only flip the sword fish steak once. After about 6 minutes on each side for fatter steaks - thinner steaks will take less time. Try to get a nice char grill mark. At that time take your lemon off the grill and set aside for later use. Pull your steaks off at about a medium rare to medium temperature. Place butter cubes on top of the steak. Serve with the grilled lemon. Squeeze the lemon over top and enjoy.
]]>People say spiny tail lobster is inferior to Maine lobster but in my opinion you can keep your Maine lobsters and go to Maine. I think our Florida spiny tail lobster pack tremendous flavor and is delicious.
Many old timers have told me stories of when there use to be so many lobsters they would get tired of eating them. Being so high in cholesterol they would use them for bait. Diving down to get a lobster, ringing the head too use as chum the lobster tail meat was then cut up and used for bait.
My family and I have been going for lobsters as long as I remember. My parents would not punish me if I went out in the boat all day without checking in as long as I brought some tails home. Every year as lobster mini season was coming around the corner it was very exciting for me and all the other kids in the neighborhood. We all grew up in what is now called “new town”. We would ride our bike packed with our dive gear to North Roosevelt Boulevard jumping the seawall and searching every inch of that channel from the old “Blue Lagoon” to the Holiday Inn for lobsters. The mini season is during the summer so our parents would be at work and we would go right home, fire up the grill, squeeze some key limes from the tree and enjoy our lunch.
These days you notice the conga line of trucks with boat trailers coming down US1 to town for the mini season. They all come to get their share of the catch - so many I quit diving mini season. I definitely don’t mind the people that come to spark the economy in the dead of summer. I don’t mind the people that take their limit, respect the waters and follow the conservation rules. On the other hand there are many people that come to take every lobster they see and many people that pay no mind to size limits or quantity. What these people don’t realize is it ruins the livelihood of the people that make a living off of selling lobster. The monkeys (short lobsters not of legal limit) that are taken never get a chance to reproduce. I believe, as many fishermen do, that this is a big reason that they are so over fished.
So there are many ways to enjoy the native lobster here in Key West and the Florida Keys such as breaded in cracker meal and fried in olive oil or grilled Key West style. It can be cut into medallions pounded out and made key lime piccatta style. All these recipes are shown in previous articles of FishMonster Magazine.
]]>Those docks now called the historic seaport marina were once filled with shrimp boats, trap boats, fishing boats and not to forget the turtle kraals. These days the docks are lined with restaurants, hotels, yachts, charter fisherman and booze cruises with the sound of Jimmy Buffet playing in the background but for some reason I am ok with it. The only thing in this world that doesn’t change is change.
My home town went from fishing town where everyone knows everyone to a tourist trap. Even though it made a lot of people angry and most of them left I love it here. I was raised and lived my life where everyone wants to vacation. My cousin Scott Santana once said when he was interviewed to be citizen for the day, “Key West is like vacation when I’m not on probation”.
Every year when the first cold front comes through the Keys, at sunset and the tide coming in there is a certain group of conchs at an undisclosed location (that I refuse to give up) catching bucket loads of shrimp at road side. We catch black mullet, blue crab and shrimp most the time taking the catch home that night to snack on as fresh as fresh can be. I personally have been taking part in this tradition since I was a young boy and continue today. We are usually enjoying a beer or two moving from culvert to culvert catching the right tide and having a blast. It is so much fun! Teaching our kids the way, hopefully, they will still be able to do the same when they are grown up.
Key West pink shrimp and the deep water royal red shrimp local here to the Keys are by far, in my opinion, the best shrimp you can possibly eat - especially if you are getting those shrimp from the J.T. One of the last of many that is still here in the keys making his living as a shrimper. J.T. shrimp are all natural no chemical IQF that lock in that wonderful fresh taste. Most other shrimp are in what they call the dip - a disodium sulfate bleaching component that is used as a preservative. Once tasting Capt. Ricky’s shrimp from the J.T. you will understand the difference.
Shrimp being one of my personal favorite fruits from the sea is enjoyable prepared almost any way. Beer steamed cocktail, peel and eat, fried, grilled, skewered, scampi, with grits or in a salad the Key West pink shrimp is a great gift from God.
Avocado Shrimp Salad with Habanero
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together and serve with mixed greens, on a croissant, or in a wrap and enjoy!
]]>The black grouper and snowy grouper are the two cleaner tasting and best to eat in my opinion. Then there is the red grouper mostly found in the gulf and usually bearing parasites in the summer months when the water warms up. It would take days to go through all the different species but the bottom line is they all create a delicious meal.
I have heard many stories of the “ole timer conchs” (Key West natives) telling tales of how they would go fishing right off Simonton beach. They would sit out there with the hook and line in the water, waiting for the big one to take the bait. When they knew a fish was on the line often they had to tie it off to the back of their trucks and drag it out. The jewfish would be 200 to 300 pounds and sometimes, even larger. When they brought these fish in the whole neighborhood knew they were going to be eating good that week. These fish were also being caught off land right out of the harbor.
Not that I ever tried jewfish/goliath grouper since it has been banned from fishing due to a fear that it was near extinction. I hear it taste like the rib eye steak of the sea. Fatty, white meat that flakes up beautifully when fried. Wish I could taste it! Maybe in the future they will open a season to fish them.
Many commercial lobster fishermen claim lobster and stone crab are the basis of the goliath’s diet – and that lobsters and stone crab are being wiped out by these massive fish. Also, because they are higher up on the food chain without many natural predators their population is making a tremendous comeback.
One of the many ways I love to prepare black grouper is with a panko (Japanese bread crumbs) parmesan crust. It is a very simple dish to prepare and is delightful.
Grouper with Panko Parmesan Crust
Preparation:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and mix your parmesan cheese and bread crumbs together. Season through all stages of cooking: fish, flour, eggs, and bread crumb mixture. Dredge your fish through the flour, then your egg wash and then pack down into your bread crumb mixture assuring that the whole filet is covered in bread crumbs. Heat up an oven proof sauté pan, add your clarified butter to the sauté pan then place your filet in the sauté pan. Once browned, flip then place in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. Add a squeeze of key lime and enjoy.
TIP FROM THE CHEF:
If cooking is not your thing come try it out at the club at Key West Harbour and tell them Chef Martin invited you.
]]>I wish I had a great story of catching a record breaking bull dolphin (male of the species) but I don’t! I think the few times that I went out for dolphin we cruised around looking for weed lines out past the reef. We would troll for hours searching for random debris floating in the water. I think a lot of the time I was looking more for a square grouper than anything else. We usually ended up just catching a buzz rather than that dolphin I always hear people boasting and bragging about. Truthfully it’s pretty embarrassing being born and raised here and not ever caught a dolphin. Some friends like to tell me “your mamma never let you out the backcountry!” They even went as far as to not invite me to go with them because they would not catch any dolphin when I was in the boat.
One thing that is for sure is that I have cooked more dolphin than there are chickens running around Key West. It’s hard to walk into almost any restaurant in the Florida Keys or maybe even all Florida without seeing dolphin on the menu - served from blackened to fried or grilled on sandwiches. Topped with some ridiculous fruit salsa or mango burr blanc. I think I get a little irate when I see those dishes because I only had to prepare it for ten of my culinary years. One chef even went as far as to say it was “Key West Cuisine”. Well I guess that chef was a tremendous revolutionary in the culinary field! Hey, the bottom line is, that’s what sells. Maybe that’s why I’m here, to make sure I pass on the knowledge of true Key West cooking and the heritage of the Conch Republic cuisine.
Often as a child I remember my father firing up the grill on the weekend. Some nicely cleaned dolphin simply seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil along with whole green peppers and onion slices seasoned the same way. As the Heineken was flowing he would often douse the grill creating a beer steam of fresh seafood, onion, peppers, and charcoal. It would fill the air! I can still smell it to this day - in my opinion, the best way to eat dolphin by far.
Fire Roasted Dolphin
Preparation:
Season fish and veggies with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Once the grill is hot (key to cooking to perfection), place your vegetables first because they take the longest to cook. Turn veggies as needed to prevent overcooking then place your fish on the grill. Leave on for roughly three minutes and flip once. Cook for two more minutes and douse fish and veggies with wine or beer, cook one more minute then pull off the grill. Be careful not to overcook. The dolphin becomes very dry when overcooked. Finish by rubbing butter chunks on each filet.
TIP FROM THE CHEF:
When cleaning dolphin filets be sure to cut the skin off rather than peeling it off. When you peel the skin off a tough sinew is left behind and is chewy when cooked. Also make sure to cut out all dark pieces of the blood line for a cleaner tasting filet. Hope you all enjoy.
]]>Whether going out to the islands with friends and family to enjoy a few cold ones and some fresh conch with key lime; freediving on the patch reefs and wrecks; or going for a wassa (grouper) under the roots in the mangrove islands being out on the water has always been a passion of mine.
As kids, my friend Eric and I would go out on his 12’ homemade wooden boat to some patch reefs in about 10’ to 15’ of water about 200 yards offshore of South Roosevelt Boulevard. We would fill the deck of the boat with gray snapper, grouper, lobsters, and my favorite hogfish. Getting to my teen years we would be in the boat every day after school till the sun was down or even later. I bet we have checked under almost every rock from Boca Grande to American Shoal. It was pretty amazing free diving thirty feet deep as kids. Eric and many other conch friends of mine dive a lot deeper still to this day. Myself being a chef I am a little more buoyant than I used to be! These days I need tanks and weights in order to get to the bottom but still enjoy it as much as I did the first time I went out.
I think the best part of the spring is when you come back from that first dive trip of the year. You’re sunburnt and exhausted but have such delicious fresh fish to enjoy it makes it all worth it.
One of my favorite ways to prepare hogfish is not a traditional Key West recipe but I managed to Cubanize it just right. I call it Hogfish Key Lime Piccata. It has it’s own identity. It’s nothing like a traditional piccata and not Cuban enough to be Cuban but is simply delicious.
Hogfish Key Lime Piccata
Preparation:
Preheat a medium sized sauce pan. Season fish filet with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Add the olive oil to the pan then sauté the fish filet. Once you flip your filet add your mushrooms and capers. Turn down to medium high heat and sauté for about a minute. Then add your white wine and key lime juice. Reduce all liquid by ½ then remove fish filet (make sure that it is completely cooked). Turn off heat and add your whole butter and stir until the butter is melted. Pour all the sauce over your fish and serve with linguini.
Hope you all enjoy!!!
]]>Pinfish are kept in the live well and work well as live bait. The mahua are usually used as chum and to get the fish behind the boat. Mahua is a small fish that only grows to about an inch or two in length.
What many don’t know is how delicious mahua are! After a quick rinse to descale, a pinch of the head helps clean them out. Toss them in some seasoned flour and quickly fry. When crispy, add a little salt and a squeeze of a fresh key lime and your mahua chips are ready and they are delicious! Grunts are another species of fish that are also over looked at times but another very delicious fish to eat. You can always tell a grunt by the distinctive grunting noise that they make when releasing the hook.
Grunts are usually found fishing near the mangrove islands on reefs. They live in areas where they can find shelter from predators. In the Keys you will usually find this fish prepared whole fried or filleted and breaded with cracker meal. They are wonderful in a sandwich or even served with grits and eggs in the morning.
My family often enjoys eating barracuda as long as they are caught in grass flats and are relatively small in size; two foot long maximum. They have a very nice white flaky meat and quite a clean flavor. Barracuda is said to have a high mercury level and carry sigutara (a disease found in predator fish). It is not a recommended food fish.
In the Caribbean Islands such as the Bahamas, and Jamaica; parrot fish are often found on the dinner plate. On my trips there I have been surprised and felt strange eating such a colorful fish but I quickly forgot about it and enjoyed my meal. In Jamaica it is served as escovich. Escovich is a blend of vegetables; including carrots, onion, thyme, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, bay leaf, and allspice which is that distinctive flavor of Jamaica.
The Bahamian dish I enjoyed was with a Creole sauce. A stewed tomato based sauce with peppers, thyme and habanero pepper for spice. Definitely on the spicier side, but very exhilarating if you enjoy a dish that brings you to tears.
Two other fish found here in the Florida Keys that are also taken for granted are the rainbow runner and the cero mackerel. Both actually make amazing ceviche, sushi, and sashimi. Make sure to trim all the blood line off the filet and slice thinly. Serve with a side of wasabi and soy sauce and cut the cooked part out. They are really delicious and will melt in your mouth. If you’re not into eating raw fish, I say broil it Key West style! Marinate the rainbow runner filet or cero mackerel filet in garlic key lime, sea salt and fresh ground pepper with a little white wine. Broil for about ten to fifteen minutes, watch closely so it doesn’t burn and serve with black beans and rice.
Key West Style Broiled FishPreparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrease. Grease baking pan with olive oil place filets on pan. Rub filets with garlic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle lime juice and white wine over fish. Cook the filets for 10-15 minutes or until done. Make sure to watch carefully so as not to burn. After your fish is finished place small cubes of whole butter on top of the filets.
I hope you all enjoy our Key West cooking!
]]>On the patch reefs you find that varieties of snapper; mutton, yellowtail, and lane are plentiful. Grouper also come in with the cooler weather but due to our fishing regulations, they are restricted from harvest until the end of April.
All the varieties of snapper make amazing meals. Growing up in my household it was often descaled, scored, salted and fried whole. Simply delicious! It looked like it was staring you right in the face but for some reason as a child it never bothered me. It was actually exciting to see it in the fryer. It has a nice crunchy exterior and a delicate moist flesh with a hint of fresh Key Lime juice squeezed over it. The best part we saved for last; the crispy, crunch of the tail! Oh goodness, I’m smiling just thinking about it! The whole fried snapper was usually served with mom’s black beans over white rice, a side of sweet plantains and fresh key lime off the key lime tree in our yard.
After joining the culinary field I grew to love tuna. No, not the stuff you buy in a can but the beautiful deep burgundy fresh blackfin and skipjack tuna. These species are native to the Florida Keys. There are many ways to prepare fresh tuna and I often enjoy experimenting with new flavors. I love to serve it seared rare or simply raw as in tartar. When preparing, I tend to look for what’s in season - fresh, ripe and available. I love to season tuna with fresh ground coriander, chili powder, paprika and even smoked salt is amazing. Typically, sticking with the Asian ingredients is the best way to go.
A black sesame seed seared tuna with a sweet soy reduction and fresh Florida orange is an amazing dish. The salty sweetness of the sauce, the nutty flavor of sesame, and the way tuna melts in your mouth complimented with the acidity of fresh Florida citrus brings it all together for a fantastic appetizer.
Black Sesame Seared Tuna with Sweet Soy and Fresh Florida OrangePreparation:
Put soy sauce and sugar in a pan and reduce by 3/4 and set aside to cool.
Season tuna with salt and pepper and crust with black sesame seeds.
In a very hot pan quickly sear tuna in sesame oil on all sides for about 10 seconds on each side. Peel and slice fresh orange and fan on plate. Thinly slice tuna with a very sharp knife and fan out on top of orange slices. Then drizzle chilled sweet soy reduction over tuna and orange.
Key West, The Southernmost island/city in the United States, dangling at the end of a string of islands closer to Cuba than the mainland is where I grew up and still live to this day. The best memories I have are centered around the deep traditions of food. My family is of Cuban descent. My mother moved to Key West at the young age of seven years old. My father came when he was he was seventeen after leaving Cuba during the revolutionary time. Food was a big part of my upbringing. No matter what the situation, food was the cure. As a child, I was always very interested in what was going on in the kitchen. There was always plenty of seafood. I loved it and still love it to this day!
Growing up in the Key West atmosphere becoming a chef was my destiny. I could make it to work on time and also enjoy the night life. If I wanted to wake up early and spend the morning fishing, I could get it in before heading to work which was also always a plus.
One of my favorite truly Key West dishes is Conch Salad. In Key West all the locals seem to think that their conch salad is the best. Conch salad is a traditional Bahamian dish but there are different forms throughout the Caribbean. It is citrus marinated conch or marine gastropod mollusks along with various diced vegetables. The method of preparation is also known as ceviche. The marinated seafood is preserved and cooked in the citric acid. In early time before refrigeration, this was a common method of preservation.
The dish is also thought to be an aphrodisiac. Who knows if it’s true, but that’s probably why it’s one of my favorites!
Key West Conch SaladPreparation:
Dice seafood and all vegetables into ¼ inch dice (do not forget to peel and deseed cucumber) rough chop cilantros add all ingredients together and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Then serve with crackers. Hope you all enjoy!
TIP FROM THE CHEF
If you’re not a fan of conch, the same recipe could be used for fish. Cobia, wahoo, any type of snapper, and even grouper make an amazing ceviche! If the luxury of fresh Florida seafood isn’t available to you in your region of the country; halibut or sea bass could be used as a substitute.
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