We are well into the Spiny Lobster and Stone Crab seasons. The prices should have stabilized after the high prices of the beginning of the seasons. The Chinese play a role in Spiny Lobster prices, but also they are learning how to play the [lobster] game. Last year Stock Island-based commercial lobster fisherman George Niles … Read more
Miami resident Juan Mallen took top honors at the annual Stone Crab Eating Contest Saturday in the Florida Keys. Mallen, a 49-year-old commercial appliance technician, cracked and ate 25 stone crab claws in 12 minutes and 54 seconds, besting the old record by more than two minutes. He has been trying to win the contest … Read more
The Stoned Crab, Three Hands Fish, and Key West Legal Rum partner to create “Chef Distilled” and “The Three Hands Experience” packages to be offered beginning in the Fall of 2016. Taking a stand against the increasingly homogenized American tourist experience, three local Key West businesses are banding together to offer two new ‘eco-foodie’ experiences … Read more
Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Key West is blessed with an abundance of fresh seafood. Its proximity to Cuba also introduces a special flair to the cuisine. With a thriving bar and restaurant scene on Duval Street and beyond, Key West is filled with plenty of opportunities for a tasty … Read more
South Floridians are no strangers to mangoes – the time of year when round colorful fruit falls from trees in backyards across the region. One local business is taking advantage, and using the fruit almost as currency. The Whip N’ Dip ice cream shop, 1407 Sunset Dr., Coral Gables, has a sign in the window that … Read more
Never mind apple pie. In Florida, the most beloved dessert might be Key Lime Pie. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate the July 4 weekend, the annual Key Lime Festival will take place July 2-4 in Key West. The full schedule can be found here. Here is more information in a news release … Read more
Mango BY NINA LINCOFF Keynoter Publishing It’s mango season in South Florida, which means more mangos in produce bins, on sidewalks and in your back yard than you know what to do with. Mangos have been growing in Florida since the late 1800s. They arrived from Cuba and took root in Miami and Tampa, but the mango … Read more
In “A Gourmet’s Guide: Food and Drink from A to Z” by John Ayto (Oxford University Press, 1993), Key Lime Pie is described as “An American pie containing a lime-flavored custard topped with meringue.” It takes its name from the Florida Keys. There is a little more to it than that. It is the official … Read more
This Key Lime Poundcake is sweet, however the substantial addition of lime zest propels it to a new world of citrus wonder. Key Lime PoundCake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing 4 sticks butter, that’s 1 pound, room temperature 3 cups sugar 6 large eggs, room temperature 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup fresh key … Read more
For fresh taste of the Atlantic, try this recipe for Islamorada’s spear-caught hogfish that let’s its clean flavors shine. When in Islamorada, Florida, be sure to try something that is hard to find anywhere else. For Chef Michael Ledwith, that is the locally spear caught hogfish. Over the years, Chef Michael and his team have … Read more
This is the beginning of a story about a search for a good fish sandwich in Charlotte, NC. The writer uses their experience in Islamorada to preface what they are looking for. No one ever really talks about who has the best fish sandwich in town. Best burgers, yes. Best overall sandwich, yes. Are there just not enough … Read more
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of blue crabs? Many of us may think of our favorite foods, everything from soup to crab cakes. Even the scientific name of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, translates to “beautiful savory swimmer.” These crabs serve as an important food for humans and animals alike, … Read more
There has been a long ongoing debate about the availability of various seafood populations in all of Florida and the Florida Keys. There are several groups (they now call these groups “stake holders”) that have different opinions on how these populations are doing. Commercial Fishermen rely on plentiful catches and a thriving market with high … Read more
The harvest of spiny lobster off the Florida Keys has never been better, but the price fishermen are being paid is down significantly so far because the Asian market has yet to take off this season. The season started earlier this month with trap fishermen catching near record number of lobster, fishermen said. A trap … Read more
(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, has introduced a bill that would ban importing all 11 lionfish species, including the nine that have not been found in U.S. waters. The bill would not interfere with the selling of fish fillets, which encourages to help eliminate the fish in Florida waters. The bill was introduced last … Read more
Islamorada kinda got it going on. Somehow, without much fanfare, it has reached a tipping point where, because of a batch of new eateries and resorts, it feels like the “cool” Key. That wasn’t always the case — in the past, the Florida town’s venues had tried to out “Key” each other with tired nautical … Read more
Shrimp is a staple on my dinner table in the spring as the weather heats up and my body craves lean proteins. Wild-caught pink shrimp are local to the Florida Keys and are most abundant during the spring months. In many cases these shrimp are available at the local market just a day after being … Read more