Key West Lifestyle
Key West Callaloo
Countless versions of callaloo, the spicy stew made with tropical leafy greens, are found throughout the Caribbean. Arriving from Africa with the slave trade, the recipes for callaloo were modified based on the availability of ingredients on each particular island.
Stone Crab Mustard Dipping Sauce
Stone crabs are one of the many things I love about Key West. Not only does their sweet, firm meat taste amazingly good but their arrival also signals the end of summer and the approach of near-perfect weather for the next seven or eight months.
Key Lime Mousse
Let’s admit it. It’s hard not to love Key Lime pie. For all its touristy, clichéd connotations and its ubiquitous presence on Duval Street menus, this pie really can be amazingly good! We can argue until sunup about the right way to make it (that’s a discussion for another day), but almost all variations are pretty darn good in their own way if properly prepared with fresh ingredients. Rather than re-engage in debates about merengue, color, crusts and all that, how about we go a different way all together?
Fried Grouper Cheeks with Tartar Sauce
Key West has some of the richest fishing waters in the world. You couldn’t dream up a more perfect situation than ours – 130 miles out to sea, the warm, shallow Gulf of Mexico to our north, the surging gulfstream to our southeast and balmy tropical breezes blowing all year long. Something tasty is swimming nearby all year long! Sleek tuna and king mackerel are abundant in winter, while neon dolphin fish liven up the summer. The reef is teeming all year long with snapper, grouper, cobia and jacks. Our only problem is choosing how to cook this bonanza.
Our Newest Addition to the Key West Fleet
Recently, a good friend of mine just made Key West the port of call for his new motor yacht, the Independence. She is a 72 foot 1968 Burger with elegant lines, a full-size galley and beautiful sitting areas both on deck and in the salon.
Fifty Key Ingredients to Have on Hand At All Times
There is no greater freedom than knowing you have key essential ingredients on hand all the time. Here in Key West, this becomes clear on sunny afternoons when a trip to the grocery (all quarter mile of it!) would be a terrible interruption of our pool time cocktails.
Smoking! Learning from the Masters
We have just bought our first smoker, a Weber “bullet” smoker that is, simply, the best there is. I bought this new apparatus for my recent birthday fest. I wanted to smoke a pork butt in the style of kalua Hawaiian pork.
Cookout at the Beach
One of our great treasures here in Key West is Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park. It has beautiful ocean views, a wide beach, large trees and grills and picnic tables scattered throughout the shaded area. This is a great spot to spend an afternoon with friends, food and drink.
Stocking a Weekly Rental in Key West
A weekly rental is a great way to experience Key West and allow yourself time to fully unwind. One of my favorite parts of a weekly beach rental is stocking the house.
