Essentials
EZ Cracker for stone crabs
Stone crabs are one of my favorite foods in Key West. Their sweet, firm meat not only tastes amazingly good, but it also signals that the summer season is over and the weather in Key West is going to be perfect for the next eight months.
Red Boat Vietnamese fish sauce
This Vietnamese fish sauce is the best I’ve ever tasted. Just anchovies and sea salt flavor this rich sauce. This is the type of crafted sauce is exactly what a good cook is looking for. It’s perfect for a simple, spicy Thai sauce for fish (see my recipe). redboatfishsauce.com
Boos chopping blocks
Founded in Illinois by Conrad Boos in 1887, this company makes outstanding chopping blocks and cutting boards from rock-hard maple and oak harvested in the Great Lakes area.
Boston Whaler boats
When I first moved to Key West, I bought a little 13 foot Boston Whaler that had been sitting on a trailer underneath a mango tree for quite some time. It was a 1988 hull with a 1990 Yamaha 50 hp engine.
Kingsford charcoal
If you’re thinking “All charcoal is the same,” you are so wrong!
