February 15th, 2012
Islamorada Fish Company was one of the restaurants a friend told us to stop by on the way to the Keys. It could be visited either when driving south or north, depending on the time of the day. This restaurant is located at 81532 Overseas Hwy., Isla Morada, FL 33036. Tel. 305-664-9271.
Islamorada Fish Co. opens for lunch and dinner 7 days a week; 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. It is 1 1/2 hours south of Miami or 2 hours north of Key West. This restaurant is part of the Bass Pro Shops that are found around the country. They say that Isla Morada is known as the “sportfishing capital of the world”.
We were getting hungry so the moment we saw it, we stopped. The first thing we saw was the seafood market. We continued to the back of the market and found a beautiful setting for this waterside restaurant. I could not believe how cool it was; 68 degrees!!
Islamorada Fish Co. is a venue for special occasions; weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, etc. etc. It is also kid friendly.
All of a sudden the water was splashing; tarpons, nurse sharks and pelicans were all eating some of the fish thrown at them.
The restaurant was casual and comfortably crowded. We decided on an appetizer of flash fried alligator. It had been a long time since I had alligator. This one was tender; the taste was more like veal.
2 Greek Salads were ordered with grilled lobster on top. We were not sure if the lobster was going to be too dry; it was perfectly cooked and it was delicious.
My husband ordered the dinner entree of grilled lobster and he thought the same thing. The lobsters were juice and certainly very good.
All we needed was a little bit of sun….we would have to wait until the next day for sunshine.
Talk to you later…
July 22nd, 2011
I had to go and check Hook ’em & Cook ’em out. Mel is one of my fellow walkers; he is religious about his walking, more so than I. Some time ago, I told him I had a website. That I wrote about the area. He told me I needed to visit Hook em & Cook ’em. That they were so nice and the seafood so fresh. Okay, okay I am going. On a sizzling day, I took off for the Indian River Marina which is south of Dewey Beach and just before Bethany Beach.
To get to Hook ’em & Cook ’em is a little tricky now. Due to all the construction of the new bridge, detours are driving us all crazy. But, they are there, just like they have been for 8 years. Yes, Hook ’em & Cook ’em is inside the north side of the Delaware State Park at the Indian River Marina.
Their telephone is 302-226-8220. The website? www.hookemcookem.com. The owners? Bert & Deanna. Please note that they have an on-line store, as well. At the York Beach Mall in South Bethany there is another location; no seafood is sold there, but everything else is.
I have to tell you that I had not been back there in so long. It really looked beautiful; a gorgeous setting. The boats, the water and the Marina itself.
Camera out and the first thing I saw was a gentleman getting some flounder off the hooks. One of the kids’ catch.
I finally went in. The shop was very well stocked and busy.
Fishing gear and everything that has to do with fishing, surf or otherwise. I really don’t fish but do appreciate others that do.
I introduced myself to Deanna. She knew exactly who I was talking about; Mel. The same Mel that has not been there in some time.
Deanna was making a crabcake so I was happy to get the picture. She is limited to what she can cook at the shop. She makes Cream of Crab Soup, Crabcakes, using only jumbo lump meat, shrimp salad, tuna salad and Rock Fish Chowder. They can also steam seafood.
You can order take-out, or just sit outside on one of their picnic tables.
Hook ’em & Cook ’em has, pretty much every day, tautog, flounder, rockfish, and black seabass. They have fillets or whole fish for sale, as well.
Lobsters are a bit scarce this year. If you are interested in lobster call them ahead of time to make sure they have them.
On one of the freezers, bait is what you will find; the other had frozen seafood. Tuna is bought from commercial fishing boats. This is due to licensing laws.
It was time to go outside because the flounder I first encoutered was going to be cleaned by Christopher. He is quite young but an expert; also Deanna and Bert’s son. He cleans fish for everyone.
If you like to fish and would like to have that opportunity at the beach with either your family and friends, Deanna and Bert own Judy V. This is a 65′ fishing boat. Don’t worry if you are not an expert because their staff will guide you every step of the way. There are 1/2 days or full days of fishing. You can visit the website, www.fishjudyv.com. You can also call 302-226-2214 or 877-613-6022. The website will have the rates and departure schedules.
Then, there is Capt. Bob II. This is a 55′ fishing boat which is also available for private charters. You can get all the info. for this boat also on the website above mentioned.
I got some tuna for dinner and it was delicious. I had not had a nice piece of tuna steak in a long time.
Deanna was so friendly and I thank Mel for pushing me to go and meet them.
You need to save the date of Saturday, July 30th. Right at the Indian River Marina the Third Annual Seafood & Arts will be taking place from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. It is free!! You will find Lollipop the Clown, live music, fresh seafood and platters and fun for the whole family. For more details, please call 302-227-3071 or visit www.destateparks.com/marinas.
Even though it was so hot, walking around the Indian River Marina was a pleasure. I got close to the Indian River; people were fishing and having a grand old time.
If you are in the area stop by because you will be impressed.
As I am finishing this post, I almost forgot a most important member of the staff at Hook ’em & Cook ’em; Spencer. It was nice meeting you too.
Have a good one…talk to you later…
January 23rd, 2010
One of the nicest things about the second season, here at the beaches, is the laid back attitude we all get. Not lazy but really relaxed because it is quiet; being able to park anywhere, and no waiting lines, it’s such a treat. Don’t get me wrong, I love the visitors to our beaches and the energy they all project, but at this time of the year, I am really enjoying this.
You know, “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” By Harriet Van Horne.
With that in mind, the Usual Suspects, signed up for a cooking class at Big Fish Grill. I wrote about this very popular restaurant back on December 11th. You can click on the left hand side of this blog, on that particular month and scroll down to that date in order to see it.
Inside Big Fish on our way to Cooking School
Big Fish Grill is located on 20298 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. Tel. is 302-227-9007. The website is www.bigfishgrill.com.
The Usual Suspects above mentioned are a group of my friends that are ready to do anything on a moment’s notice. Debbie, Roberta, another Debbie and Brennan have accompanied me kayaking, to breakfast at Crystal in Rehoboth Beach, and to Liquid Assets in Ocean City, Maryland.
Besides being good friends, we all have a strong interest in food and decided to go to this class, make the best of it, learn, and savour every mouthful of the coming feast. And, that’s exactly what we did.
A busy kitchen with Expediters
Big Fish Grill is one of those restaurants that is busy all the time. Summer season, second season, hurricane season, nor’ easter season, you name it; no rest for this group. I like it best in the fall and winter. Susan, their manager, said today, you can kick back in their casual atmosphere and the restaurant is more subdued. In the summer it is busy. People coming and going; enjoying their food and out the door to explore whatever the beaches are offering.
Big Fish Grill has been offering cooking classes and they have been well attended. Today’s class had about 22 people. Some of them had already been to these classes in the past year.
Our Chefs were Marcus and Joe. Susan was non-stop. She knows every aspect of the restaurant and its food preparations. They would attempt to give us the ins and outs of a very well run and organized operation; their techniques and suggestions.
Marcus on the left and Joe on the right
We all gathered in the main part of the restaurant and had coffee and baked goods. The agenda was as follows: An introduction, with a tour of Big Fish Seafood Market and the proper fish cutting technique. It was harder than I thought, but Fidel made it look so easy.
Fidel and the Red Snapper
Learning to Fillet Fidel's Red Snapper
We entered the seafood market where already every fish was perfectly displayed for the week-end. The only fish that is received frozen is the Chilean Seabass since it comes from Chile. Everything is made in-house with the exception of the candied nuts that go into some of their salads. Spices and dips are available for purchase. A favorite of mine is their smoked fish dip.
Ready to Go Items at the Seafood Market
Then, the appetizer demonstration with a Tuna Tartar with a Crispy Chip, Oysters Rockeffeler and an Arugula Salad with Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette. Heaven was near.
Marcus ready for Tuna Tartar
Ready for Oysters Rockefeller
A discussion of pairing wine with food and cheese; then a wine and cheese tasting. Susan told us that Big Fish wants to offer wines that complement a meal. They are not looking for mark-ups. Some of the ones sampled today were the Sauvignon Blanc called Saint Supery from the Napa Valley. A Chardonnay called Natura from Chile. A Cabernet called BV from the Napa Valley that was one of their heavier reds. And, a Pino Noir called Carmel Road. She suggested drinking the wine with cheese and enjoy the sensation it would produce. One of the cheeses that I really liked was called Morbier. This is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese from France and it is named after the Village of Morbier in Franche-Comte in Eastern France. The color is ivory; it is soft and slightly elastic. You can recognize it by a black layer of tasteless ash separating it horizontally in the middle. Aging time for this cheese is 45 days to 3 months.
Susan explaining wines
Wine & Cheese Tasting
The entree demonstration was the culmination of the class with 4 dishes; Mojito Marinated Snapper with Pico de Gallo. Yes, that was the fish I fillet. Citrus Rubbed Salmon from the Summerhouse menu, Pan Seared Rib Eye with Horseradish Cream and the ever popular Big Fish Mashers. All fantastic dishes that were quickly devoured.
Mojito Marinated Snapper with Pico de Gallo
Citrus Rubbed Salmon
The sweet ending was sinful. At the beginning of the class, Sandra made the brownies from scratch so they would be ready for dessert. Sandra also handles the crabmeat for Big Fish. Can you believe this restaurant uses 600 lbs. of crabmeat per week in the summer?
Sandra preparing the Brownies
Sweet Endings at Last!!
Big Fish Grill said that they are passionate about creating consistently good food everytime. They will tweak, improve, and develop recipes that will keep us asking for more. Their commitment to superior quality of ingredients, a dedicated staff and a friendly disposition made us really enjoy this day.
Gracias a Sandra y a Fidel por su ayuda en este dia. Los “brownies” estaban deliciosos y aprendi como limpiar el pescado. Buen maestro, Fidel.
Note: Please check the website for more information. The schedule for the 2010 Cooking Classes is posted, as well as information on their other restaurants; the Summerhouse in Rehoboth Beach, the Big Fish Grill on the waterfront in Wilmington. Soon, another restaurant will be unveiled; Firestone, also on the waterfront in Wilmington. Be on the look-out.
The information on Morbier was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morbier_(cheese).
We were given all the recipes taught in this class. As soon as I make some of them I will share them with you. And by the way, the following are some of the kitchen gadgets that you should not live without.
The Essentials
Robot Coupe is a Hand Mixer
A Couple of Blenders will Do
Well, this post was a long one but how else could I have described it? See you soon….
October 21st, 2009
This seafood market is located on 20238 Coastal Highway (Rt. 1) in Rehoboth Beach. Tel. 302-227-3551, Fax is 302-227-5571 and the carry-out number is 302-227-3776.
Rehoboth Seafood has a complete line of fresh and frozen seafood. During the summer season they carry gourmet meats and seasonal veggies. They also have available a lunch and dinner carry-out menu. 
You are also able to order from them organic free range turkeys. This is the time of the year to order, so please give them a call as soon as you have your plans ready.
Mark Lane is the owner and he has been in the business for about 30 years and on this location since 1997.
Through the years, I have been a customer of Rehoboth Seafood. In my beach towns we are so lucky to have fresh seafood availabe, all the time, and I promote all these markets.
Fresh seafood is something that I look forward to and last night we were in the mood for a nice piece of fish, so late in the afternoon we paid Rehoboth Seafood a visit. Nick was the employee at that time of the day and he wrapped us 2 pieces of halibut. All the seafood looked so fresh. They also carry a line of herbs, rubs and sea salts, among other things, to make your cooking easier.
We chatted with Nick a bit and I took some pictures. When I am reviewing a place and I am able to take pictures, it is great because you can get an idea of what the business looks like.
Have you had halibut? Well, it is a type of flat fish from the family of the flounder. The name comes from haly (holy) and butt (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy-days. It lives in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. It is also the largest flat fish, weighing about 24-30 lbs., but can be as large as 734 lbs. It is also known as the “Cow of the Sea”.
From my previous posts, you know already that I like to cook, but fish is not my specialty. Don’t get me wrong, I can do it but I never think it tastes as good as when someone else prepares it.
Besides the halibut, we also got some oysters and we steamed them in the oven. They were great.
I kept the halibut simple. Put it on a lined baking sheet and topped it with melted butter, pepper, and lemon juice. Grated some of the lemon on it and put it in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 7 minutes and then under the broiler, but not too close to it, maybe about 6 inches below, for about 4 minutes to give it some color. It was delicious.
I hope that when you are visiting our coast you get a chance to get some fresh seafood, from our local Seafood Markets.
Note: Information on the halibut was taken from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halibut.
Gorgeous day in the Delmarva Peninsula!!!! See you later…
July 31st, 2009
This Seafood Carryout is the “home of the crabs with attitude!” And that is what we wanted. Just a few of their largest crabs is all we needed. Just for an appetizer. All I can tell you is that they were big and heavy. We ate them with much gusto. When crabs are that big it is so nice not to work that hard in getting the meat out. The big lumps came out so easily.
Anyway, Jimmy Lynn’s is located on 18226 Coastal Hwy. in Lewes, DE 19958 and their tel. is 302-644-9329. Coastal Highway is also highway 1 and it is the main road for coming to the Delaware beaches. They have parking and really, the distance between Lewes, Rehoboth and Dewey is not long so it would take no time to get there.
You can also call them on your way in, place your order and pick it up as you go by.
I almost forgot to tell you that they have other seafood too. For example, they have platters, soups, sandwiches, homemade sauces, seafood baskets, salads and desserts.
We have a few seafood markets in our beaches and they are all very good. I will be reviewing the rest of them at a later time. So, until then, have a great time, whatever you are doing this week-end.
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