Florida Menu Primer

"What's THAT?"

That's a question you may have heard from your kids countless times, but that same question may just come from your lips when you visit some of Florida's restaurants. Before you patronize one of Florida's famous fish camps you might want to study our Florida Menu Primer.


CATFISH
Catfish is a mild flavored lean white fish with a firm texture. Today, more catfish come from farms than from lakes. They are raised in a quality-controlled environment of clay-based ponds filled with pure fresh water pumped from underground wells. Catfish are kept alive until processed, making them among the freshest freshwater fish. U.S. farm-raised catfish is ranked the fifth most popular fish consumed in the United States after shrimp, tuna, and cod.

CONCH
Conch (pronounced Konk in Florida) is a species of saltwater snail. It is the second best known edible snail, the first being escargot. Conch is a popular food source throughout the Caribbean and is an important food source in Haiti and the Bahamas where itis prepared in soups and salads. Conch meat has a mild, sweet clam-like flavor. The meat is extremely tough and must be pounded or marinated in lime juice to tenderize it prior to cooking. Many restaurants in Florida offer conch fritters and conch chowder, but you can also find it served as conch steaks or on a raw conch salad.

COOTER
A turtle widely found in the lakes and creeks of Florida.

CRACKER COOKING
Survival food that was prized by those who lived in undeveloped Florida, creekside or near the swampy marshes. Cracker food includes frog legs, squirrel, opossum, venison, quail, alligator, raccoon, wild boar, cooter, catfish and mullet. You can still find these dishes on old-fashioned Cracker menus, particularly in fish camps. They are usually served with traditional Southern sides, such as cheese grits, sausage and gravy biscuits, greens, fried okra, hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes and copious amounts of vegetables. In Florida lingo, the term "cracker" means native.

CRAWFISH (CRAYFISH)
Crawfish look like small lobsters. They are usually boiled live in a large pot with heavy seasoning (salt, red pepper, garlic, lemon, bay leaves, etc.)

DATIL PEPPER
The Datil is an exceptionally hot pepper, similar to habaneros, but they have a sweeter, fruitier flavor. Their level of spiciness may be anywhere from 100,000-300,000 scoville units. It is hotter than a jalapeno or Tabasco pepper but not quite as hot as an habenero. It is a little bigger than a jalapeno, with a green to yellow-orange color. Although Datil peppers are cultivated throughout the United States, they are sometimes referred to as the St. Augustine pepper. When the Minorcans migrated to St. Augustine in 1777, they brought the seeds of their datil pepper with them. The datil is indigenous to the St. Augustine area and was once thought to only grow there. You may find Minorcan Clam Chowder on a menu, particularly around St. Augustine. It is a tomato based, Manhattan-style chowder with datil added to add some fire to the pot.

GREENS
Greens are a very popular vegetable in the South. They can be mustard, collard, kale, dandellion or spinach greens. They are usually seasoned with ham, pork, or bacon and may be boiled, steamed, or stir-fried. Greens are usually served with a serving of cornbread.

GRITS
A popular dish in the southern United States, grits are served as a side dish or a hot breakfast cereal. It consists of coarsely ground grain and is often cooked by boiling it in water or milk. Grits usually are made from ground hominy, which is dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the hull and germ have been removed. Grits look like mashed potatoes but taste like corn.

HUSHPUPPIES
Hushpuppies are a distinctly southern food. They essentially are little cornbread ballsthat are flavored with chopped onion and deep-fried until crispy and golden on the outside. Traditionally, hushpuppies are often served as a side dish or appetizer as an accompaniment to seafood.

KEY LIME PIE
A pie that is similar to lemon meringue but made with the tart, yellowish Key limes from Florida.

MAHI-MAHI
Also known as Dorado or Dolphin, Mahi-Mahi is a firm textured extra lean fish, light with a sweetly moist meat, solid flake and moderate flavor. The mahi mahi should not be confused with the mammal called dolphin. It is one of the fastest swimming fish in the sea. They prefer the warmer tropical and subtropical waters of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf Coast of Florida.

MULLET
Mullet is a lean fish with a firm texture, light meat and moderate flavor. They are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. In Florida, they're found in the bays and estuaries on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. They swim in large schools and are commonly seen jumping out of the water which makes it easy for fishermen to spot them, even at night. The two most commercially harvested species of mullet in Florida are the striped mullet and white mullet. The striped mullet is commonly called a black mullet, gray mullet or jumping mullet. The white mullet is called a silver mullet. The primary commercial fishery area in Florida is along the Gulf Coast.

RED GROUPER
A member of the seabass family, Grouper is a Florida favorite and is found in tropical and warm temperatures. It has firm white meat and large flakes and is extra lean with a mild flavor.