Lionfish Safari!

“Vegans, freegans, locavores – meet invasivores,” proclaimed the New York Times in December 31, 2010.  Down here in Miami, and all up and down the eastern seaboard, we have a lion of an invasive fish. Literally, the lionfish.  The species was allegedly released into the wild in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew, which devastated Miami, destroyed a fish tank.  Since then, the non-indigenous lionfish have had no problem multiplying for the troublesome reason that they have no natural predators in the Atlantic. Continue Reading…

Genuinely Sourced: Summer of Riesling!

Please excuse my honest ignorance, and let me admit that when I heard Paul Giamatti in Sideways scream, “I’m not drinking Merlot!” I thought, me neither.  And the same thing happened when my grandmother was the only person at the family dinner ordering Riesling, I thought, no thanks. I chose red.  Not Merlot, just red.  It was a safe, easy choice, and I knew upon tasting whether or not I liked that particular red or not, but not why.  Then I moved to Italy.

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Grouper Ceviche with Mango, Citrus, and Cilantro.

Fortunately, mangos grow on trees.  Unfortunately, we have to wait all year, watching over our heads and threatening squirrels under our breath, while the little green mangoes turn red and yellow, and take over the air with their intoxicating smell.

Well, summer is here, and with it the South Florida mango trees are being coveted like parking spaces on Lincoln Road.  Thanks to mass international transit, mangoes have been arriving from the tropics to our grocery stores for months.  But any Miami local will tell you that they have their usual tree, in their grandmother’s, friend’s, neighbor’s, or – for the lucky ones — their own yard. At our restaurant in Grand Cayman, the kitchen is bombarded with them, making for happy chefs.  When that first mango falls from above, it is the start of something wonderful, albeit short-lived. Continue Reading…