Mahi Martinique

Sundowners Restaurant
Mile Marker 104, bayside, Key Largo
305-451-4502
www.SundownersKeyLargo.com

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients                                                                                                  

Four 6-8 oz fresh mahi filets

2 Whole Yellow Bananas (not over ripe)

6 oz Marinara Sauce

3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 fresh basil leaves cut into thin ribbons

3 TBS White Sugar

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cut each banana in half and then cut again, so you end up with 4 long slices of each banana. On a small plate mix cinnamon and sugar, then roll bananas into mixture. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add 1 TBS olive oil. Sauté bananas until warm and soft. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Warm marinara sauce over the stove or in a microwave until well heated. Hold aside.

Season mahi filets with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet or frying pan over medium high heat, and add extra virgin olive oil. Sauté mahi 3-4 minutes per side, until fish is light and flakey throughout.

Top fish with marinara sauce and sautéed bananas. Sprinkle with basil ribbons and Enjoy!

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Bobby Stoky, chef and cookbook author is the proprietor of many Upper Keys restaurants. 

Island Style Baked Yellowtail Snapper with Fresh Vegetables

Sundowners Restaurant
Mile Marker 104, bayside, Key Largo
305-451-4502
www.SundownersKeyLargo.com

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients                                                                                                  

3 pounds of fresh groper filets (or other white fish), cleaned of the blood line and cut into fingers

3 cups of Italian bread crumbs or panko for frying

Oil for frying

Mojo Marinade (can be prepared 3-4 days in advance) or if available from your grocer, you can buy premade mojo marinade in the marinade or Spanish food section of your store.

1 ½ cups fresh orange juice

1 cup Spanish olive oil

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup fresh Key lime juice (or Persian lime juice, if Key Limes are not available)

4 heads of garlic

1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the mojo marinade by mashing the garlic, salt, and black pepper in a mortar or food processor.  Stir in the juice allow mixture to “sit” for at least 30 minutes.  In a sauce pan, heat the oil, basil, oregano, cumin and chopped onions over medium heat until the onions become soft.  Remove oil from heat, cool, and add to juice mixture.  Refrigerate mojo marinade after making.  Add grouper fingers to mojo marinade and allow the fingers to marinate in the refrigerator for not longer than 2 hours, or until the outside of the fish fingers begins to turn white, as the citrus in the marinade will begin to “cook” the fish.  Remove grouper fingers from mojo and dredge in bread crumbs.  Place battered fingers into the refrigerator and fish filets to “rest” for at least 30 minutes before frying, so the batter can “set.” Heat frying oil in sauté pan on medium high heat until oil is approximately 350 F (make sure oil is hot, but do not allow it to burn).  Place fish fingers in oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fish fingers are white and flakey throughout.  Remove fingers from oil and drain on paper towels (a brown paper bag, lined with paper towels works great for this).  Serve fish fingers with Key limes and tartar sauce!

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Bobby Stoky, chef and cookbook author is the proprietor of many Upper Keys restaurants. 

Onion Encrusted Yellowtail Snapper

Sundowners Restaurant
Mile Marker 104, bayside, Key Largo
305-451-4502
www.SundownersKeyLargo.com

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 6-8 ounce fresh snapper filets, or other light white fish, with the bones removed

1 large yellow onion, sliced thin for onion rings (you can substitute for fried onions in a can)

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon Black Caesar’s Blackening Spice

2 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

In a large, deep sauté pan or fryer, preheat enough vegetable oil to cover onions.  Heat oil to approximately 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl place 1 cup flour and blackening spice.  Toss sliced onions in flour mixture and lightly shake off any excess flour.  Place dusted onion rings into hot oil, and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring onions occasionally, until onions are dark brown.  Remove onions from the oil, and place on paper towels to remove any excess oil.  Allow onion rings to cool to room temperature.  Then using a kitchen knife or a food processor, chop onion rings until they are about the size of the panko bread crumbs.  Place chopped onion rings and panko bread crumbs into a medium bowl, and mix well. Dredge snapper filets through remaining flour, then through the beaten eggs, and then press snapper into the onion ring and panko bread crumb mixture.  Place a large sauté pan on the stove and add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.  Place battered filets into the sauté pan and sauté over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until onion crust is lightly browned. Remove sauté pan from the stove and place into an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until snapper filets are white throughout. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove filets from oven.  Top with Key lime butter and enjoy!

Key Lime Butter (prepare in advance)

6 Key limes, juiced (you can also use bottled Key Lime juice, or just fresh lime juice for this recipe)

1 stick of butter

¼ cup of good quality dry white wine

Preparation:

Melt butter over medium heat, add dry white wine, and key lime juice.  Remove from heat and let rest at room temperature.

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Bobby Stoky, chef and cookbook author is the proprietor of many Upper Keys restaurants. 

Bourbon Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
(aka. amazing shrimp goodness)

Sundowners Restaurant
Mile Marker 104, bayside, Key Largo
305-451-4502
www.SundownersKeyLargo.com

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients                                                                                                  

24 U-15 or larger shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails removed

3 large jalapenos, cut into strips with the seeds removed

1 pound Monterey jack cheese cut into strips

24 rashers (or strips) of good bacon

3 TBS Oil

Bourbon Glaze (can be prepared 3-4 days in advance)

10 oz. Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon

6 oz. Brown Sugar

4 oz. Pineapple

2 oz. Heavy Cream

4 oz. Butter

2 TBS Cornstarch

3 TBS Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a small sauce pot over medium heat, add the butter, pineapple juice, and bourbon. Allow the butter to melt and the mixture to come to a light boil.  Reduce heat and add brown sugar and stir to dissolve.   Once dissolved, remove from heat and add the heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.  In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until all clumps are removed and slurry is of an even consistency.  Add this to your warm bourbon glaze until your glaze is as thick as BBQ sauce.  Taste glaze again and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Stuff shrimp with cheese and jalapeno strips and wrap each shrimp with one piece of bacon.  Pre-heat flat top grille to medium high.  Season grill with oil and place shrimp on grill.  Grille for 3-4 minutes per side, or until shrimp are white throughout and bacon is cooked.  Brush both sides of shrimp with bourbon glaze and serve hot and tasty.

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Bobby Stoky, chef and cookbook author is the proprietor of many Upper Keys restaurants. 

Mojo Grouper Bites

Sundowners Restaurant
Mile Marker 104, bayside, Key Largo
305-451-4502
www.SundownersKeyLargo.com

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients                                                                                                  

3 pounds of fresh groper filets (or other white fish), cleaned of the blood line and cut into fingers

3 cups of Italian bread crumbs or panko for frying

Oil for frying

Mojo Marinade (can be prepared 3-4 days in advance) or if available from your grocer, you can buy premade mojo marinade in the marinade or Spanish food section of your store.

1 ½ cups fresh orange juice

1 cup Spanish olive oil

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup fresh Key lime juice (or Persian lime juice, if Key Limes are not available)

4 heads of garlic

1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the mojo marinade by mashing the garlic, salt, and black pepper in a mortar or food processor.  Stir in the juice allow mixture to “sit” for at least 30 minutes.  In a sauce pan, heat the oil, basil, oregano, cumin and chopped onions over medium heat until the onions become soft.  Remove oil from heat, cool, and add to juice mixture.  Refrigerate mojo marinade after making.  Add grouper fingers to mojo marinade and allow the fingers to marinate in the refrigerator for not longer than 2 hours, or until the outside of the fish fingers begins to turn white, as the citrus in the marinade will begin to “cook” the fish.  Remove grouper fingers from mojo and dredge in bread crumbs.  Place battered fingers into the refrigerator and fish filets to “rest” for at least 30 minutes before frying, so the batter can “set.” Heat frying oil in sauté pan on medium high heat until oil is approximately 350 F (make sure oil is hot, but do not allow it to burn).  Place fish fingers in oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fish fingers are white and flakey throughout.  Remove fingers from oil and drain on paper towels (a brown paper bag, lined with paper towels works great for this).  Serve fish fingers with Key limes and tartar sauce!

PRINT RECIPE

Bobby Stoky, chef and cookbook author is the proprietor of many Upper Keys restaurants.