Wahoo’s: My Favorite Meal in Islamorada

One really nice thing about the Florida Keys is that it seems you’re never more than a few feet from some species of fish. They may not be the kind you’re chasing, or they may not bite, but they’re present and often visible. That means that if your intended target isn’t chewing, you can usually find something that is, and then you can return the favor – chowing down on the many edible and delicious catches.

Hanna and I have been fortunate to eat freshly-caught fish on many of our trips: In Alaska, that meant halibut and salmon, which we also flew home; from Panama, we ate and then packed the most amazing yellowfin tuna you’ve ever had; and in Guatemala when we’ve been fortunate enough to catch a morning mahi or two on the way to the sailfish grounds, the Casa Vieja mates will cook it onboard for lunch.

In Islamorada, not only did we catch several species that we’d never caught before, like mangrove snapper, redfish and tripletail (and our friend Lee Byrd sight-fished a grouper), but many of them were quite edible. We brought a bunch back to the dock to be cleaned and then cooked. That’s the nice thing about a semi-organized trip to a dedicated fishing town – many of the restaurants will cook your catch for you. So while we had several great seafood meals at other restaurants, my absolute favorite was our second night dinner at Wahoo’s.

We brought seven pounds of fillets and they prepared them for us three ways – blackened, grilled and fried – at a rate of $18 a pound. It was delectable and way too much food, especially since each pound of fish you paid for got two side dishes included. By the time you added in a few tummy-filling adult beverages (and totally-unnecessary-but-scrumptious appetizers like ceviche, coconut shrimp, fried calamari and “voodoo cracked” conch), we guiltily left behind some of the fish. Our waiter was super-attentive and everything was cooked perfectly.

I’m past the point of being sentimental about any particular fish I catch or meal I eat, but this was special. We were with five friends from four different states, eating outside, disconnected from the world, and all we had to do was get up the next day and repeat the fishing routine again.

And yes, we saved room for Key Lime Pie. Diets be damned, calories don’t count when you’re on a great trip.