You wouldn't go to Boston for gumbo or consider crab cakes in Nebraska. No matter where you dock your boat this summer, get the scoop on specialty seafood and pick the perfect dish.
It's hard to imagine that lobsters were once considered a poor man's food. In Colonial New England, lobsters grew so abundantly that they were fed to children, prisoners and indentured servants. Many Massachusetts servants put clauses in their contracts stating that employers could not serve lobster more than three times a week. In the mid-1800s, high-society diners in New York and Boston took a liking to this tasty crustacean and elevated lobsters to a delicacy.
Species of lobsters appear in every ocean, but the cream of the crop comes from the Atlantic waters of Maine and Canada, where more than half of the world's supply is harvested. Lobster fishing season in North America peaks twice a year, in late spring and the fall. Even though visitors look forward to the summer ritual of a lobster boil, it's not necessarily the best time of year for cracking claws. That's when lobsters migrate into warm waters to molt and mate, so they're hungry and not as tasty.
Lobster purists insist that a steaming pot of water with a dash of salt is the best way to prepare this savory seafood, because it brings out the natural flavors. But regional cooks like to play around with lobster to create dishes for both the white linen crowd and the casual diner. Lobster Newberg, which was allegedly created at New York City's renowned Delmonico Restaurant in the 1870s, is a dish designed for special occasions. Its simmering blend of tail meat, butter, heavy cream, cognac and a pinch of cayenne pepper is a rich decadent delight.
Yet, some prefer simpler recipes. The lobster roll, pieces of lobster mixed with mayo, celery, and lemon juice, and tucked inside a toasted kaiser roll, is an ideal summer lunch at a beach in Cape Cod.
Since the Middle Ages, the scallop shell has been the symbol of St. James. Christians who made pilgrimages to his shrine wore a scallop shell on their clothes or on a string around their neck. When they stopped to rest, pilgrims were allowed to scoop a shell's worth of food at churches, castles or homes along the way. Centuries later, when French cooks combined scallops with mushrooms, cream, wine and parmesan cheese, they named the savory dish "Coquilles de St. Jacques," or Scallops St. James, after the holy man and his followers. Like the medieval pilgrims, scallops want to roam. Other bivalves, such as oysters, mussels, and clams, latch onto a surface and spend their lives in one place. Scallops are free-swimming mollusks that flit about the waves by opening and closing their shells with their adductor muscle. This powerful muscle is what we eat. Scallops come in two different varieties. The larger sea scallops, which can grow up to eight inches in diameter, are found in the North Atlantic from Newfoundland to North Carolina. They cost less but are ideal for quick grilling or pan frying to a golden brown.
Bay scallops, which reside in bays and estuaries from New England to the Gulf of Mexico, have a sweeter taste and only hit the 4 inch mark. Sea scallops are gathered from fall to spring, whereas bay scallops are ripe in autumn.
Northwest Native American folklore believed the salmon are people in fish form with supernatural abilities and eternal lives. They resided in beautiful homes under the sea, but offered themselves to tribes on land as a source of food, as long as humans treated them with respect and allowed their spirits to return to the sea.
This legend illustrates salmons' unique behavior of being born in fresh water, living in the ocean's salt water, and then returning to rivers and streams to spawn and die. This cycle of life takes place on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Almost 99% of Atlantic salmons are farm-raised, but nearly 80% of western salmon are caught in the wild.
Salmon is a hit with healthy eaters, because it is high in omega-3 acids and vitamin D. Plus, it's considered a fatty fish, which helps combat cholesterol and heart issues and works well for grilling.
If you travel to the West Coast this summer, you'll discover that salmon recipes mirror the region's diverse cultures and influences. California, with its large Asian population, is known for pressing fresh salmon into sushi rolls or grilling filets with soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar and chives. In the Northwest, Native Americans like to roast salmon on cedar planks, the same way their ancestors did for centuries.
Our planet is home to 4,500 species of edible crabs snow, Dungeness, queen, red rock, Chinese mitten, and Pacific spider crabs, to name a few. Dipped into melted butter, every one of them tastes divine. However, U.S. crab eaters fall into two distinctly different camps: Maryland blue crabs fans or King crab devotees. One is East Coast driven, the other stems from the West Coast.
Regional distinctions are as different as day and night. Maryland blue crabs, the runt of the crab species litter, are small in stature but big in flavor. They swim along the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Argentina, and the Gulf of Mexico, but most are pulled from Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina waters. They mate and then hibernate in the mud from October to April. When water temperatures rise above 50 degrees, they emerge with a feisty gusto and crab season begins.
Maryland natives express strong opinions about cooking their home-grown crabs. Steamed for 25 minutes with hefty shakes of Old Bay seasoning is the best way to go. Piping hot crabs fanned out on a picnic table with brown paper and wooden mallets is a summer rite of passage. When the meat is molded into crab cakes, green pepper or bread crumb filler is seriously frowned upon, because locals want to savor every bite of the tender, sweet crustacean. Soft shells crabs that have just shed their hard outer shells are dusted with flour, fried to a crunchy brown, and then laid between two slices of white bread with a swipe of mayo. Crispy legs that dangle out from the crust taste like a tiny bite of the Chesapeake Bay. Stone and king crabs are all about the legs. These prized crustaceans are found around the Pacific Rim from eastern Korea to northern British Columbia and the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, Sea of Okhotsk, and Kamchatka shelf. Fishing season lasts from October to January. King crabs reign supreme among this species, a and the long spindly legs turn a creamy white color with red accents when steamed, and they're considered one of Neptune's greatest gifts to mankind.
Whether you call them craw daddies, crayfish or crawfish, everybody knows you're talking about a distant relative of the lobster that has deep roots in Louisiana and Gulf Coast cuisine. Locals say the best time to eat them is spring (mid- March to mid-May) when water temperatures rise above 60 degrees, and the adults are hell-bent on mating and the babies aren't yet born. They're juicier then and have more meat on them. From August to February, shells become tough and harder to peel.
To eat like a Cajun, look for a Louisiana crawdad boil with corn on the cob, potatoes, andouille sausage, mushrooms and onions cooked together in a big old pot with a dash of hot sauce or seasonings. If you want to run like the local herd, pinch the crawfish tail to get every morsel of meat and suck the brains from the head to have a full-flavor experience. A cool bottle of Abita beer helps muster enough courage to take the first slurp of the head.
Another Big Easy favorite, Crawfish Etouffee, offers an option for the less daring. Its name comes from the French word to smother, and aptly describes the thick stew of plump crawfish in a thick blonde roux served over rice with fresh chopped scallions. A slice of hot French garlic bread along with an icy Hurricane, and you'll be singing tunes along with the zydeco band.
“What do we do with a drunken leprechaun? Early in the morning!”
The same way mysteries of mischievous leprechauns in Irish folklore have transcended through time, the original recipe for this drink is also a mystery. A few variations of this St. Patty’s-themed cocktail are served in local pubs, but most of them include its most important ingredient — good ol’ Irish whiskey. Like a fun twist on the Irish Screwdriver, check out our favorite version of this green concoction.
Ingredients:
2 oz Irish Whiskey
1 oz Blue Curaçao
3-4 oz orange juice
Orange wedge(s)
Instructions:
Fill a cocktail glass with ice and add whiskey, Blue Curaçao and orange juice. Stir well and garnish with a fresh orange wedge.
This drink is not Irish, but its green color makes for a perfect St. Patty’s Day drink to enjoy at sea. Using the same ingredients but replacing whiskey with tequila, try another easy twist on the classic recipe for a Tequila Sunrise. Sail off toward the horizon while enjoying this beachy beverage.
Ingredients:
2 oz Blanco Tequila
1 oz Blue Curaçao
3-4 oz orange juice
1 lime and 1 orange wedge
Instructions:
Fill a cocktail glass with ice and add tequila, Blue Curaçao and orange juice. Stir well and garnish with a fresh lime and orange wedge.
For the salty sailor who could use a sweet kick on V-day, this sweet yet tart drink is perfect for your anti-Valentine’s Day party. This ocean-inspired twist on the classic margarita also makes for a perfect waterside cocktail.
1 ½ oz blanco tequila
1 oz Blue Curaçao
¾ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Splash of orange juice
Kosher salt
1 lime and 1 orange wedge
For a salted rim, fill a small plate with lime juice and swirl your glass rim in it, then dip it into a plate of margarita salt and fill your glass with ice. In a separate cocktail shaker with a light amount of ice, pour in tequila, Blue Curaçao, lime juice and a splash of orange juice. Shake thoroughly and strain into your glass and garnish with a lime or orange.
Also known as “The Isaac,” this romantic red drink was created by original Love Boat cast member Ted Lange, who played Isaac the bartender. Inspired by his signature bright red jacket mixed with the show’s sweet theme, the delicious libation is a perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail for boat lovers.
2 oz white rum
2 oz pomegranate syrup
½ oz fresh lime juice
Splash of club soda
Lime slice(s)
2 pineapple leaf spears
Fill highball glass with ice. In separate cocktail shaker, fill with ice, white rum, pomegranate syrup and lime juice. Shake and strain into highball glass and top it with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a fresh lime slice and two pineapple spears.
*Check out a special segment from Princess Cruises where actor Ted Lange gives a demo of the Love Boat cocktail that debuted on the cruise line in 2015.
In my quest for the best Caribbean Rum, I’ve sampled a few. From Appleton to Ron Zacapa rum, my tastebuds have celebrated the luscious flavors borne from fermenting sugarcane into smooth amber elixirs.
In the pursuit of rum perfection, I’ve noticed that a well-designed label can give clues about what awaits inside the bottle. Many simply present the distiller’s name and location where a rum derives its unique flavors. But it’s hard to resist the image of a crusty old captain, pirate ship or sassy sea wench when pouring a hefty splash into a tumbler.
Curious rum aficionados like myself are always eager to hear the back story behind the libation in our hand. Like a slice of pineapple or lime wedged upon the rim of a glass, the history of a rum’s journey from the Caribbean to our lips can make a cocktail taste even sweeter.
I recently stumbled upon the extraordinary tale that intertwines Jamaican rum, world- class musicians and James Bond. To fully appreciate this unique saga, follow my lead and shake up a GoldenEye Cocktail (see recipe below) to sip while the story unfolds.
Our story begins in 1939, when a London journalist named Ian Fleming joined the British Navy Intelligence Service. His unit specialized in military espionage and covert plans to thwart German aggression in Europe and the Caribbean.
During World War II, Fleming was engaged in Operation GoldenEye, and in 1942 he was sent to investigate suspicions about Nazi submarines in the Caribbean. During this deployment, he became enamored with Jamaica and vowed to live there some day.
When the war was over, Fleming returned to Jamaica and bought 15 acres of plush land that was once used as a donkey racetrack. In 1945, he built a house not far from the banana port town of Oracabessa Bay, and the seaside property became Fleming’s tropical sanctuary where he could focus on writing and the discrete task of taking previously tight-held secrets into a public, fictional genre.
He named the estate GoldenEye as a tribute to his Navy service and began working on a book that evolved around the dashing spy and Special Agent 007, James Bond. This protagonist would emerge as the amalgamation of agents he’d met during his maritime service. As an avid birdwatcher, Fleming took the name for his lead character from American ornithologist James Bond, an expert on Caribbean birds, who wrote the definitive field guide, Birds of the West Indies.
Fleming’s first spy novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1952. This book and all 13 in the James Bond series were written in his bedroom at GoldenEye. Three of them — Dr. No, Live and Let Die, and The Man with the Golden Gun — take place in Jamaica.
Not only did the breezy island life at GoldenEye inspire Fleming’s novels, but so did his fetching neighbor, Blanche Blackwell. She was the muse who helped spark his creative drive. The Blackwell family had lived in Jamaica since 1625, exporting bananas and coconuts and crafting a distinctive brand of rum.
Blanche’s son Chris Blackwell grew up between England and Jamaica, and in his childhood spent a good amount of time with Fleming. In 1954, after Blackwell got booted from an elite British school for rebellious behavior, he came back to the island to get involved in the family rum business. Contrary to plan, he followed his instincts and made a career choice that would dramatically alter the global music scene.
For a while, he kicked around working as the aide-de-camp to the governor and as a waterskiing instructor. But after hearing the blind pianist Lance Heywood play at the Half Moon Resort, Blackwell recorded the musician, and in 1959 he launched a music studio called Island Records. In sync with his unconventional style, it became known for discovering and nurturing innovative performers who had been shrugged off or overlooked by bigger record labels.
Island Records introduced the world outside of the Caribbean to Bob Marley and the Wailers and Jamaican reggae music, showcasing island culture and universal struggles of indigenous people. It launched British bands such as Traffic, Bad Company, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Roxy Music, King Crimson and Fairport Convention. It also cultivated artists such as Cat Stevens, Brian Eno, Grace Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Waits and the Irish band, U2.
Throughout his success in the music industry, Blackwell remained in contact with Fleming and his projects. When the first Bond movie, Dr. No, was filmed in Jamaica in 1962, Blackwell was hired as a location scout and consulted on the soundtrack. Sir Sean Connery, whom Blackwell had met during the filming of Dr. No, remained a friend until his passing in 2020. Using a family recipe, Blackwell launched his boutique rum in 2008 that is distributed around the globe.
Live and Let Die was filmed in 1973 on the Blackwell Estate, which now includes The Fleming Villa. Scenes from the movie were shot near GoldenEye, Blackwell’s luxury hotel in Jamaica. The latest Bond flick, No Time to Die, returns to the exquisite Jamaican backdrop of GoldenEye, and the production team was treated to a supply of Blackwell Rum for inspiration while filming.
TO CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF JAMES BOND, a special bottle of Blackwell Rum has been released, along with a new memoir by Chris Blackwell, The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond. If you’re cruising around Jamaica this winter, cue up some Bob Marley tunes, open a bottle of Blackwell’s 007 Rum, and shake it (don’t stir) with pineapple juice and ice to create the GoldenEye Cocktail. And if you’re nestled in at home in a colder climate and dreaming about the Caribbean, we suggest watching a Bond flick and warming up with the Toasted Toddy.
INGREDIENTS:
-1 part Blackwell Rum
-1 part pineapple juice
-Lime or pineapple wedge
INSTRUCTIONS:
Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime or pineapple wedge
INGREDIENTS:
-3 parts Blackwell Rum
-2 teaspoons brown sugar
-1 1⁄2 parts fresh lemon juice
-6 parts boiling water
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add all ingredients to a mug, except for the water. Pour in the boiling water, Stir well to blend
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