We went out to Matlacha on Pine Island to buy fish and shrimp fresh off the boat a few days before Christmas. Captain C.J. didn’t let us down. We had fresh black grouper, smoked cobia (done on site) and really good shrimp for a Christmas Eve dinner. I grilled the grouper and used an adobo spice rub with extra garlic. It was lovely, so fresh and not a fish I see in my local market, although it’s common in south Florida.
On site at Captain C. J’s were a few other fisherman. Or maybe they were just entrepreneurs hoping to get lucky and grab a pre-caught fish.
For some reason, I really love pelicans. I think it’s their skeptical expression—as if sitting on a dock post for hours allows you to see just about all you can endure of human silliness before you’re forced to fly off into the brilliant blue sky.
Some of these birds clearly have a tough life. This guy probably got tangled up in fishing line and his wing paid the price yet he’s still out there hugging a dock post with his buddies . . . probably a lesson in there somewhere, but since I’m a gardener on vacation and happily surrounded by green things, I’ll just admire their majestic pelican presence and enjoy the warm breeze rustling through the palm trees on the shore. Tough assignment, huh
